| Date | 1865 |
| Author | Pasteur |
| Contribution | c. Presented oral paper on inhibition of microbial growth by pasteurization. |
| Reference | Debré |
| Notes | Presented papers on May 1 and August 14, on the preservation of wine by heating, but not clear whether the method proposed was exactly that published in the following year. About this time Pasteur took out a patent on the process, in which he named it 'pasteurization'. The experimental work had been done in 1864. While it was applied initially to wine, the method is relevant to the Germ theory because it showed that heat could be used in a controlled manner to prevent unwanted microbial growth. The preservation of wine by heating had been tried by others, and heated controversy attended Pasteur's promotion of his method. The reason Pasteur's invention was a landmark event are (1) it had rational basis in the microbial fermentation of wine; and (2) it was fast and practicable. Dubos' 1960 book gives 55 C as the temperature used in Pasteur's process; Valery-Radot's 1925 book gives 50 to 60 C and Debré's 1994 book gives 60 to 100 C (for a few moments in the absence of air). |
| Category | Miscellany |
| Pathogen Class | General |
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