Louis Pasteur’s sharp, analytical mind and life-long devotion to science made him one of the best-known scientific researchers of all time. He was, said one historical writer, “The most perfect man who has ever entered the Kingdom of Science.” Today we remember Pasteur as the father of microbiology, the founder of bacteriology and the father of modern medicine. Pasteur’s method of developing vaccines continues to help humans as well as animals conquer sickness and disease. His “prepared mind” saved France’s wine and silk worm industries from the microorganisms that threatened to destroy both. His method of reducing harmful bacteria in milk and other foods has saved countless human lives over the years. Pasteur was one of the first to fight for sanitary practices in hospitals. His ground-breaking “germ theory of disease” continues to provide the foundation upon which we base our modern-day ideas of disease. In many ways, Louis Pasteur was truly a “fighter against! contagious disease.”