James Baquet

    Not so long ago, people — even scientists — had some strange ideas about biology.

    They didn’t believe in germs. But we now know that many common illnesses are the result of attacks on our bodies by bacteria, viruses, and other living things too small to be seen. These are called “microorganisms,” and the study of them is “microbiology.”

    Even as late as the mid-19th century, scientists also believed that life could be created out of nothing. For example, if one leaves meat out, and worms grow in it, people thought the worms grew from the dead meat; they didn’t realize it was because flies had left their eggs there. This is called “spontaneous generation.”

    A Frenchman named Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) is largely responsible for proving these ideas wrong. Born to a working class family, he was a poor student, more interested in fishing and making drawings than in studying.

    He became a teacher after completing his B.A. studies in 1840, and began advanced studies in science and mathematics. After having to take several failed exams over, he finally began his career as a professor of physics, and, later, chemistry.

    Through various experiments, Pasteur proved that life could only come from life — that spontaneous generation couldn’t happen — and that microorganisms were the cause of some otherwise mysterious happenings.

    For example, he would set up three containers. One was tightly covered, and the material inside was sterilized. A second container had sterile material, but was left open. A third would be sealed, but with unsterilized material inside.

    Can you guess what happened? Nothing grew in the first container, but various moulds, worms, and other life forms grew in the other two. This proved that living things could only develop if microorganisms could enter from outside, as in the second container, or were there already, as in the third.

    This was a great discovery, and was useful in keeping foods safe for people to eat and drink. Today, milk and other foods are protected by heating them mildly, just enough to kill harmful microorganisms without damaging the food. The process is known by this scientist’s name: pasteurization.

    Vocabulary

    Which word above means:

    1. the study of life;

    2. the scientific word for living things too small to be seen;

    3. a common word for those living things;

    4. free from those living things;

    5. the study of those living things;

    6. the false idea that life could be created out of nothing