Hundreds of years ago, people knew little about diseases or why they got sick. Sometimes people thought sickness was caused by evil spirits or spells. Illness might occur when the planets lined up or if a person had sinned. People believed bad blood might also cause illness. Doctors used a lot of odd remedies. Sometimes they put leeches on a patient’s body. The leeches sucked out the bad blood. At other times, a doctor might cut open the skull to let evil spirits out of the brain. Hot pokers were inserted in the body to treat illness. Yikes! No wonder most people didn’t get better.
Louis Pasteur was a scientist who was born in France in 1822. Some scientists had discovered that germs actually cause many illnesses, but most people didn’t believe this idea. Pasteur proved that germs can cause milk to sour or juice to become wine. He proved that germs can make people sick too.
Fun Facts about Louis Pasteur for Kids
- Louis was an average student, but he liked to draw and paint.
- Later, he received a doctorate degree.
- Louis became a chemistry professor at colleges in France. He did research on germs in food and drinks.
- He discovered that if you heat milk, you can kill the germs in it. This process is known as pasteurization. It makes many of our foods safer today.
- Louis Pasteur invented vaccines for cholera, anthrax, small pox and rabies.
Louis Pasteur Vocabulary
- Evil: bad, wanting to do harm
- Sin: bad deed
- Leeches: worms that can suck blood
- Poker: a pointed metal tool used in fireplaces
- Skull: the bones in your head that protect your brain
Learn More All About Louis Pasteur and His Discoveries
Find out all about Louis Pasteur in this video:
A video biography of Louis Pasteur.
Louis Pasteur Q&A
Question: What was Louis Pasteur’s personality like?
Answer: Louis took his work very seriously. He believed that to be a good scientist, one must test and retest theories.
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