Dr. Alber Reflection

I was aware of some of Pasteur’s scientific accomplishments before this lecture, but not how much of a role the Franco-Prussian role may have played in his later research on anthrax and rabies. “The Story of Louis Pasteur” seemed to be making this case as well, but I’m not sure how much the details were embellished in it. As far as I know, Robert Koch also wasn’t mentioned in the movie despite Pasteur’s competition with him during the period covered.

I was also previously aware that Pasteur had worked on fermentation, specifically with champagne yeast, but didn’t know how foundational this work was to his later research and germ theory in general. That Lister was then able to take Pasteur’s research on microbes in the production of alcohol and realize the implications for human diseases was also very impressive.

One thought on “Dr. Alber Reflection

  1. I also thought the movie was in some way trying to subtly communicate the importance of the Franco-Prussian War to Pasteur, It wasn’t until Dr. Alber pointed that out that it made sense to me. I guess if we put things in context, war is quite a big deal when you are living through it, but we seem to forget that when we study science history and make the mistake of thinking about it happening in isolation.

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