Picture of Louis Pasteur
The Bettmann Archive. From painting by Edelfeld.

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur was a French chemist who lived between 1822-1895. He described the scientific basis for fermentation, the process used to make beer and wine, showing that it is carried out by microorganisms, called germs. Pasteur learned that these germs are also responsible for spreading contagious diseases. He thus solved the mystery behind rabies and anthrax, and created vaccines for these and other deadly illnesses, saving many lives.

Pasteur also dispelled the myth of spontaneous generation, proving that all life must come from pre-existing life.


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