Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur made many valuable contributions in the science field. These findings in chemistry, industry, and medicine are still appreciated today. Louis Pasteur saved many lives because of his findings and research. This chemist devoted much of his life improving the welfare of man-kind.

Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, in Dole, a small town on the eastern part of England. As a young boy, Louis was very quiet and had an incredible desire in drawing and artwork. He produced many charming pieces, which can be seen at the Pasteur Museum in the Pasteur Institute at Paris. These pastel paintings were portraits of his family, friends, and teachers. His powerful imagination was revealed to be beyond the ordinary. Because this humble young man was so dedicated to his artistic abilities, many of his peers often picked on him. Pasteur graduated from the College of Arts at Besancon in 1840, and then attended Ecole Supervieure to work on his doctorate degree. His study was in the science of crystallography, which was a powerful influence on his striving for improving society.

At the Lycee of Tournon, he was a physics professor and researched the optical properties of crystals of tartaric acid salts. He found the two forms of this acid, which could rotate the plane of polarization of light, one to the right and the other to the left. This was his first important discovery in crystallography, the phenomenon of optical isomers. Ironically it incited him to abandon the field. It won the acclaim of the French Academy and Britain's Royal Society. Therefore, Pasteur became famous at the age of 26.

Pasteur soon began researching in bacteria. The predominant theory of life...

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...892 was celebrated in a unique way, by being observed as a national holiday in France. His address on this occasion carried a thoughtful message: "You bring me the greatest happiness that can be experienced by a man whose invincible belief is that science and peace will triumph over ignorance and war.... In the long run the future will belong not to the conquerors but to the saviors of mankind."

In 1940, the conquering Germans came to Paris. A German officer demanded to see the tomb of Pasteur, but the Old French guard refused to open the gate. When the German insisted, the guard killed himself.

*Scholarly Source*

Jacques, Nicole. Louis Pasteur. New York: Basic Books, 1961.

This source contributed to just about everything in my article. Everything from the biographical details to the information about the Pasteur Institue in Paris is included