Joseph Meister (21 February 1876 – 24 June 1940) was the first person to be inoculated against

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, ...

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...

, and likely the first person to be successfully treated for the infection.

History

In 1885, nine-year-old Meister was badly bitten by a supposedly rabid dog. After consulting with Alfred Vulpian and

Jacques-Joseph Grancher Jacques-Joseph Grancher (; 29 September 1843 in Felletin, Creuse – 13 July 1907) was a French pediatrician born in Felletin. In 1862 he began his medical studies in Paris, where he worked as an assistant at the Hôpital des Enfants Malad ...

and obtaining their assistance,

agreed to inoculate the boy with spinal tissue from rabid rabbits, which he had successfully used to prevent rabies in dogs. The treatment was successful and the boy did not develop rabies. For Pasteur, this was technically illegal as Practicing without a license as the French chemist was not a licensed physician, but he proceeded on the advice of licensed colleagues who agreed that the youth needed the treatment and Pasteur was the only professional available to apply it.Murphy, Timothy F. (2004) ''Case Studies Biomedical Research Ethics.'' MIT Press, Fortunately, the celebrated success of the treatment led to any formal charges being waived. As an adult, Meister served as a caretaker at the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vacc ...

until his death in 1940 at age 64. On 24 June 1940, ten days after the German army occupied Paris during World War II, Meister committed suicide with his gas gun. Although often repeated, the version of his suicide stating he chose to take his life rather than allow the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

to enter the Pasteurs'

crypt A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a c ...

is not sustainable. Instead, a contemporary journal article as well as the testimony of Meister's granddaughter indicate that, fearing for his family's safety, Meister asked them to leave, while he stayed behind to protect the Pasteur institute from the German soldiers. He incorrectly believed this had resulted in them being captured by the Nazis. In a tragic irony, his family returned to the institute a few hours after Meister took his own life.Veterinary Medicine 35, p. 5538, 1940

Portrayals

Meister was played by Dickie Moore in the 1936 film ''

The Story of Louis Pasteur ''The Story of Louis Pasteur'' is a 1936 American black-and-white biographical film from Warner Bros., produced by Henry Blanke, directed by William Dieterle, that stars Josephine Hutchinson, Anita Louise and Donald Woods, and Paul Muni as t ...

''. The story of Meister's potentially dangerous

inoculation Inoculation is the act of implanting a pathogen or other microorganism. It may refer to methods of artificially inducing immunity against various infectious diseases, or it may be used to describe the spreading of disease, as in "self-inoculati ...

against rabies by Pasteur was also featured in an episode of the TV series '' Dark Matters: Twisted But True'' and the 1974 BBC drama-documentary series ''Microbes and Men''.

References

External links

Recording of Meister's account of his meeting with Pasteur
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meister, Joseph French children Dog attack victims Suicides in France 1876 births 1940 deaths 1940 suicides Louis Pasteur History of human subject research

History

Portrayals

References

Further reading

External links