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by a discovery of supreme importance。 Humphry Davy had noted the
effects of nitrous oxide。 The exhilarating influence of sulphuric ether had
been casually studied； and Long of Georgia had made patients inhale the
vapor until anaesthetic and had performed operations upon them when in
this state； but it was not until October 16； 1846； in the Massachusetts
General Hospital； that Morton； in a public operating room； rendered a
patient insensible with ether and demonstrated the utility of surgical
anaesthesia。 The rival claims of priority no longer interest us； but the
occasion is one of the most memorable in the history of the race。 It is well
that our colleagues celebrate Ether Day in Boston no more precious boon
has ever been granted to suffering humanity。＇*＇
＇*＇ Cf。 Osler： Proc。 Roy。 Soc。 Med。； XI； Sect。 Hist。 Med。； pp。 65…69；
1918； or； Annals Med。 Hist。； N。Y。； I； 329…332。 Cf。 also Morton's
publications reprinted in Camac's book cited above。Ed。
In 1857； a young man； Louis Pasteur； sent to the Lille Scientific
Society a paper on 〃Lactic Acid Fermentation〃 and in December of the
same year presented to the Academy of Sciences in Paris a paper on
〃Alcoholic Fermentation〃 in which he concluded that 〃the deduplication
of sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid is correlative to a phenomenon of
life。〃 A new era in medicine dates from those two publications。 The story
of Pasteur's life should be read by every student。＇*＇ It is one of the glories
of human literature； and； as a record of achievement and of nobility of
character； is almost without an equal。
＇*＇ Osler wrote a preface for the 1911 English edition of the Life by
Vallery…Radot。Ed。
At the middle of the last century we did not know much more of the
actual causes of the great scourges of the race； the plagues； the fevers and
the pestilences； than did the Greeks。 Here comes Pasteur's great work。
Before him Egyptian darkness； with his advent a light that brightens more
and more as the years give us ever fuller knowledge。 The facts that fevers
were catching； that epidemics spread； that infection could remain attached
to articles of clothing； etc。； all gave support to the view that the actual
cause was something alive； a contagium vivum。 It was really a very old
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view； the germs of which may be found in the Fathers； but which was first
clearly expressedso far as I knowby Fracastorius； the Veronese
physician； in the sixteenth century； who spoke of the seeds of contagion
passing from one person to another；＇12＇ and he first drew a parallel
between the processes of contagion and the fermentation of wine。 This
was more than one hundred years before Kircher； Leeuwenhoek and others
began to use the microscope and to see animalcula；； etc。； in water； and so
give a basis for the 〃infinitely little〃 view of the nature of disease germs。
And it was a study of the processes of fermentation that led Pasteur to the
sure ground on which we now stand。
＇12＇ Varro； in De Re Rustica； Bk。 I； 12 （circa 40 B。C。）； speaks of
minute organisms which the eye cannot see and which enter the body and
cause disease。
Out of these researches arose a famous battle which kept Pasteur hard
at work for four or five yearsthe struggle over spontaneous generation。 It
was an old warfare； but the microscope had revealed a new world； and the
experiments on fermentation had lent great weight to the omne vivum ex
ovo doctrine。 The famous Italians； Redi and Spallanzani； had led the way
in their experiments； and the latter had reached the conclusion that there is
no vegetable and no animal that has not its own germ。 But heterogenesis
became the burning question； and Pouchet in France； and Bastian in
England； led the opposition to Pasteur。 The many famous experiments
carried conviction to the minds of scientific men； and destroyed forever
the old belief in spontaneous generation。 All along； the analogy between
disease and fermentation must have been in Pasteur's mind； and then came
the suggestion； 〃What would be most desirable is to push those studies far
enough to prepare the road for a serious research into the origin of various
diseases。〃 If the changes in lactic； alcoholic and butyric fermentations are
due to minute living organisms； why should not the same tiny creatures
make the changes which occur in the body in the putrid and suppurative
diseases？ With an accurate training as a chemist； having been diverted in
his studies upon fermentation into the realm of biology； and nourishing a
strong conviction of the identity between putrefactive changes of the body
and fermentation； Pasteur was well prepared to undertake investigations
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which had hitherto been confined to physicians alone。
So impressed was he with the analogy between fermentation and the
infectious diseases that； in 1863； he assured the French Emperor of his
ambition 〃to arrive at the knowledge of the causes of putrid and
contagious diseases。〃 After a study upon the diseases of wines； which has
had most important practical bearings； an opportunity arose which
changed the whole course of his career； and profoundly influenced the
development of medical science。 A disease of the silkworm had； for some
years； ruined one of the most important industries in France； and in 1865
the Government asked Pasteur to give up his laboratory work and teaching；
and to devote his whole energies to the task of investigating it。 The story
of the brilliant success which followed years of application to the problem
will be read with deep interest by every student of science。 It was the first
of his victories in the application of the experimental methods of a trained
chemist to the problems of biology； and it placed his name high in the
group of the most illustrious benefactors of practical industries。
In a series of studies on the diseases of beer； and on the mode of
production of vinegar； he became more and more convinced that these
studies on fermentation had given him