xxxii author's preface 



he has traversed many different countries leaving foot- 

 prints, but he did not intend to explore them; they were 

 merely along his pathway and the grandeur of his dis- 

 coveries makes it possible for the history of his mind, 

 even though reduced to a report, to clothe these adven- 

 tures with all the air of a romance. 



My second reason is that in its details this scientific 

 life is no less interesting than in its ensemble. As one 

 may readily conceive, Pasteur encountered many diffi- 

 culties and many obstacles. These obstacles we recog- 

 nize more clearly as such, now that they have been 

 surmounted and we see them behind us. It is interesting 

 to see how Pasteur outflanked or evaded them. He 

 employed for that purpose qualities of the first order. 

 At the same time audacious and prudent, deceiving 

 himself sometimes even for a long period but being 

 brought back constantly to the true path by that ex- 

 acting experimental method of which he has so often 

 spoken gratefully, he is always worthy of admiration 

 and worthy also to serve as an example. It is less for 

 the purpose of making an eulogy than for purposes of 

 instruction that I have attempted to write his history, 

 in which I set aside all that relates to the man, that I 

 may speak only of the savant. I have desired, in the 

 ensemble as well as in the particulars, to give the genesis 

 of his discoveries, believing that he has nothing to lose 

 by this analysis, and that we have much to gain. But 

 I found the task difficult. It is now for the skeptical 

 reader to say whether I have succeeded. 



