Life of Louis Pasteur

What has Louis Pasteur solved in his life?

Pasteur had solved the economic and health problem of contaminated wine, beer and milk - now France approached him with another problem. The silk industry was in trouble.

What happened with Louis Pasteur and the silk industry and silkworms?

A disease was spreading through the silkworms, drastically reducing production, at a time when silk was one of France's major products.

For twenty years the problem had been increasing and now thousands of people who relied on silk for their living were threatened with starvation. There were similar epidemics among the silk worms in Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and China.

At first, Louis Pasteur  was hesitant to accept the challenge.

"But I have never even seen a silkworm," he said.

Finally Louis Pasteur was persuaded. Louis Pasteur moved to the south of France, the center of silkworm breeding, and began a precise and laborious study of silkworms that lasted five years. Louis Pasteur interviewed the growers and began to collect eggs, larvae, and moths.

When Louis Pasteur didn't find an immediate solution, the silk producers began to criticize and insult him, but Louis Pasteur kept on. Finally, Louis Pasteur did find the solution. Louis Pasteur destroyed the silkworm moths after they laid their eggs. These eggs were then examined under a microscope. If disease was present, the eggs were burned. If the eggs were healthy, they were cultivated. When seed producers heard Louis Pasteur was burning eggs they were so furious they threw rocks at him. When asked by a friend what he was going to do about this, Pasteur replied:

"Remain patient and remain here."

After some time, that patience paid off. The silkworm industry showed the first profit it had shown in ten years.