Louis Pasteur, one of humanity's greatest benefactors, was the first to understand that bacteria caused disease. He was a scientist who associated an animal disease with a microorganism. Pasteur solved the mysteries of rabies, anthrax, chicken cholera and silkworm diseases. He also contributed to the development of the first vaccine. He described the basics of fermentation, pasteurization winemaking and beer brewing. Pasteur's work paved the way for many branches of science, making him responsible for some of the most theoretical concepts and practical applications of modern science. Before his discoveries, many believed in the widely accepted myth of spontaneous generation. Pasteur founded microbiology and made it known that spontaneous generation does not exist by proving that most infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms. This is called the “germ theory” of disease. His discovery of the rabies vaccine led to the founding of the Pasteur Institute in Paris in 1888. Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822 in Dole, eastern France. His parents were farmers; his father was a tanner by trade. He spent the first days of his life in the town of Arbois, where he attended school and where he did not do very well, preferring to go fishing. His director, feeling that Pasteur had potential, encouraged him to study in Paris. At the age of fifteen, he left for Paris, but as he was homesick, his father took him home. He continued to study in his hometown until he was ready to return. He succeeded and continued his studies at the Ecole Normale Supérieure. In 1847 he received his doctorate and became a teaching assistant. In 1849 he was appointed professor of physics...... middle of paper ......mentation and pasteurization. Works Cited Louis Pasteur and rabies Lilian A. Bates British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition) Vol. 290, no. 6477 (April 27, 1985), p. 1287 Published by: BMJ Publishing Group Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29519055Pasteur and the process of discovery: the case of optical isomerismGerald L. Geison and James A. Secord Isis Vol. 79, no. 1 (March 1988), pp. 6-36 Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/234439The Contributions of Pasteur to Medicine and HumanityWilliam Sydney Thayer and Pasteur Valléery-Radot Science New Series, Vol. 58, no. 1511 (December 14, 1923), pp. 475-485 Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1647200