PASTEUR, KOCH, AND OTHERS 299 



with more determined opposition, no investigator ever fought 

 more strenuously for the estabhshment of each new truth. 



He went from the study of the diseases of wines (1865) 

 to the investigation (1865-1868) of the silkworm plague 

 which had well-nigh crushed the silk industry of his country. 

 The result was the saving of millions of francs annually to 

 the people of France. 



His Supreme Service. — He then entered upon his chief 

 services to humanity — the application of his discoveries to 

 the cure and prevention of diseases. By making a succession 

 of pure cultures of a disease-producing virus, he was able to 

 attenuate it to any desired degree, and thereby to create a 

 vaccinating form of the virus capable of causing a mild affec- 

 tion of the disease. The injection of this attenuated virus 

 secured immunity from future attacks. The efficacy of this 

 form of inoculation was first proved for the disease of fowl 

 cholera, and then came the clear demonstration (1881) that 

 the vaccine was effective against the splenic fever of cattle. 

 Crowning this series of discoveries came the use of inoculation 

 (1885) to prevent the development of hydrophobia in one 

 bitten by a mad dog. 



The Pasteur Institute. — The time had now come for the 

 establishment of an institute, not alone for the treatment of 

 hydrophobia, but also for the scientific study of means to 

 control other diseases, as diphtheria, typhoid, tuberculosis, 

 etc. A movement was set on foot for a popular subscription 

 to meet this need. The response to this call on the part of 

 the common people was gratifying. "The extraordinary en- 

 thusiasm which accompanied the foundation of this great 

 institution has certainly not been equaled in our time. 

 Considerable sums of money were subscribed in foreign coun- 

 tries, while contributions poured in from ever}^ part of France. 

 Even the inhabitants of obscure little towns and villages 

 organized fetes, and clubbed together to send their small 



