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Born in Dole, France
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Started a Career in Chemistry
Proved that identical molecules could be mirror images. This discovery helped make advances in modern drug development and the understanding of DNA -
Disproved the Theory that Life Appeared Spontaneously
He did an experiment that showed that food went bad because of contamination by microbes in the air. He argued that these could cause disease. This eventually led to advances in antiseptics. -
Invented Pasteurization
Wine was spoiling in transit and Pasteur realized this was because of contamination. Boiling wine would make it taste bad, but he discovered that heating the wine to 55 degrees killed the bacteria without changing the taste. This process was named pasteurization. -
Saved the Silk Industry
The silk industry was facing a mysterious silkworm disease. He studied silk worms for six years and came to the conclusion that the infection was transmitted by parasites and that infected worms should be isolated and destroyed. -
He had a Stroke which Paralyzed his Left Side
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Studied Chicken Cholera
He injected old culture of bacteria into his chickens and found that the birds became sick, but didn't die. This led him to discover how to create vaccines in a lab. -
Vaccinated a Boy Against Rabies
He had tried the vaccine on dogs, but was nervous to do it on humans. A boy with rabies was going to die, but he managed to treat him with his vaccine. This was the first vaccine, that had been created by someone, tested on a human. -
Died September 28, 1895