Louis Pasteur: The Man Who Said, “Science Brings Men Closer to God”

Introduction

Fig. 1.
Pasteur’s study of grapes, wine, and wine vinegar.
Image Credit: Science History Institute, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In his speech in Orléans, France, he recalled the benefits of preserving beverages and food. It was here that he gave glory to God for his discovery. “Pasteurization” is now part of our daily lives—it is used to preserve milk, cheese, fruit juice, vinegar, wine, tomato purée, beer, and cider. The French economy in the mid to late 1800s was at stake and Emperor Napoleon III called on Louis Pasteur, known for his research on fermentation, to search for the causes of the wine diseases and identify means of preserving good wine (Fig.1). It was in his hometown of Arbois that Louis Pasteur began his work on wine. From his simple laboratory, he proved that the diseases affecting wine were caused by microbial contaminants. The development of these harmful microbes had to be prevented or stopped to solve the problem. In his early experiments, he would heat wine to a temperature between 60 and 100°C. Louis Pasteur turned this gentle heating of beverages into a process with clear scientific, theoretical bases. His pasteurization process, for which he was given great honors by Napoleon III, spread quickly through Europe, and machines of all types were devised to perform the process, culminating in food industry procedures in the early twentieth century. The method is uncommon for wine these days because it can affect its taste. But it is still used to preserve milk and dairy products, and its use gradually spread to many other drinks and foods (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.
Pasteurization Process
Image Credit: Emma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The general overview of the pasteurization process is shown for milk. This gentle heating helps to stop pathogen growth by stopping the functionality of bacteria, protozoa, and fungi.

Many are familiar with Louis Pasteur’s quotation, “The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. Science brings men nearer to God.” Few, however, know the original speech; fewer still know its context. This short article provides the expansion and the context. The quotation as it has been translated to English appears on dozens of internet articles. It may or may not have been said exactly, but it can be certain the “essence” of it was said in French.1 The context for this quotation was discovery of what we call pasteurization today.

In today’s world, pasteurization is the heating to 161° to 170°F (72°–77°C) of a substance (specifically dairy products) to kill most bacteria. After heating the substance, it is rapidly cooled. While the harmful bacteria are killed, other bacteria remain, such as heat-resistant bacteria in milk. (Gillen and Williams 1988). Pasteurization helps reduce the numbers of bacteria, fungi, parasites (esp. Cryptosporidium), and some viruses. Pasteurization alongside handwashing, asepsis, and vaccines are the major ways of preventing infectious and parasitic diseases. These accomplishments would inspire him to make his signature statement.

Man’s first look at the universe discovers only variety, diversity, multiplicity of phenomena. Let this gaze be enlightened by science—by science which brings man closer to God—and simplicity and unity shine everywhere. — Louis Pasteur (Vallery-Radot 1902, 194)

Beverages: “Bitterness to Better”

Pasteur saw order, symmetrical beauty, logic, and preservation in nature, and he attributed it to a Creator. Among his influences in this perspective was Blaise Pascal, a seventeenth-century Catholic French philosopher and physicist. Like Pascal, Louis Pasteur believed that science and nature could reveal the majesty of God’s creation and bring individuals closer to him. For Louis Pasteur, he understood God’s natural order through chemistry, microbiology, and immunology. Through operational science, Pasteur saw a way of preserving life and reversing the difficulties of a fallen world. His work in pasteurization and preservation microbiology would help him lay the foundation for germ theory.

Germ Theory

Louis Pasteur laid the scientific foundations for “germ theory,” the principles responsible for effective handwashing and contagion isolation. These principles are the cornerstone for effective public health and have historically been vital throughout every modern pandemic. An example of Pasteur’s own practice of “germ theory” was his reluctance to shake hands. In most cases, Pasteur would immediately rush to wash his hands after shaking another person’s hand. Pasteur was ahead of his time and, through his identification of Streptococcus and Staphylococcus, recognized the potential danger such pathogens posed. Cautiously, Pasteur bridged the Old Testament idea of “contagion” and statistical evidence of Semmelweis and provided evidence for the germ theory of disease. Ignaz Semmelweis’ pioneering work on hand hygiene2 in the 1850s significantly influenced Louis Pasteur’s later work on contagion, handwashing, and the germ theory of disease. Pasteur’s later work, including the development of the microscope and the identification of Streptococcus bacteria, provided the scientific basis for understanding Semmelweis’ observations and solidified the germ theory, ultimately leading to the widespread acceptance of antiseptic practices (Dubos, 1986; Nuland, 2003).

