Rabies
Although not as common as many other ailments in England in the 1800s, rabies captured the public's attention, and filled them with terror, in a way other diseases did not. Rabies exposure was considered a death sentence because virtually no one survived.
In 1885, Louis Pasteur was presented with a terrible conundrum. Prior to 1885 he and Emile Roux had been injecting a series of rabbits in their cerebrum with rabies in an attempt to "diminish" the disease. At the time, the scientific community didn't know about viruses and it was assumed rabies was caused by a bacterium, or the infamous (and scientifically incorrect) miasma. Based on his rabbit experiments, Pasteur was able to successfully produce a vaccine that prevented rabies in dogs.
Then, the problem. In 1885, nine year old Joseph Meister was severely mauled by a rabid dog. Pasteur was informed of the boys condition and was asked to treat him. Initially, Pasteur declined because the dog treatment was new, there was little to no data on adverse effects, and it had never been given to humans. The idea of injecting a young boy as the first rabies patient was troublesome.
After much consultation with various doctors, and heavily pressured by the realization the young boy was going to die a horrendous death if he didn't try to intervene, Pasteur relented. Joseph was given a series of injections. He never developed rabies and there were no reported side effects. The following year, the vaccine was administered to 350 people bitten by rabid animals; only one of those patients developed rabies and died.
In 1885, Louis Pasteur was presented with a terrible conundrum. Prior to 1885 he and Emile Roux had been injecting a series of rabbits in their cerebrum with rabies in an attempt to "diminish" the disease. At the time, the scientific community didn't know about viruses and it was assumed rabies was caused by a bacterium, or the infamous (and scientifically incorrect) miasma. Based on his rabbit experiments, Pasteur was able to successfully produce a vaccine that prevented rabies in dogs.
Then, the problem. In 1885, nine year old Joseph Meister was severely mauled by a rabid dog. Pasteur was informed of the boys condition and was asked to treat him. Initially, Pasteur declined because the dog treatment was new, there was little to no data on adverse effects, and it had never been given to humans. The idea of injecting a young boy as the first rabies patient was troublesome.
After much consultation with various doctors, and heavily pressured by the realization the young boy was going to die a horrendous death if he didn't try to intervene, Pasteur relented. Joseph was given a series of injections. He never developed rabies and there were no reported side effects. The following year, the vaccine was administered to 350 people bitten by rabid animals; only one of those patients developed rabies and died.
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