The Story Of The Pasteur Institute And Its Contributions To Global Health

Despite the fame surrounding the name of Louis Pasteur, few people know what exactly occurs at the institute he founded in 1887. Scientific breakthroughs made by pioneers of microbiology, the emergence of molecular biology and genomics, and the identification of VIH–1 in 1983 have kept the Pasteur Institute at the forefront of the fight against infectious diseases. This prestigious private foundation has upheld the vision of its founder, creating a Pasteurian community worldwide, with 33 Pasteur Institutes on five continents, and supported by both famous and unknown donors throughout the world. This book presents the fascinating story of an institution which had enormous influence on both British and American science and medicine. It offers detailed and personal insights into the Pasteur Institute, where lively personalities and outsized passions give birth to excitement and the triumph of world-class research.

Despite the fame surrounding the name of Louis Pasteur, few people know what exactly occurs at the institute he founded in 1887. Scientific breakthroughs made by pioneers of microbiology, the emergence of molecular biology and genomics, and the identification of VIHâ "1 in 1983 have kept the Pasteur Institute at the forefront of the fight against infectious diseases.

French biologist and chemist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) transformed medicine when he developed the first rabies vaccine in 1885. Two years later, he founded the Institut Pasteur to fight infectious diseases--tuberculosis, hepatitis, tetanus, plague, influenza, and more. For 130 years, this international organization has been at the forefront of revolutionary discoveries that have contributed to major advances in medicine, in particular the isolation of HIV in 1983. This book sheds light on the activities and battles the Institute has led throughout its history, and its plans for the future.

For seasoned professionals as well as students, A History of Public Health is visionary and essential reading.

A series of original studies on inter-war international health and welfare organisations.

Why did "microbe hunters" at the Pasteur Institute become the most important health experts in the French empire in the early twentieth century? Pasteur's Empire illustrates how French microbiologists transformed life in the colonies in the name of humanitarian public health, which often had grave consequences for those living under French rule.

A history of the World Health Organization, covering major achievements in its seventy years while also highlighting the organization's internal tensions. This account by three leading historians of medicine examines how well the organization has pursued its aim of everyone, everywhere attaining the highest possible level of health.

Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.