Background

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Although this novel is fiction, I have attempted to portray the science and events in a historical context that is consistent with the facts, which are discussed at the end of the novel. The focus of the story is the lives of the individuals who conducted the experiments in the Pasteur laboratory. Pasteur was very much involved in directing the research in his laboratory. However, due to a stroke in 1868 in which his left arm was partially paralyzed, Pasteur performed few experiments. Any account of the accomplishments of the Pasteur laboratory is hindered by the overwhelming amount of misinformation and secrecy that surrounded Pasteur’s work. The secrecy came from the top. As pointed out by Emile Roux, only Pasteur was allowed to keep a notebook. This is quite unusual for a laboratory, where it is customary for everyone to keep their own notebook. Pasteur instructed his family to never release his notebooks after his death. However, his grandson, Louis Pasteur Vallery-Radot, finally released them in 1971. Analysis of these notebooks has now shown that the events surrounding the discovery of vaccines were very different than the popular myths that have arisen regarding this work.

 

To comprehend the science in my novel, it is critical to understand the historical context in which the story occurs. The story takes place over an 11-year period, from 1773 to 1884. The setting is Paris. France has just suffered a humiliating defeat in a war with Prussia. Emperor Napoleon III has been deposed, and the Third Republic has been established. Louis Pasteur is famous in France for saving the wine, beer and silkworm industries by discovering that their problems resulted from microbe contamination. Based on his research, Pasteur has become a strong proponent of the germ theory of disease in animals and humans, although no diseases had been conclusively found to be caused by microbes. As a result of Pasteur’s work, Joseph Lister in England has convinced English physicians to use sterile methods during surgery and childbirth. However, French physicians refuse to change their ways and countless people are continuing to die as a result. Pasteur himself has lost two young daughters to typhoid and he takes this challenge personally. Pasteur is a master showman, eclipsing those who work with him. Although many accounts make it seem as though Pasteur did the work by himself, due to a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, the actual work was left to his collaborators, Emile Roux, Charles Chamberland and Louis Thuillier.

 

As a practicing scientist, I can relate to many of the issues faced by the researchers in this story. I started out as a technician prior to going to graduate school, and ended up having my own laboratory with many employees. Despite being responsible for funding and publishing, I continued to work in the laboratory. Thus, I appreciate the importance and issues facing both the personnel working the in the laboratory and the principal investigators who are faced with seeing that the work is funded and recognized. I know the pressure to be the first to publish and how this pressure must be balanced with the need to assure reproducibility. I came to realize how important it is to promote your results, and know the disappointment of not being recognized for being first to make major discoveries. I also encountered conflicts with my mentor. As a graduate student, I could not reproduce my mentor's published results. This eventually led to my resignation from his laboratory, and his angry attempt to have me dismissed from the graduate program. Fortunately for me, I also experienced the courage of professors who stepped up and saved my career.