DAWN OF A NEW ERA IN MEDICINE 181 



"Seek the microbe/' became Pasteur's motto. 

 Pasteur made many visits to hospitals with his 

 medical colleagues in order to familiarize himself 

 with the problems of the physician. Witnessing 

 an operation on a little girl for osteomyelitis he 

 gathered some pus from the inside of the bone and 

 found it to contain numerous rounded microbes 

 susceptible of culture like those of boils from which 

 they could not be distinguished. Somewhat boldly 

 he affirmed that the two infections were essentially 

 the same; it is only the place in which the germs 

 find lodgment and multiply that causes the dif- 

 ference between these very dissimilar afflictions. 



Visiting patients and observing operations and 

 autopsies was very repulsive to Pasteur. Roux, who 

 was his frequent attendant in those days, remarks 

 that "His sensibility was extreme, and he suffered 

 morally and physically from the pains of others; 

 the cut of the bistoury which opened an abscess 

 made him wince as if he received it himself. The 

 sight of cadavers and the sad necessity of autop- 

 sies filled him with disgust. We have often seen 

 him come away ill from those operating rooms of 

 the hospital. But his love of science, his desire 

 for truth, were the stronger; he returned the next 

 day." 



