Louis Pasteur, one of humanity's greatest benefactors, was the first person to see that bacteria cause disease. He was a scientist who associated an animal disease with a microorganism. Pasteur solved the mysteries of rabies, anthrax, fowl cholera, and silkworm diseases. He also contributed to the development of the first vaccine. He described the basics of fermentation, winemaking by pasteurization, and beer production. Pasteur's work pioneered 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, demonstrating that most infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms. This became known as 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 the town of Dole in 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 instead to go fishing. His headmaster, sensing that Pasteur had potential, encouraged him to go to Paris to study. At the age of fifteen he left for Paris, but because he was homesick, his father took him back home. He continued to study in his hometown until he was ready to return. He succeeded and continued studying at the Ecole Normale Superieure. In 1847 he received his doctorate and became a teacher's assistant. In 1849 he was appointed professor of physics......middle of paper......mentation and pasteurization.Works CitedLouis Pasteur and RabiesLilian A. Bates British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition) vol. 290, n. 6477 (27 April 1985), p. 1287 Published by: BMJ Publishing Group Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29519055Pasteur and the Discovery Process: 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 Stable article URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/234439The Contributions of Pasteur to Medicine and HumanityWilliam Sydney Thayer and Pasteur Valléry-Radot Science New Series, vol. 58, No. 1511 (14 December 1923), pp. 475-485 Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science Stable article URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1647200