Pasteur's Life and Researches. 27 



the cause of the disease, and here a very curious complication 

 arose. The case of the poor child who died of hydrophobia in 

 the Trousseau Hospital, whose sufferings M. Radot so graphically 

 described, was, he believed, the first brought under the notice of 

 M. Pasteur. Four hours after the child's death the mucus 

 from its palate was collected and experimented upon by Pasteur. 

 It was diluted with water, and two rabbits were inoculated with 

 it. Thirty-six hours later the rabbits died, and the saliva of 

 these dead rabbits proved fatal to other rabbits. In their blood 

 was found a micro-organism which could only be cultivated 

 outside their bodies in an artificial nourishing medium, and 

 when inoculations were made with these artificial cultures into 

 the bodies of rabbits the latter soon died. Here, then, was 

 apparently the complete chain of proof as to the nature of 

 hydrophobia ; but one important link was deficient — the period 

 of incubation. The rabbits died thirty-six hours after inocula- 

 tion, whilst genuine hydrophobia does not show itself until 

 several weeks after the bite of a rabid animal. How could these 

 curious facts be accounted for ? Pasteur soon found that the 

 micro-organism was not alone present in the saliva of the child 

 dead of hydrophobia, but also occurred in that of children dead 

 from other diseases ; and, extending these researches, he actually 

 found the same organism in the saliva of a number of healthy 

 people. Here was a terrible revelation, repulsive to their 

 feelings as regarded the dignity of the human race, and 

 humiliating to their amour propre, for it was not a pleasant 

 thing to reflect that we resemble rattlesnakes. 



But to return to hydrophobia. It is evident that it is 

 not caused by this micro-organism ; and he was not aware that 

 up to the present time the actual organism has been obtained 

 and cultivated outside the body in an artificial medium. But 

 it is certain that the disease closely resembles all those which 

 have been proved to be due to organisms, and Pasteur has been 

 guided by these analogies in his researches. He now came to 

 the reliable and unbiassed opinion of the English Royal 

 Commission. The essence of their report was as follows : — 



Pasteur believes that the virus of rabies is a living micro- 



