New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-27
pdSTCTP'S LEGACY TO MANKIND.

The old worn saying, Nothing but good or
the dead" is sadly ignored in Pasteur's case
His deccase was the signal for criticism TO break
forth and detraction. too. He was not so great
man. after all, said some and he was char
latan. added others. The value Of his work is
still in doubt gravely declared one; having in
mind only the hydrophoba cure, which was the
last and one of the least Of his achievements
He has been far surpassed by other ihveSu
gators in the s;mc field, said another; forgetting
that Pasteur was the dscoverer OF the field, ana
that but for him no one might yet have entered
IT. Even so thoughtful and judcious an author
fly ~ The Spectator" of London. having the
horrors Of vvsection before Its eyes, questions
whether his disscrvccs TO humanity have not
outweighed his services. 1t Is, or course, not
well to praise without discrimination. 1t is
unsafe to say Of any man that he was wholly
great. And concerning the greatest there may
be honest and intelligent differences or OPINION
But with all allowance for different points OF
view, these attacks upon Pasicur's fame seem
to us wenigh incomprehensible.
If we 20 back to the first Of his discoveries
we find an achievement that in itself was enough
To give him rank among the worlds masters
Of science Ii was nothing but the dlssymlnctry
of the crystals Of the two tararlc acids. But
it was the foundation Of the whole science OF
sterco-chcmistry, which deals with the special
distribution of ultimate atoms In the molecule
That led him 10 discover, first OF all men, the
cause and nature Of fermentation: with results
Of value TO industrial arts beyond all computa-
ton Next came his discovery Of what we may
call notification. or the process by which am
monia is converted into salts of nitric acid. and
by which in turn the soil is fcrtilizcd and plants
are nourished. The debt which scientific farm
ing" owes 10 him Is greater than any figures can
express These were, however. but the beginning
of his work He presently addressed himself TO
an investigation, and. as IL proved, complete
refltation Of the ancient theory Of spontaneous
generation, which Aristotle had expressed by
saving that "every dry body on becoming moist
''and every moist body on becoming dry. engen-
'dcrs animal life" and which many of the ablest
scientists Of Pasteurs own time fully believed
The story Of his labors is well known. and so
Is their result. In his own words, Only life
"can bcgct lfe Spontaneous generation is a
'chimera.'
The importance OF this discovery 10 biological
science is enormous But what shall be said If
its importance TO surgery and medicine? No
one will dispute that since the discovery Of the
use OF anaesthetics the greatest advance made
in surgery has been the application Of the prn-
cpes of asepsls and ansepSls. That achieve
ment is permanently credited 10 Sir Joseph
Lister, and properly. Yet Sir Joseph Lister
himself has publicly testified that he owed 1t
entirely to the previous discoveries Of Pastcur
Again. the science of bacteriology. and espe-
cally of pathological bacteriology is to-day gen
orally recognized as one Of the most important
In the world in it's bearings upon human health
and life. 1t should certainly be as generally
recognized that that science was founded-in
deed, createl-by Pasteur If he had not found
ed 1t, probably some one else would have done
so; and Lister, Koch, Bchring, Kitasato, Han
kline Fraser, Chalmette and the rest might have
done what they have done and are doing had
Pasfcur never lived. SO might the Cabots and
their followers have explored and settled Ameri
ca. mad Columbus never made his daring voy-
age. Nevertheless. history gives Columbus all
the credit and reason applauds the doing so; and
equally must we regard Pasieur as the Columbus