132 PASTEUR 



mentioned experiments the number of animals 

 vaccinated had risen to 613,740 sheep and 

 83,946 cattle! 



But before this triumph which had even 

 been questioned in certain circles he had to 

 answer numerous criticisms at the Academy of 

 Medicine, where too many of the "dear mas- 

 ters" refused to recognise him as anything more 

 than a chemist. He was forced to fight on be- 

 half of his germ theory against the adherents 

 of the old school who refused to accept not only 

 the novelty of the theory, but even the very 

 existence of germs. He was forced to defend 

 his experiments when they were called in ques- 

 tion, and one day he actually brought some 

 chickens into a meeting at the Academy of 

 Medicine, in order to convince Colin that he 

 could infect them with anthrax! Pasteur was 

 an energetic adversary, and sometimes a violent 

 one, if anyone affected not to understand him ; 

 and he defended what he believed to be the 

 truth with crude and caustic eloquence. It 

 very nearly led him into a duel with Jules 



