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Louis Pasteur Facts & Worksheets

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Louis Pasteur was a French scientist who focused on biology, chemistry, and microbiology, and is world-renowned for his work on disease prevention and the reduction of bacterial contamination in milk. Read on to learn more about the discoveries and research work done by Louis Pasteur throughout his life or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

  • Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1882 in France to a poor family.
  • As a child, he enjoyed fishing and sketching, and would often draw and paint portraits of his family and friends.
  • In school, Louis was an average student who didn’t find particular passion in everyday learning. He found his true calling in science many years later.
  • In 1838, he went to college to become a science teacher.
  • Through many trials and tribulations (becoming homesick and returning, failing exams and receiving low grades and rankings) he eventually became a professor of physics at Collège de Tournon in 1846.
  • He moved around a few schools in the next few years, working as a professor of physics and submitting research theses on chemistry and physics. In 1848, Louis was appointed professor of chemistry at University of Strasbourg and later became chair of the same subject 4 years later.
  • In 1849, while at University, Louis fell in love with the rector’s daughter, Marie Laurent, and married her.
    Together they had 5 children, but 3 of them died in infancy.
    Those 3 children all died of typhoid fever. It is said that the death of three of his children is what drove Louis to study infectious diseases, so that he could understand them and hopefully be able to find a cure.
  • Louis’ early work focused around molecular asymmetry and molecular chirality, both of which focus their attention on the makeup of molecules and their properties.
  • This discovery is said to be one of his greatest, and most original contributions to science.
  • In 1854, when he was appointed dean of sciences at Lille University, Louis began studying fermentation, which is when something breaks down chemically due to bacteria or micro-organisms.
  • Louis was prompted to begin studying fermentation when the son of one of his students asked him for help with the problems of making alcohol and souring.
  • He observed that when a micro- organism contaminated wine or any other liquid, it made the beverage taste sour.
  • As a result, he invented the process of heating the beverage to a temperature between 60 and 100 degrees in order to kill the majority of bacteria that is already present in the beverage.
  • This method became known as “pasteurization”. It is still used today in products such as beer, milk, cheese, and wine. It keeps us safe by making sure that the majority of bacteria are killed so that we don’t become sick when we consume it.
  • In 1862, Louis won the Alhumbert prize for his work on disproving the theory of spontaneous generation, which implies that bacteria can grow anywhere, anytime; basically that a life form (plant, bacteria, etc) can grow from a non-life form.
  • As Louis learned more about bacteria and the spread of germs through micro-organisms, he focused his attention on the study of infectious diseases and immunizations.
  • Louis studied the immune system and diseases such as chicken cholera, diseases to silkworms, and rabies.
  • He later discovered, through working with cattle that suffered from anthrax, that by injecting a weak form of an infectious disease into the human body, the infected person would become immune to it.
  • Louis helped to create the first vaccine for rabies, and gave the first vaccination to a boy in 1885. This saved his life.
  • He received many awards and much praise for his work in developing these vaccines, and for the work he did as a chemist.
  • Louis established the Pasteur Institute in 1887. Today it serves as one of the greatest institutes in battling infectious diseases.
  • There are several places around the world named in honor of Louis Pasteur and the work he did.
  • In 1868, Louis suffered from a stroke. He recovered, but the left side of his body became paralyzed.
  • A second stroke in 1894 impaired his health further, and on September 28, 1895, he died.
  • He was buried in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
  • Louis had been a deeply religious and devout Christian his entire life, but always argued that science and religion should never be mixed.

Louis Pasteur Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Louis Pasteur Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about Louis Pasteur who was a French scientist who focused on biology, chemistry, and microbiology, and is world-renowned for his work on disease prevention and the reduction of bacterial contamination in milk.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • Louis Pasteur Facts.
  • Louis Pasteur Acrostic.
  • Louis Pasteur Crossword.
  • Timeline of Discoveries.
  • Quote Analysis.
  • Sketching the Scene.
  • Discoveries and Impacts.
  • Opinion Piece.
  • Science Links.
  • Louis Pasteur Wordsearch.
  • Picture at a Glance.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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