Louis Pasteur by Nicola Kingsley - National STEM Centre

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Pasteur's house 6 at Dole Pasteur grew up in the small French town of Arbois where his father, Jean-Joseph Pasteur was a tanner (someone who turns animal skins into leather). Jean-Joseph had been a sergeant in Napoleon's army and was very patriotic. He taught his son to love France and to take pride in working for the good of his country. Even as a boy Pasteur felt he would like to do something useful when he grew up, but he had no clear idea what it would be. Being good at drawing pictures he thought at one stage that he might be an artist. There was nothing about him to suggest that one day he would become a famous scientist-in fact one school report described his work in chemistry as "mediocre" (average or worse!). Pasteur's parents placed high value on education, and they worked hard to pay for their son's schooling. Although Pasteur was not a brilliant pupil, the headmaster of his school believed that he showed promise and would do well at college. He encouraged the boy's parents to consider the idea, and they agreed, hoping that Pasteur might eventually become a school teacher. So when he was 16 he went to Paris, many miles away, to study; but he was so homesick there that he returned to Arbois after a few
weeks. The following year he tried again. He enrolled at a college nearer home, which allowed him to visit his parents and three sisters with ease. He was happier there, and did well at his studies. For the next few years he studied at various colleges, becoming increasingly interested in science, and teaching part-time to pay his way. At the age of 20 he passed the very difficult entrance exams for the top college of science in France, the Ecole Normale Superieure. He decided not to go there yet, because he had only come sixteenth in the exams. He was developing an ambitious character, a desire to be best, that was to be a driving force in his life. When he did enter the Ecole Normale, a year later, it was after sitting the exams again, competing with the best pupils from allover France, and coming fifth. He thought he knew, now, what he wanted: to become a teacher. Not just a teacher, but in his own words "a distinguished professor". At the end of his studies at the Ecole Normale his lecturers reported that Pasteur "Will make an excellent teacher". By then, however, this ambitious young man was no longer interested in just learning or handing on other people's ideas. He wanted to make new scientific discoveries. He began by studying crystals, a fashionable subject amongst scientists at that time,.and did succeed in making a new discovery. This set him firmly on the path he desired: he had begun to make a name for himself. He was awarded the title of Doctor, and at the age of 26 was appointed Professor of Physics in Dijon. Two months later he moved to Strasbourg, to be Professor of Chemistry at the University. Here, within a fortnight of his arrival, the usually hard-working Pasteur found himself completely unable to concentrate on his work. Pasteur had fallen in love. He was not a man to waste time. He acted as he would in any other situation, with determination and speed. He proposed, was accepted, and just a few weeks later married Marie, younger daughter of the Rector of Strasbourg University. For the rest of Pasteur's life Marie was as dedicated to him as he was to work. In the evenings, when 7
Page 2 and 3: Louis Pasteur by Nicola Kingsley Se
Page 4 and 5: • Louis Pasteur
Page 8 and 9: Pasteur dictating notes on silkworm
Page 10 and 11: Budding in yeast cells 10 bad vineg
Page 12 and 13: Pasteur in his laboratory 12 Pasteu
Page 14 and 15: A drop of pond water magnified to s
Page 16 and 17: 16 By 1859 no one had come any clos
Page 18 and 19: Mer de Glace on Mont Blanc where Pa
Page 20 and 21: 20 I ChaQter 4 A theory of disease
Page 22 and 23: The microscope used by Pasteur at W
Page 24 and 25: Lister greets Pasteur at the Sorbon
Page 26 and 27: 26 I Cha~ter 5 Farmyard microbes Wi
Page 28 and 29: Early vaccination for diphtheria 28
Page 30 and 31: Anthrax bacilli 30 with the disease
Page 32 and 33: A sheep being vaccinated 32 When he
Page 34 and 35: 34 His assistants brought the news
Page 36 and 37: Pasteur experimenting on a chlorofo
Page 38 and 39: Statue at the Pasteur Institute of
Page 40 and 41: The Pasteur Institute 40 The news o
Page 42: 42 Before his success with rabies,

Louis Pasteur by Nicola Kingsley - National STEM Centre

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