The Paris Pasteur Museum

Louis Pasteur (1822-95) is of course known for different vaccinations, microbial fermentation, pasteurization… How many lives have been saved thanks to his research, his discoveries?

He was the founder of the Pasteur Institute which opened in 1888. Today the Institute occupies a large area in the 15^th arrondissement.

The workforce is of some 2400 (60 nationalities) + some 500 students. … and there are today some 32 Pasteur Institutes worldwide. The Pasteur Institute is a leading biomedical research organization. It has offered solutions or improvements of methods to fight against diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, influenza, yellow fever, plague… The Institute was the first to isolate HIV (AIDS virus). Ten of the Institute’s scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize. It’s a private, non-profit organisation. The funding include donations, licensing royalties, French government subsidies…

The Institute was created thanks to fund raising. The donators also wanted to offer a decent place for the Pasteur couple to live in and the apartment can be visited. Louis Pasteur’s wife lived here until her death in 1910.

The apartment was more or less empty until 1935, when his grandson, who had kept all family furniture and objects, offered it all to the Institute. Since 1936 this is now a Pasteur Museum. 

Here we can see Louis Pasteur on a photo (by Nadar) and on a famous painting (by Albert Edelfelt) – one in the apartment, one at the Orsay Mauseum. We can also see a photo of his wife, Marie-Laurent. She was not only the mother of their five children, whereof only two lived to an adult age, but also by some considered as his best and very active collaborator.  There is also a portrait that Louis Pasteur made of his mother. He made a number of excellent portraits and other paintings until the age of 20, when he gave it up. 

Some photos from the apartment in one of the original buildings - many have been added since. I could draw your special attention to the portrait of Pasteur + grandchild, offered by the owner of the Carlsberg Breweries. They owed great thanks to Pasteur for his help with beer fermentation methods.

One of the rooms is displaying tools used by Pasteur in his different laboratories.  

Louis Pasteur was offered great national funerals at the Notre Dame. The wish was to give him a grave at the Paris Pantheon, but his wife insisted on having him buried in the basement of their home. This is some kind of extravagant mausoleum decorated with mosaics  see also top picture.