PASTEUR, KOCH, AND OTHERS 299 
with more determined opposition, no investigator ever fought 
more strenuously for the establishment 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 every part of France. 
Even the inhabitants of obscure little towns and villages 
organized fétes, and clubbed together to send their small 
