Guide Note

Louis Pasteur was a chemist and biologist who discovered that microorganisms cause fermentation and spread disease. To fight these processes he invented pasteurization and vaccination.

Fast Facts

1. Born: December 27, 1822
2. Died: September 28, 1895
3. Place of birth: Dole, France
4. Studied at the École Normale Supérieure
5. Was a professor of physics and chemistry
6. Risking his own career, vaccinated a boy bitten by a rabid dog, saving the boy's life¹

Louis Pasteur, the son of a tanner, grew up in the city of Arbois. He became a professor at the age of 26 and during his early career he taught, worked and experimented in the fields of chemistry and physics.

Louis Pasteur learned that animals that survived cholera and anthrax cannot contract the disease again, a finding that led to the discovery of vaccination. Seeking ways to prevent beer from fermenting, he found out that heat kills organisms that cause the process. The procedure of heating liquids to kills such organism was later called pasteurization, after its inventor.

Louis Pasteur is considered one of the fathers of modern microbiology.² An institute in Paris, France, bears his name and continues his legacy of study and research. He was ranked number 11 in Michael H. Hart's book, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History.