His research in chemistry led to remarkable breakthroughs in the understanding of the causes and preventions of diseases , which laid down the foundations of hygiene, public health and much of modern medicine. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern bacteriology and has been honored as the "father of bacteriology" [ 4 ] and the "father of microbiology " [ 5 ] [ 6 ] together with Robert Koch ; [ 7 ] [ 8 ] the latter epithet also attributed to Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.
Pasteur was responsible for disproving the doctrine of spontaneous generation. Under the auspices of the French Academy of Sciences , his experiment demonstrated that in sterilized and sealed flasks, nothing ever developed; conversely, in sterilized but open flasks, microorganisms could grow.
Pasteur is also regarded as one of the fathers of germ theory of diseases , which was a minor medical concept at the time. He is best known to the general public for his invention of the technique of treating milk and wine to stop bacterial contamination, a process now called pasteurization. Pasteur also made significant discoveries in chemistry, most notably on the molecular basis for the asymmetry of certain crystals and racemization. Early in his career, his investigation of sodium ammonium tartrate initiated the field of optical isomerism.
This work had a profound effect on structural chemistry, with eventual implications for many areas including medicinal chemistry. He was the director of the Pasteur Institute , established in , until his death, and his body was interred in a vault beneath the institute. Although Pasteur made groundbreaking experiments, his reputation became associated with various controversies.
Historical reassessment of his notebook revealed that he practiced deception to overcome his rivals. The family moved to Marnoz in and then to Arbois in He was an average student in his early years, and not particularly academic, as his interests were fishing and sketching. They were married on 29 May , [ 38 ] and together had five children, only two of whom survived to adulthood; [ 39 ] the other three died of typhoid.
