PASTEUR AND HYDROPHOBIA THE public has very naturally and very rightly shown deep interest in the investigations into the nature and possible cure of hydrophobia now being conducted by the great French naturalist, Louis Pasteur. Those investigations not only have a special value on account of the terrible nature of the malady which there is good reason to believe will be brought within the range of curative treatment as a consequence of their prosecution, but also are of extreme interest to those engaged in the task of ascertaining the laws of natural phenomena, and to all who wish to understand the methods by which a great discoverer in science arrives at his results. M. Pasteur is no ordinary man; he is one of the rare individuals who must be described by the term "genius." Having commenced his scientific career and attained great distinction as a chemist, M. Pasteur was led by his study of the chemical process of fermentations to give his attention to the phenomena of disease in living bodies resembling fermentations. Owing to a singular and fortunate mental characteristic he has been able, not simply to pursue a rigid path of investigation dictated by the logical or natural connection of the phenomena investigated, but deliberately to select for inquiry matters of the most profound importance to the community, and to bring his inquiries to a successful practical issue in a large number of instances. Thus he has saved the silkworm industry of France and Italy from destruction, he has taught the French wine-makers to quickly mature their wine, he has effected an enormous improvement and economy in the manufacture of beer, he has rescued the sheep and cattle of Europe from the fatal disease "anthrax," and it is probable— he would not himself assert that it is at present more than probable that he has rendered hydrophobia a thing of the past. The discoveries made by this remarkable man would have rendered him, had he patented their application and disposed of them according to commercial principles, the richest man in the world. They represent a gain of some millions sterling annually to the community. It is right for those who desire that increased support for scientific investigation should be afforded by the Governments of civilised States to point with emphasis to the definite utility and pecuniary value of M. Pasteur's work, because it is only in rare instances that the discovery of new knowledge and the practical application of that knowledge go hand in hand. M. Pasteur has afforded several of these rare instances. They should enable the public and our statesmen to believe in the value of scientific investigation even when it is not immediately followed by practical commercial results. These discoveries should excite in the minds |