CHAPTER VI 



THE DISEASES OF WINE AND VINEGAR 



The years devoted to the problem of spontaneous 

 generation were years of growing fame. The con- 

 troversies in which Pasteur engaged attracted the 

 attention not only of the scientific world, but of 

 the wide circle of people who were naturally curi- 

 ous in regard to the beginnings of life. A lecture 

 on spontaneous generation delivered by Pasteur on 

 August 7, 1864, drew a large and eager audience 

 in which were such celebrities as George Sand, 

 Duruy, Alexandre Dumas and the Princess Ma- 

 thilde. The subject was discussed in the popular 

 press and became a favorite topic of chatter in 

 polite society. 



As always occurs with great scientific issues 

 there were many people whose chief concern with 

 the question was over its possible bearing on re- 

 ligion. Spontaneous generation was regarded by 

 some as tending toward atheism, while the opposed 

 view was considered to be more in accord with the 

 traditional account of creation as narrated in 



Genesis. Pasteur's work was, therefore, quite 



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