Louis Pasteur sets out to solve some of the greatest medical mysteries of all time. The great French scientist, struggling with his own limitations from a stroke, is not deterred by scientific criticism nor failed experiments. His determination never deserts him as he faces his greatest challenge of all. Will a rabies vaccine tested only on animals save a boy’s life? Pasteur had the courage to look into the unseen world and his perfected vaccines are his gifts.
Louis Pasteur, Emile Roux, Marie Pasteur, Joseph Meister
Having lost three daughters to disease, Louis Pasteur is determined to solve the mystery of what causes disease and to uncover prevention solutions. As other scientists laugh at Pasteur and mock his ideas, he continues to prevail in his experiments with animals until he invents a vaccine.
Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822-September 28, 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist. Although he is lauded for confirming the germ theory of disease and creating the first vaccination for rabies, Pasteur is best known for a process called pasteurization, whereby milk and wine do not sour.
The time is 1860, and cholera is beginning to spread throughout France’s chicken population. Louis Pasteur and his assistant, Emile Roux, collect samples and deduce that disease can be transmitted through air. They then draw blood from the chickens and see an unidentified germ in the specimens.
While Pasteur and Roux work with the samples of blood, Pasteur has a debilitating stroke. He continues to work with Roux from his bed by writing him notes. He tells Roux to inject the chickens with the contaminated blood. The chickens die. After Pasteur’s return, they discover the blood has altered over time. When they inject this blood into the chickens again, the cholera germs are killed. They have created a vaccination for the chickens.
Meanwhile, sheep begin to die from anthrax. Even though other scientists are still skeptical of Pasteur’s findings, they agree to let him experiment on 25 sheep. They are all surprised to see the vaccine work.
Pasteur is determined to create a vaccination to work on people. He and Roux continue to experiment for four years until a young boy, Joseph Meister, is brought in by his father, after contracting rabies from a wolf. Although hesitant to experiment on a human, Pasteur agrees to give him the shot. After five long days of waiting and another shot, Joseph Meister recovers and the world’s first human vaccination is introduced.
His determination never deserts him as he faces his greatest challenge of all. Will a rabies vaccine tested only on animals save a boy’s life?
Disease was the mask of death in the days before modern medicine and vaccinations. There was no immunization from such diseases as chicken pox, measles and no cure for rabies. Louis Pasteur, a scientist, knew that a solution could be found.
With limited technology and knowledge for disease, Pasteur embarked on a mission that gave us the needed preventive vaccination for today. It is because of his conviction to live that we are able to cure and prevent disease in animals and humans.
BONUS Resource & Activity Books:
Eachinteractive DVD includes a 48-page Resource & Activity Book full ofskill-developing activities, word games, puzzles, coloring pages, andmore! Provides hours of fun and learning for the entire family! Thespecial “Certificate of Achievement” located in the back of the bookserves as an excellent award your child can display after completingthe activities.
Principles and Values Taught in This Video:
Sacrifice, Work, Compassion, Initiative, Observation, Concentration, and Diligence.
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