On this day in 1865, Louis Pasteur took a big risk by testing his new rabies vaccine on 9-year-old Joseph Meister, a local boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog. Pasteur had successfully tested his vaccine on dogs before, but Joseph was the first human to receive it. The little boy would receive more inoculations in the following days and eventually recovered. Pasteur took a risk as he was not a licensed physician and not allowed to treat the boy. He could have faced prosecution, but succeeded and was hailed as a hero. 

The rabies vaccine was not the only success of Louis Pasteur. He is seen as the father of bacteriology and microbiology and is hailed for his groundbreaking work on the anthrax, cholera and rabies vaccine. He confirmed the existence of germs with his experiments and was one of the pioneers of germ theory. Nowadays people mostly remember him for the process of pasteurization which is named after him. He proved that products such as milk can be kept longer when they are first heated and bad germs are killed off. 

In the picture you can see the front page of a newspaper, 'Le Petit Journal', after Pasteur's death in September 1895. It's interesting to analyze this picture and see how this newspaper wants to remember Pasteur. The French national flag and colours on the right show his national importance and status as French hero. The angel taking him to heaven also confirms this. The most interesting part is what's on the bottom. On the left you can see a (defeated) rabid dog while on the right a little boy and his mom are paying honour to Pasteur by handing him flowers. 

In conclusion, one could say that right after his death Pasteur was mostly hailed for his rabies vaccine which had saved the lives of many people, mostly children, by the end of the 19th century. Nowadays you might think of him after drinking milk, but please also take a second remember his fundamental work on bacteriology and microbiology next time you take a sip.  

Originally posted on Instagram on July 6, 2021