SCIENCE AND WAR 223 



On the day after Sedan the Quaker surgeon Lister 

 had published directions for the use of aqueous solu- 

 tions of carbolic acid to destroy septic particles in 

 wounds, and of oily solutions "to prevent putrefac- 

 tive fermentation from without." He recognized that 

 the earlier the case comes from the field the greater 

 the prospect of success. Sedillot (the originator 

 of the term " microbe"), at the head of an ambulance 

 corps in Alsace, was a pioneer in the rapid transport 

 of wounded from the field of battle. He knew the 

 horrors of purulent infection in military hospitals, 

 and regretted that the principles of Pasteur and 

 Lister were not more fully applied. 



After the war was over, Pasteur kept repeating 

 his life-long exhortation : We must work " Tra- 

 vaillez, travaillez toujours I " He applied himself to 

 a study of the brewing industry. He did not believe 

 in spontaneous alterations, but found that every 

 marked change in the quality of beer coincides 

 with the development of micro-organisms. He was 

 able to tell the English brewers the defects in their 

 output by a microscopic examination of their yeast. 

 ("W r e must make some friends for our beloved 

 France," he said.) Bottled beer could be pasteur- 

 ized by bringing it to a temperature of 50 to 55 C. 

 Whenever beer contains no ferments it is unaltera- 

 ble. His scrupulous mind was coming ever closer to 

 the goal of his ambition. This study of the diseases 

 of beer led him nearer to a knowledge of infections. 

 Many micro-organisms may, must, be detrimental to 

 the health of man and animals. 



In 1874 the Government conferred upon Pasteur 

 a life annuity of twelve thousand francs, an equiva- 



