Graziano & Raulin
Research Methods (9th edition)
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a French chemist and bacteriologist, whose research brought about a revolution in the understanding, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Pasteur demonstrated that (1) putrefaction processes in beer, wine, milk, and other liquids are caused by tiny organisms or germs and that (2) these germs exist in the air and can contaminate those liquids. His later research on cholera, anthrax, and rabies reinforced his conclusions.
Pasteur ‘s research supported the germ theory of disease. He demonstrated that disease can be caused by contamination of air-borne or water-born microbes, can be prevented by using heat to destroy microbes in such substances as milk and wine (pasteurization), and can be prevented and cured by inoculation with artificially grown cultures. In the burgeoning science of the 19th Century, Pasteur demonstrated convincingly that the application of science could help solve important human problems. His research is of enormous importance in the development of modern medicine.