Pasteur Anthrax Trial

About Pasteur Anthrax Trial

The Pouilly le Fort anthrax trial was one of the most dramatic public demonstrations in science history. Louis Pasteur invited journalists, scientists, veterinarians, and politicians to witness his anthrax vaccine. On May 5, 1881, half of a group of sheep, goats, and cattle were vaccinated and the rest were left unvaccinated. On May 31, all the animals were injected with virulent anthrax. On June 2, the vaccinated sheep were healthy while the unvaccinated sheep were dead or dying. The trial made Pasteur famous throughout Europe. The success convinced skeptics that vaccination could prevent bacterial diseases. Pasteurs reputation from the anthrax trial helped him later secure support for the rabies vaccine. However, Pasteurs notebooks later showed that the vaccine used was attenuated with potassium dichromate, a chemical approach similar to one developed by Jean Joseph Toussaint, rather than by the oxygen method Pasteur publicly described. Toussaints contribution was largely ignored. The Pouilly le Fort trial illustrates how public demonstrations can advance science while obscuring credit.