Pasteur’s accomplishments—from his rabies treatments, the creation of germ theory, and anthrax vaccines—earned him the title “benefactor of humanity” (Vallery-Radot 1957). However, the exact breadth of these accomplishments and the influence of God and the Bible on his life are not nearly as well-known. Despite the fact he developed the immensely profitable pasteurization process, which continues to have an influence on everyday food safety, not many recognize that this discovery had an immense spiritual impact on him. Pasteur was not a perfect man, nor would he fit into most of the set religious categories today. His beliefs were complex and changed slightly over time. However, his view of God as the Creator and Sustainer was unwavering, and he firmly believed in the virtues of the gospel. As we remember and celebrate the revolutionary discoveries Pasteur made, we may also better understand the man whose work has saved so many by taking a closer look at his religious motivations and inspirations.

Germs and Illness

The man that is most associated with the concept that “germs make us sick” is Louis Pasteur (Fig. 3). Pasteur was perceptive to God’s blessing on his work, biological and chemical observations, and human and animal suffering. His ideas of fermentation and experiments on milk and wine spoilage indicated disease by microorganisms. Prior to Pasteur, the connection between microorganisms and disease was not apparent, since many microbes were known to be beneficial and were not thought to cause disease. By 1877, the germ theory of disease was so firmly established that even Pasteur’s critics could not counter the evidence (Gillen 2020). Pasteur went on to suggest that the genesis of germs in hospital patients was the result of microbes coming from microbes, not a result of spontaneous generation! This revolutionary idea would have application in many areas of medicine. It formed the basis of not only pasteurization, but also biogenesis, asepsis in surgery, and the germ theory of disease. In today’s age of virus infections, such as COVID-19, his nineteenth-century foundations for pasteurization, germ theory, disease prevention, and vaccines have new relevance.

Fig. 3.
Louis Pasteur studying rabies, first zoonotic disease, clearly described. Image credit: Albert Edelfelt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Louis Pasteur had tasted the bitterness of slightly spoiled products like milk, butter, vinegar, beets, beer, wine, and cider. He called them “diseases” because each possessed a bitter taste. Pasteur’s worldview influenced him to seek a way to make these products better in this fallen world. Throughout his studies of pasteurization and fermentation, the general revelation of God’s nature through his creation revealed itself to Pasteur (Table 1, November 1867). Similar “inspirational” ideas would present themselves in Pasteur’s life throughout his work, notably including his work attenuating the rabies virus (Table 1, April 1884). Before his death in September 1895, Pasteur’s faith grew even more resolute, as demonstrated by his son-in-law René Vallery-Radot. Vallery-Radot recorded Pasteur’s final (summer 1885) days, stating that he possessed “Absolute faith in God . . . and a conviction that the power for good given to us in this world will be continued beyond it.”

We hypothesize that, given the opportunity, Louis Pasteur, the father of microbiology and modern immunology, in addition to his work on the rabies vaccine, would have sought to produce vaccines to control smallpox, influenza, measles, and malaria. Pasteur’s initial work focused on the attenuation of viruses and bacteria, and these efforts would forever change the world of medicine through his successful work with not just the rabies virus but fowl cholera and anthrax. Through this, he established a three-step system, still used today, for developing protective vaccines. First, the infective organism is isolated, then it is inactivated through attenuation, and finally, it is injected into a host for defense. In 1885, Pasteur utilized his system to produce the rabies vaccine, which was implemented through an air-dried fixed virus.

Providence and Pasteur’s Rabies Treatment: A Daring Experiment

On July 6, 1885, Pasteur performed the daring experiment that immortalized him in the history of medicine, Pasteur successfully cured a boy infected with rabies virus for the first time in history (Fig. 4). The road to this medical breakthrough started in 1882, when Pasteur successfully attenuated the rabies virus to cure infected canines. In 1885, a young boy named Joseph Meister was bitten by a rabid wolf. At the time, such an infection meant certain death. In a desperate move, Meister’s mother went to Louis Pasteur and begged him to try his canine rabies inoculation on her son. Initially, Pasteur resisted the idea of using the attenuated virus for Joseph Meister because it was intended for use in canines; therefore, Pasteur did not know whether or not such a treatment would help. However, on July 6, Pasteur relented and, with the help of his peer Dr. Jacques Joseph Grancher, injected the boy with a dose of the attenuated rabies virus to try to save the boy’s life. Incredibly, within two weeks, Joseph Meister began recovering and survived the infection. This experiment confirmed that Pasteur’s work with the attenuated rabies virus in canines had succeeded beyond his expectations. This is the first recorded case of a human being bitten by a rabid animal and surviving rabies.

Fig. 4.
Pasteur looking on Dr. Granger giving rabies treatment to Jean-Baptiste Jupille.
Image credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, {PD-US-expired}

The second case of rabies treatment by Louis Pasteur and Dr. Grancher was for Jean-Baptiste Jupille, a 15-year-old shepherd. In September 1885, Jupille and six other shepherds were attacked by a rabid dog; Jupille heroically jumped on the dog, allowing his comrades to escape. However, Jupille was bitten and infected by the rabid animal in the process. Like in the case of Joseph Meister, Louis Pasteur successfully treated Jupille with his rabies vaccine, further confirming its effective use in people. News about Pasteur’s treatment began to spread rapidly afterward, and within a year, over 350 people bitten by rabid animals were treated with no fatalities. Thus, a new era of lifesaving medical practice was born. Although some have attributed Pasteur’s vaccine successes to a series of serendipitous events (happy accidents), the believer may recognize the divine hand of providence.

