Germs

Since the 1600’s some scientists guessed that tiny “seeds” caused some disease. These seeds, which had been seen though microscope, were actually living organisms called germs or microscopes, were actually living organisms called germs or microbes. Luis Pasteur, a brilliant French chemist, noted that wine turns bitter because of microbes that get into the wine while it is being made. He then showed that such microbes can be killed by heat. He also saved the French silk industry by proving that a microbe was attacking silkworm eggs and causing a destructive disease. Getting rid of the microbes wiped out the disease is caused by germs multiplying in the body. He also showed that if microbes are weakened in a laboratory and then placed in an animal’s body, the animal develops immunity (resistance) to the microbe. He called this method of fighting off microbes, vaccination. Pasteur proved that vaccination worked by vaccinating sheep against a disease called anthrax. In 1881, he began to study rabies, a deadly disease spread by the bite of rabies – infected animals, and boy and the boy’s parents begged Pasteur to save there son. The scientist gave the boy his new vaccine for several weeks. It worked, and the boy did not get rabies. Since then, Luis Pasture’s discoveries have saved countless lives.