June 24, 1922] 



NATURE 



805 



The author deals with many other legendary islands, 

 such as St. Brendan, Mayda, and Buss, the last two 

 surviving until the opening of the nineteenth century, 

 while the chapter on Markland reviews briefly the 

 alleged discoveries of the Norse. 



The book contains an excellent selection of repro- 

 ductions and is welcomed as a contribution to the 

 study of early cartographical efforts and their value 

 in unfolding the story of geographical discovery. 



W. H. Barker. 



Pasteur's Scientific Career. 



Pasteur and Jiis Work. By L. Descour. Translated 

 from the French by A. F. and Dr. B. H. Wedd. Pp. 

 256. (London : T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd., 1922.) 

 155. net. 



BY the translation of this work Drs. A. F. and 

 B. H. Wedd have made available to the English- 

 speaking public one of the most complete accounts of 

 the scientific career of Pasteur. Even the lay mind 

 will be able to follow step by step and appreciate the 

 series of brilliant researches which gave birth to the 

 science of microbiology, culminating in that triumph 

 of applied science — anti-rabies inoculation. Perhaps 

 the very detail in virtue of which this book will appeal 

 to those actively interested in science, will act as a 

 deterrent to the general reading public. The first two 

 chapters in particular, dealing with Pasteur's work on 

 crystallography, require a degree of concentration 

 likely to scare away all but the more determined. 

 However, in a footnote we are told that these two 

 chapters may be ornitted without detracting in any 

 way from the value of what is to follow. This is in 

 fact correct, for these researches, although of great 

 interest and of fundamental importance, serve mainly 

 to show us that Pasteur, despite his unpromising years 

 at school and the lycee, was possessed of a scientific 

 mind which even at this early age bore the stamp of 

 genius. They do not form a consecutive part of the 

 brilliant investigations which follow and they can well 

 be passed over. 



The landmarks in the scientific career of this great 

 man are familiar to most, and it would be out of place 

 here to deal with them in any detail. Suffice it to say 

 that in the first ten chapters or so we are given an 

 account of his researches on fermentation, the question 

 of spontaneous generation, putrefaction, aerobiosis and 

 anaerobiosis. Here also an account is given of his 

 study of diseases of wine and beer. Although perhaps 

 less dazzling than his subsequent researches in the 

 realms of animal pathology, this early work of Pasteur 

 is the more interesting in virtue of its fundamental 

 NO. 2747, VOL. 109] 



value. These are the foundations on which has been 

 erected the edifice of microbiology. Without the 

 knowledge gained by this work he would not have been 

 able successfully to attack those future problems the 

 solution of which obtained for him undying fame. 



The remaining two-thirds of the book are concerned 

 chiefly with his investigation of disease ; diseases of 

 silkworms, anthrax, furunculosis and puerperal 

 septicaemia, chicken cholera, swine erysipelas, and 

 finally rabies. Every one of these chapters is enthral- 

 ling, but perhaps it is the study of chicken cholera 

 which is of the greatest interest. Although his dis- 

 coveries in this case did not lead to any practical 

 application of great import, it was during these studies 

 that a chance observation paved the way to protective 

 inoculations. He had isolated the causal organism of 

 this disease and shown that it was pathogenic for hens. 

 Returning to his laboratory after vacation and wishing 

 to continue his studies, he inoculated some hens with 

 his cultures. To his surprise the birds remained 

 perfectly well ; his cultures had become avirulent. 

 A fresh strain was isolated, and what was still more 

 surprising, the hens which had received the avirulent 

 culture were found now to be resistant to the new 

 strain which control experiments showed to be virulent. 

 Here was the starting-point of his work on virus vaccine 

 and protective inoculation. 



It is perhaps unavoidable that in a book of this 

 nature one reads little of the man himself. However, 

 one does catch a glimpse here and there. A man of 

 great single-mindedness and power of concentration, 

 he had a love of honesty which served him well through- 

 out his work. His mind was of the well-ordered, clear, 

 logical type which has characterised French science. 

 These qualities bred in him a positive contempt for 

 anything slipshod or ill-reasoned in experimental work, 

 and when occasion called for criticism of work of this 

 nature, Pasteur did so with a force and vehemence 

 which showed little consideration for personal feelings. 

 It was, however, nothing mean or little in his make-up 

 which led him to do this, but merely anger at what 

 he considered unpardonable blunders. He was not 

 of those who suffer fools gladly. One is given an 

 insight also into Pasteur's attitude to religion. Despite 

 his success in the probing of nature's secrets, he retained 

 unshaken to the end the faith given him by his parents. 

 The following words taken from his speech on the 

 occasion of his reception at the Academie Fran^aise 

 reveal this side of Pasteur's character : " The great- 

 ness of human action is measured by the motives which 

 inspire them. Happy are those who carry with them 

 a God, an ideal of beauty which they obey : the ideal 

 of art, the ideal of science, the ideal of country, the 

 Gospel idea of virtue. Those are the living sources of 



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