Description
Book SynopsisDrawing heavily on Pasteur's own scientific notebooks and writings, Debre presents a complete critical account of his discoveries and the controversies they raised with other scientists and occasionally with his closest associates.
Trade ReviewTrained in physics and chemistry, beginning his career as a teacher of those subjects and a researcher in crystallography, Pasteur as a young man would not have seemed likely to make an international reputation in medical research. But he did, and Debre in this fine biography traces the steps in the transition and illuminates Pasteur's many achievements in the field. Scientific American Splendid. -- Alice M. Stewart Times Higher Education Supplement Writing in an engaging style, the author has created a balanced and detailed account of Pasteur's personal and professional life... Highly recommended. Library Journal (starred review) Originally published in France to commemorate the centennial of Pasteur's death and now deftly rendered in English, this masterful biography offers the most complete portrait yet of a multifaceted genius. Booklist Debre's biography contributes substantially to an understanding of the scientific, material, personal, and institutional circumstances of the major experimental discoveries commonly credited to Pasteur. -- Martha L. Hildreth Social History of Medicine A candid, detailed, and lively biography that demystifies this cult figure, showing him in front of his test tubes or at work in his dog kennel. L'Express A superior specimen of traditional narrative biography... Debre tells Pasteur's story with pace and flair. -- Roy Porter Times Literary Supplement
Table of ContentsForeword
Preface to the English-Language Edition
Preface to the French Edition
Acknowledgments
1. My Father Is A Hero
2. Crystals: A New Law
3. The Philosopher's Stone
4. The World of the Liquefied Forests
5. Fermentation and Life
6. Rue D'Ulm Revisited
7. The So-Called Spontaneous Generations
8. The Microscope and The Silkworm
9. Industrial Pasteurization
10. A Chemist Among the Doctors
11. Anthrax in Sheep and Chickens
12. Culture Broths
13. From One Academy to Another
14. The Wager of Pouilly-Le-Fort
15. Rabies Must Be Defeated!
16. The Capstone
17. The Last Life Sciences
Chronology
Notes
Bibliography
Index
