Louis Pasteur: Hunting Killer Germs (Paperback)

by E.A.M. Jakab (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Can Louis Pasteur's dog vaccine save young Joseph Meister from a horrible death from rabies? Or will the boy die in spite of Pasteur's efforts and put the scientist at risk of being hanged for murder? Beginning with this pivotal scene, Louis Pasteur traces the story of Pasteur's career, including his amazing discovery that germs cause disease and his development of vaccines for rabies and anthax. It is because of his theories, work, and courage that the vaccines we benefit from today exist at all. Readers will be mesmerized by the true story of "killer germs" and the dedicated man who fought them single-handedly.

From the Back Cover
Can Louis Pasteur's Dog Vaccine Save Nine-Year Old Joseph Meister?

Savagely bitten 14 times by a rabid dog, Joseph is sure to die in agony from rabies. His desperate mother brings him to Pasteur's laboratory on July 6, 1885, and begs the famous French scientist to use his new rabies vaccine on the boy. But the vaccine has been tested only on dogs. If it doesn't work and the boy dies, Pasteur could be arrested for murder. But if he doesn't use it, Joseph will die anyway.

The rabies vaccine was the culmination of Pasteur's years of pioneering work on the Germ Theory of Disease. Today, everyone knows about germs, microscopic organisms that cause disease. But in Pasteur's time, most people, including doctors, either refused to believe that such tiny creatures could hurt us, or simply didn't believe they existed. Pasteur proved that germs are everywhere, even in the air we breathe. He showed how they spread and caused disease. And he developed vaccines against them - first, for chicken cholera and the anthrax that killed so many sheep and cows.

Then he moved on to rabies: Pasteur wanted to use this vaccine first for animals and then adapt it for humans. If he could make one vaccine work on humans, then others could be developed for other diseases. But now, he had a crisis on his hands.

Find out what happened to Joseph Meister and Pasteur in this vivid story of a poor boy from a small village who became one of history's most renowned scientists. Using quotes from letters, diaries, newspapers, and journals of the time, author E.A.M. Jakav takes you along with Pasteur as he fights the ignorance and prejudices of the scientific community, tracks down deadly microbes, develops vaccines, and by "Curing 'Sick' Wines" and "SAving Diseases Silkworms" also single-handedly saves two of France's most important industries.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 122 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (February 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071343342
• ISBN-13: 978-0071343343
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,038,619 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs up for "Louis Pasteur: Hunting Killer Germs", May 17, 2000

By A Customer

As an adult in the education field, I found this book not only engrossing and suspenseful, but informative, well-structured and clear. It's a fantastic and painless introduction to Pasteur and to the history of medicine, told in an engaging narrative that is bound to inspire both boys and girls alike. I liked it so much I donated a copy to the local library.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Model introduction to science, June 4, 2000

By A Customer

Very enjoyable. A clear and enthralling presentation of an exciting discovery. The real difficulty experienced by Louis Pasteur's contemporaries in comprehending the danger of from an almost invisible source is particularly well drawn. The resources section is also very useful and leads to other intriguing scientific subjects.