Louis Pasteur

• Who was Louis Pasteur 


  a French chemist and biologist best known for his new discoveries o the causes and prevention of disease.

  in 1861 he published his ' Germ theory of diseases'
• What was the Germ theory 


  Before the GM there was the spontaneous generation that believed rotting matter created microbes and miasma spread them.

  the germ theory showed that microbes caused decay and spread through the air
• VAST


  Vaccinations. created the first ever vaccine in a lab

  Acts to improve public health

  Surgery became safer. Carbolic spray created by joseph lister= first antiseptic

  Treatments improved
• What was Louis Pasteur short term impact 


  • gm theory significantly altered the understanding of infection leading to changes in medical practise.
  • his work on vaccines particularly for rabies and anthrax, demonstrated the potential for immunisation as a preventative measure
  • developed pasteurisation, a process that kills harmful bacteria in foods and drink leading to better infection control
  • raised public awareness about the role of microbes in disease, influencing public health policies and practises
  • sparked interest in microbiology (koch)
• What was Louis Pasteur long term impact 


  • Acceptance of the germ theory transformed medical practises and public health= improved sanitation, hygiene, and eventual development of antibiotics and antiviral therapies.
  • Pasteur's development of vaccines helped build upon the ideas of Jenner and pave the way for immunology
  • understanding causes of disease for the first time
  • foundation of microbiology
  • surgical practises transformed after his emphasis on sterilisation and aseptic techniques
• How was Pasteur limited

  • Vaccines/germ theory not immediately accepted due to inoculation/miasma
  • limited understanding of microorganisms technology and techniques still limited his depth of research. i.e could not see bacteria until later developments in microscopy