On World Rabies Day – which is also the anniversary of French microbiologist Louis Pasteur’s death – a virologist reflects on the achievements of this visionary scientist.

In 19th-century France, the young chemist challenged the theory of spontaneous generation and discovered an invisible world of airborne microbes.

Despite the relative rarity of rabies in 19th century France, the shocking symptoms and grisly power to kill captured that nation’s attention, just as SARS, Ebola and Zika have done today.

And Pasteur ranked behind only Darwin among the most exceptional biological scientists of the 19th century. Pasteur not only made milk safe to drink, but also rescued the beer and wine industry.

The French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur is best known for making milk, wine and beer safe to drink by killing microbes using heat. The technique, named ‘pasteurisation’ after him ...

The next great breakthrough came in the 1860s when Louis Pasteur, using Lister’s microscope, discovered germs and revolutionised medical knowledge.

That comment from 19th century disease fighter Louis Pasteur is not what you'd expect to see at the start of a report from some of the world's top public health officials.

The next great breakthrough came in the 1860s when Louis Pasteur, using Lister’s microscope, discovered germs and revolutionised medical knowledge.

Louis Pasteur was a pioneer in chemistry, microbiology, immunology and vaccinology. pictore/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty ImagesSome of the greatest scientific discoveries haven’t resulted in ...

Some of the greatest scientific discoveries haven’t resulted in Nobel Prizes. Louis Pasteur, who lived from 1822 to 1895, is arguably the world’s best-known microbiologist. He is widely credited for ...