He was not a doctor, but he saved the lives of his descendants and was ahead of his time (9 photos)

The inventions and discoveries of the greats are not always recognized when they are life. Often, the discoverers are criticized, persecuted, and even receive threats.





Say, do not stick your head out, the smartest, or what? Be like everyone else, sit quietly.



Pasteur in his youth

Quietly, Louis Pasteur did not succeed. Appeared in the family French tanner in 1822, the son was supposed to, according to tradition continue the family business. Well, or break out into people and become rural teacher, as his father wanted.

And Louis did. And not a teacher, but a professor. When he was only 26 years old. In his youth, the guy mastered many crafts. Knew a lot not only about leather processing, but also carpentry and pottery. He was fond of glassblowing art and botany.

Despite a rather late start in science, Pasteur has everything happened. And he enthusiastically plunged into teaching. Even headed the university faculty, but excessive zeal caused fairly quick end of a teaching career. Louis quarreled with students and colleagues.





Since it didn’t work with people, you can devote yourself to science. What Pasteur did, carried away by the problems of popular French drinks - wine and beer. Which very quickly turned sour and became cloudy. Pasteur plunged on the topic of fermentation, but at the same time a fashionable and new direction - spontaneous generation microorganisms.

It must be said that the study was not only purely theoretical research. Louie was approached by an entire farm delegation, because due to the rapid loss of wine characteristics, they lost income. And one very generous lady donated to research a solid amount.



In the laboratory

The scientist came to the conclusion that when the bottles are heated to temperatures of about 50 degrees harmful microorganisms die. So there was a technology unique for that time - pasteurization.

Pasteur also opened up new prospects for the country's economy. Indeed, for traditional France, the preservation of wine, especially during transportation, was very important.

In parallel, Louis proved that the spontaneous generation of microorganisms - nonsense. They need to come from somewhere. Before that, the only theory was the emergence of pathogens from unhealthy air.

Personal tragedy as a starting point for discoveries



Louis Pasteur

In the meantime, Pasteur prevented the development of an epidemic of mulberry silkworm, which was also very important for the economy. What France without the finest silks, plus fabrics were supplied to other countries.

The scientist correctly diagnosed and saved strategically important insects. But then tragedy struck in Louis' life. Typhus claimed the lives of three his children. And he began to search for a cure, removing himself from all other cases and directions.

As a pioneer, he explored many points randomly, like a blind kitten. Thus, while studying animals, Pasteur discovered a large number of pyogenic pathogens. Streptococcus and staphylococcus. But still, he saw another main task: how to do so, so that the infected person does not get sick?



Pasteur Laboratory

The only solution was a vaccine. Prior to this, vaccination - inoculation of a weakened pathogen has already been tested by the English Doctor Jenner. But only in the case of a benign form of cowpox.

Experimenting with chickens, Louis realized that the same can be done with other - more dangerous diseases. But it's now seems obvious. And at that time Pasteur's theories looked like nonsense. After the report on microorganisms, at a meeting of the medical academy one honorary, but the age professor generally threatened to call Pasteur to duel. Say, there are no invisible organisms, this is nonsense. To which the scientist showed readiness to fight and offered weapons - flasks with water and smallpox pathogens. He drinks one, the opponent the second. But for some reason, the duelist decided not to risk it. None of these invisible, of course. But all of a sudden?



Rabies vaccination at the Pasteur Clinic in Paris

The mood in the scientific community has changed somewhat. But before acceptance was still a long way off. Especially after unsuccessfulvaccination teas, when experiments with rabies patients began.

All this undermined the health of the man. As a result, in 1887 year he had a stroke. Followed by fame and recognition: the Pasteur Institute was opened in the capital. Although evil tongues dubbed it the "Palace of Frenzy", Louis won. In the walls institutions for the first time in history, the patient coped with the disease. Institute generous donations began to arrive from different countries.



Pasteur Institute in Paris

Although Louis headed the structure, the position was already formal. Pasteur spoke with difficulty, and could not write after a stroke. A great innovator who didn't even have medical care dies education, in 1895 at the age of 72. The autopsy showed that after A stroke nearly destroyed one hemisphere of his brain. That is he continued to work and made discoveries with only one.



Pasteur was buried within the walls of his own brainchild, equipped special tomb. To its employees and students, of which eight received the Nobel Prize at various times, Pasteur often repeated that science has no homeland. And his discoveries are used not only in France, but also worldwide.