Items used by Louis Pasteur, 19th century

Items used by Louis Pasteur, 19th century. These items were used by the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). They include silkworm cocoons, two microscopes, slides, a pipette, a flask, a bottle, and an inkstand. The silkworm cocoons from Pont Gisquet were used for Pasteur's investigation into silkworm diseases (1860-1869) as was the compound monocular microscope, which was manufactured by Nachet et Fils of Paris (1860s). The culture slide and microscope, manufactured as above, were used for his spontaneous generation experiments. The bronze inkstand with inkwells and pounce box (1801-1830), was used at Pont Gisquet. The pipette was used to remove saliva from rabid dogs during Pasteur's search for a vaccine for rabies. ©SSPL/Science Museum