Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac

We must wait until we come down to Lavoisier in order to see fermentations studied upon a basis of facts.

But neither this great chemist nor those who followed him, Gay-Lussac, Cagnard-Latour, Schwann, Helmholtz, Liebig, succeeded in demonstrating their real origin.

The theory most generally accepted at the time when Pasteur began his research was that of Liebig, who attributed fermentations to matter in the course of decomposition, which played the role of a ferment in the mediums into which they were introduced.

It was in a sugar refinery at Lille owned by M. Bigot that Pasteur entered upon the study of fermentations.

Spallanzani repeated these experiments and after heating the closed vessel to a higher degree observed that no animalcula afterwards developed.

Needham rejoined that by using too high a degree of heat he had killed the vegetative force from which creation proceeded.

None of these experiments was conclusive, and although they were repeated by Gay-Lussac, Schulze, and Schwann, their results remained uncertain and often contradictory.

When Pasteur intervened, the theory of spontaneous generation was supported by Pouchet, and it may be said that it was accepted by a considerable number of scientists.

That's as far as they got.

This breakthrough was pretty intense, 'cause in 1810, um, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac took it a step further, refined what Lavoisier had done, and actually put it into a chemical equation that is still used today.

But they still hadn't connected yeast to those products.

To them, yeast was an inert thing.

One may say a gravitating solar system is already prophesied in the nature of Newton's mind.

Not less does the brain of Davy or Gay-Lussac, from childhood exploring the affinities and repulsions of particles, anticipate the laws of organization.

Does not the eye of the human embryo predict the light, the ear of Handel predict the witchcraft of harmonic sound? Do not the constructive fingers of Watts, Fulton, Whitmore, Arkwright predict the fusible, hard, and temperable textures of metals, the properties of stone, water, and wood? Do not the lovely attributes of the maiden child predict the refinements and decorations of civil society? Here also we are reminded of the action of man on man.

A man might ponder its thought for ages and not gain so much self-knowledge as the passion of love shall teach in a day.

One may say a gravitating solar system is already prophesied in the nature of Newton's mind.

Not less does the brain of Davy or Gay-Lussac, from childhood exploring the affinities and repulsions of particles, anticipate the laws of organization.

Does not the eye of the human embryo predict the light, the ear of Handel predict the witchcraft of harmonic sound, do not the constructive fingers of Watts, Fulton, Whitmore, Arkwright predict the fusible, hard, and temperable textures of metals, the properties of stone, water, and wood? Do not the lovely attributes of the maiden child predict the refinements and decorations of civil society? Here also we are reminded of the action of man on man.

A man might ponder its thought for ages, and not gain so much self-knowledge as the passion of love shall teach in a day.

After encountering various risks of capture, he succeeded in reaching America, and from seventeen ninety-nine to eighteen oh four prosecuted there extensive researches in the physical geography of the New World, which have indelibly stamped his name in the undying records of science.

Excepting an excursion to Naples with Gay-Lussac and von Buch in eighteen oh five, the year after his return from America, the succeeding twenty years of his life were spent in Paris and were almost exclusively employed in editing the results of his American journey.

In order to bring these results before the world in a manner worthy of their importance, he commenced a series of gigantic publications in almost every branch of science on which he had instituted observations.

In eighteen seventeen, after twelve years of incessant toil, four-fifths were completed, and an ordinary copy of the part then in print cost considerably more than one hundred pound sterling.

After encountering various risks of capture, he succeeded in reaching America, and from seventeen ninety-nine to eighteen oh four prosecuted there extensive researches in the physical geography of the New World, which have indelibly stamped his name in the undying records of science.

Excepting an excursion to Naples with Gay-Lussac and Von Buch in eighteen oh five, the year after his return from America, the succeeding twenty years of his life were spent in Paris, and were almost exclusively employed in editing the results of his American journey.

In order to bring these results before the world in a manner worthy of their importance, he commenced a series of gigantic publications in almost every branch of science on which he had instituted observations.

In eighteen seventeen, after twelve years of incessant toil, four-fifths were completed, and an ordinary copy of the part then in print cost considerably more than one hundred pounds sterling.