Fig. 5.
1877. Verick microscope. This microscope is like the type that Pasteur used in his fermentation and pasteurization experiments.
Alan L. Gillen image

Perhaps, the Bible verse that most closely parallels Pasteur’s conviction that nature and science bring him closer to God is:

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. (Romans 1:20)

Pasteur’s amazement of nature parallels expressions in Psalms 8, 19, 139. He marveled at God’s majesty. He also understood the need to control contagion and heal the sick as Scripture prescribes in a fallen world. He desired to preserve food and beverages, taking bitterness (sour) out of food and beverages to make it better. He saw operational science as a means to glorify God.

Fig. 6.
1860. Nachet microscope. This microscope is like the type that Pasteur used in his biogenesis and disproving spontaneous generation experiments. He used other Nachet microscopes in his studies of rabies. Alan L. Gillen image.

The chain of events and discoveries of Louis Pasteur are linked; they are not random nor chance only. They are more than serendipitous, chance events. God was weaving the discoveries behind the scenes—providence at work. On the human side, Pasteur was brilliant and arguably “lucky” though he also worked very hard. Credit is given to his tenacity. But it was more than this, and even young Louis knew this. “He proceeded from designed crystals and optical rotation to fermentation studies and microbial control and eventually to microbial diseases and specific vaccinations. One can recognize majestic and perhaps divine ordonnance (Fr. architecture) in Pasteur’s scientific achievements. Although he started as a chemist and tried to solve the enigma of life’s origins, it was later in his career that he focused on solving infectious diseases that threatened animal and human life. Through it all, he never lost his early interest in crystalline asymmetry and biogenesis. Pasteur began in 1844, by sorting out right- and left-handed crystals, and spent the rest of his life just as patiently (and fruitfully) sorting right- and left-handed facts until the Creator revealed the secrets of microbes and germs” (Gillen and Sherwin 2008). Dr. Pasteur knew that there was an invisible hand guiding him, and science drew him closer to God. The invisible hand was making his signature for the good of humanity because this is his nature.

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Conclusion

Pasteur was a humble, godly Catholic who served God and his fellow man through science. If you enjoy milk, food that does not spoil in a few days, and a wide variety of healthy foods and if you enjoy a longer life than many of your ancestors did, you should thank the good creation microbiologist doctor from France, because you owe much of your physical health and safety to him. But your ultimate thanks should go to the Great Physician, who taught the Israelites many principles of good health and sanitation in the Bible. Pasteur merely rediscovered and elaborated on three basic ideas from the Old Testament: (1) contagion causes disease, (2) life was created, and (3) man can preserve food. Pasteur’s discoveries unveiled secrets to preventing disease, extending life, relieving suffering, and demonstrating life comes from life via the Creator.

“The virtues of the gospel were present with him. He came to his Christian faith simply and naturally for spiritual help in the last stages of his life” (Vallery Radot 1902, 312). He died with one hand on a crucifix and one with his wife (Vallery Radot 1902, 315).

References

Dubos, R. J. 1986. Louis Pasteur: Free Lance of Science (Reprinted from 1950). New York: Da Capo Press.

Gillen, A. L. 2020. The Genesis of Germs: Disease and the Coming Plagues in a Fallen World. Rev. ed. Green Forest, AR: Master Books.

Gillen, A. L., and F. Sherwin. 2008. “Louis Pasteur’s Views on Creation, Evolution, and the Genesis of Germs.” Answers Research Journal (1): 43–52.

Gillen, A. L., and R. P. Williams. 1988. “Pasteurized Milk as an Ecological System for Bacteria.” The American Biology Teacher 50 (5): 279–282.

Gillen, Alan L., and Justin A. Ambrose. 2022. “Louis Pasteur Signature Saying: Science Brings Men Closer to God Bicentenary Year: 200 Years After His Birth.” Faculty Publications and Presentations. 205. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/bio_chem_fac_pubs/205.

Nuland, Sherwin. 2003. The Doctors’ Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis. New York: W.W. Norton & Co Inc.

Tiner, J. 1990. Louis Pasteur, Founder of Modern Medicine. Milford, MI: Mott Media.

Vallery-Radot, R. 1901/1902. The Life of Pasteur. 2 vols. Translated by R. L. Devonshire. London: Archibald Constable.

Vallery Radot, R. 1911. The Life of Pasteur. 2 vols. Translated by R. L. Devonshire. London: Archibald Constable.

Vallery-Radot, P. 1962. Encyclopedie par l’mage: Pasteur. Paris: Hachette Publishers.

Vallery-Radot, P. 1957. The Chain of Development Behind Pasteur’ Discovery.