Who Discovered Vaccines? Jul 26

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Most people are choosing to get vaccinated against the COVID 19 virus. The main reason, they state, is that they want to feel safer when going about with their daily lives. Vaccination is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting people against harmful diseases, before they come into contact with them. It uses your body’s natural defenses to build resistance to specific infections and makes your immune system stronger. But who discovered that humans responded well to vaccination?

Louis Pasteur's first vaccine discovery was in 1879, with a disease called chicken cholera. After accidentally exposing chickens to the attenuated form of a culture, he demonstrated that they became resistant to the actual virus. Pasteur went on to extend his germ theory to develop causes and vaccinations for diseases such as anthrax, cholera, TB and smallpox.

In 1854 people did not believe that microscopic germs existed and much less that these invisible killers could make humans sick or kill them. Pasteru demonstrated that organisms such as bacteria, visible only through a microscope, were responsible for souring wine, beer and even milk. Pasteur did not invent the germ theory but he was able to further develop it through experiments and he eventually convinced most of Europe of its truth. 

Pasteur not only confirmed that microscopic germs existed, he then invented a process where bacteria could be removed by boiling and then cooling liquid. Pasteur completed the first test in 1862. Today the process is known as pasteurization. In many countries milk is an important element of breakfast.

In 1865, Pasteur helped save the silk industry. He proved that microbes were attacking healthy silkworm eggs, causing an unknown disease and that the disease would be eliminated if the microbes were eliminated. He eventually developed a method to prevent their contamination and it was soon used by silk producers throughout the world.

In 1882, the year of his acceptance into the Académie Française, Pasteur decided to focus his efforts on the problem of rabies. In 1885, Pasteur vaccinated Joseph Meister, a 9-year-old boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog. The success of Pasteur's vaccine brought him immediate fame. This began an international fundraising campaign to build the Pasteur Institute in Paris, which was inaugurated in 1888.

Pasteur was strong willed and dedicated, even though he had been partially paralyzed since 1868, due to a severe brain stroke, he was able to continue his research. He celebrated his 70th birthday at the Sorbonne. In 1895, his paralysis worsened, and he died. 

Some people say it’s luck when trying to explain how Pasteur brought so much positive contribution to humanity. But you have to remember that he prepared himself for greatness. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1840, then an advanced degree in physical science in 1842, and finally a doctorate in science in 1847. During a lecture at the University of Lille, Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors only the prepared mind.”