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Handwritten manuscript in French by Louis Pasteur, unsigned, one page, 7 x 9, May 24, 1858. Notes on the work of Monsieur Rets entitled ‘Present state of studies of silkworms in the Vivrais,’ in part (translated): "This is what I notice in this note: The few Italian species which, up to now, had resisted the illness and last year had given good results, have now contracted it. They had been left from the early stages by the breeders…Designation of the species give the best guarantees…nonetheless there is no sign of any other disease than that of the little ones…The worms submitted to sulfur and carbon treatment are well up to the present. The worms are vigorous, healthier, steadier." In fine condition.
Beginning in 1855, a widespread epidemic among silkworms nearly brought the French silk industry to ruin, as healthy eggs had to be obtained from sources further and further east. The present manuscript pre-dates Pasteur's concentrated efforts to battle the disease, which began in earnest as the crisis reached its peak in 1865. Pasteur, then serving as the professor of geology, physics, and chemistry at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, was asked by the Department of Agriculture to head a commission to investigate the devastating disease infecting the worms. Within five years, he had determined that temperature, humidity, ventilation, quality of the food, sanitation and adequate separation of the broods of newly hatched worms all played a role in susceptibility to the disease, and was able to create new methods breeding that would preserve healthy eggs and prevent contamination. An important topic in Pasteur's career, his research with the silkworms helped shape his future concepts on the influence of environment on contagion, leading to his most significant contributions in the study of causes and prevention of disease.
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