The Private Science of Louis Pasteur

By Gerald L. Geison

Book Overview

In The Private Science of Louis Pasteur, Gerald Geison has written a controversial biography that finally penetrates the secrecy that has surrounded much of this legendary scientist's laboratory work. Geison uses Pasteur's laboratory notebooks, made available only recently, and his published papers to present a rich and full account of some of the most famous episodes in the history of science and their darker sides--for example, Pasteur's rush to develop the rabies vaccine and the human risks his haste entailed. The discrepancies between the public record and the "private science" of Louis Pasteur tell us as much about the man as they do about the highly competitive and political world he learned to master.

Although experimental ingenuity served Pasteur well, he also owed much of his success to the polemical virtuosity and political savvy that won him unprecedented financial support from the French state during the late nineteenth century. But a close look at his greatest achievements raises ethical issues. In the case of Pasteur's widely publicized anthrax vaccine, Geison reveals its initial defects and how Pasteur, in order to avoid embarrassment, secretly incorporated a rival colleague's findings to make his version of the vaccine work. Pasteur's premature decision to apply his rabies treatment to his first animal-bite victims raises even deeper questions and must be understood not only in terms of the ethics of human experimentation and scientific method, but also in light of Pasteur's shift from a biological theory of immunity to a chemical theory--similar to ones he had often disparaged when advanced by his competitors.

Through his vivid reconstruction of the professional rivalries as well as the national adulation that surrounded Pasteur, Geison places him in his wider cultural context. In giving Pasteur the close scrutiny his fame and achievements deserve, Geison's book offers compelling reading for anyone interested in the social and ethical dimensions of science.

Originally published in 1995.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691604975
• ISBN13: 9780691604978
• Release Date: July 2014
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 418 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Private Science of Louis Pasteur Review

Gerald Geison's The Private Science of Louis Pasteur is an excellent and comprehensive biography that effectively delves into the life of one of the worlds greatest and most influential scientists. The book outlines and discusses Pasteur's life and work in an organized manner, starting in a more biographical sense and then discussing the development and implications of each of Pasteur's most important discoveries, including optical isomers, experiments disproving spontaneous generation, the anthrax vaccine, and the rabies vaccine. The book also includes a section explaining Pasteur's legacy in its closing pages. The Private Science of Louis Pasteur also discusses the differences between Pasteur's discoveries in his published papers and those recorded in his private laboratory notebooks. The information in the book concerning the procedures Pasteur used in his experiments is fascinating, albeit hard to understand at times. The book penetrates the secrecy of Pasteur's laboratory work, using Pasteur's personal notebooks, made available only recently. It outlines some of the most important events in scientific history, including the development of the rabies and anthrax vaccines. Louis Pasteur is one of the most influential and important scientists of all time. For this reason, everyone should learn about him and his discoveries, and a great way of doing this is exploring this book.

Terrific Biography

This is a terrific biography written with a great deal of historical sophistication.