Louis Pasteur. Short biography

Descripción

The fight of human beings against microorganisms, especially viruses, has been permanent. Great pandemics have hit us, leaving thousands of dead, such as the black plague in the 14th century, the Spanish flu in the 20th century, and the coronavirus today. Diseases like the common cold, influenza, measles, chickenpox are produced by microorganisms and affect us daily. In the beginning, scientists did not know how these diseases arose.

All kinds of superstitions explained their origin of them. The most widespread was the spontaneous generation that said that certain forms of life (animal and plant) started directly from organic or inorganic matter or a combination of them. It was not until the 17th century that Antony Leeuwenhoek discovered the microscope; with this instrument, we can see little beings or entities that we can not see at simple sight. With the microscope, the scientists of the 17th century started to know about microorganisms. In the 19th century, with the scientific method, systematic observation, measurement, experimentation, formulation, analysis, and hypothesis modification, the first hunters of microbes emerged.

The most excellent microbe hunter and scientist of the 19th century was Luis Pasteur, who ended the idea of spontaneous generation. Pasteur demonstrated the existence of microorganisms of two types, those that help humanity and those that damage. He studied how to eliminate, control, and prevent them. To do this, Paster developed the pasteurization process and promoted hygiene measures. Besides, he created one of the first vaccines in history against a virus, rabies, one of the most feared diseases in those years.

Pasteur was a great hunter of microbes based on the scientific method. He never lost enthusiasm for the truth and the critic. Pasteur told us that we could not say anything that we could not prove decisively. He had the cult of the critical spirit. This spirit was a gift that he cultivated because he said it always has the last word. The contributions of men like Pasteur help the fight that is being waged today against the coronavirus. I invite you to know or remember him and keep in mind that we cannot win without the scientific method. Jose Rene Cruz Revueltas