The Discoveries Of Louis Pasteur
Wikimedia CommonsNostradamus may have predicted the success of Louis Pasteur, the man who discovered the process of pasteurization.
Louis Pasteur, born in 1822, is commonly referred to as the “father of microbiology” for his numerous contributions to science. Notably, he was the man who discovered the process that would come to be known as pasteurization, which removes bacteria from things like milk and wine, making them safe for consumption.
He also discovered that it was the growth of microorganisms that causes fermentation, marking a fundamental shift in how scientists thought about bacteria. Prior to Pasteur’s discovery, the commonly held belief was that fermentation occurred spontaneously.
This early work would eventually pave the way for vaccines, specifically for the treatment of rabies and anthrax. In fact, it was Pasteur himself who gave the first rabies inoculation to a nine-year-old boy named Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by a rabid dog. Meister, who would likely have died, recovered, and Pasteur’s inoculation technique was widely adopted by the larger scientific community.
He also happens to be one of the select few people apparently mentioned by name in Nostradamus’ prophecies:
“The lost thing is discovered, hidden for many centuries.
Pasteur will be celebrated almost as a God-like figure.
This is when the moon completes her great cycle,
But by other rumors he shall be dishonored.”
The fourth line of the quatrain is particularly notable, as in 1995, the biographer Gerald L. Geison published his book, The Private Science of Louis Pasteur, which revealed that Pasteur had secretly included a rival’s findings in his version of the anthrax vaccine to make it work — in a sense, “dishonoring” him.
