In The Private Science of Louis Pasteur , Gerald Geison has written a controversial biography that finally penetrates the secrecy that has surrounded much of this legendary scientist's laboratory work. Geison uses Pasteur's laboratory notebooks, made available only recently, and his published papers to present a rich and full account of some of the most famous episodes in the history of science and their darker sides--for example, Pasteur's rush to develop the rabies vaccine and the human risks his haste entailed. The discrepancies between the public record and the "private science" of Louis Pasteur tell us as much about the man as they do about the highly competitive and political world he learned to master. Although experimental ingenuity served Pasteur well, he also owed much of his success to the polemical virtuosity and political savvy that won him unprecedented financial support from the French state during the late nineteenth century. But a close look at his greatest achievements raises ethical issues. In the case of Pasteur's widely publicized anthrax vaccine, Geison reveals its initial defects and how Pasteur, in order to avoid embarrassment, secretly incorporated a rival colleague's findings to make his version of the vaccine work. Pasteur's premature decision to apply his rabies treatment to his first animal-bite victims raises even deeper questions and must be understood not only in terms of the ethics of human experimentation and scientific method, but also in light of Pasteur's shift from a biological theory of immunity to a chemical theory--similar to ones he had often disparaged when advanced by his competitors. Through his vivid reconstruction of the professional rivalries as well as the national adulation that surrounded Pasteur, Geison places him in his wider cultural context. In giving Pasteur the close scrutiny his fame and achievements deserve, Geison's book offers compelling reading for anyone interested in the social and ethical dimensions of science. Originally published in 1995. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. There hardly seems to be a person alive who does not know of Louis Pasteur and his great works?the discovery of rabies and anthrax vaccines and the pasteurization process. Many people will be dismayed by Geison's revisionist account of Pasteur's work. A professor of history at Princeton University who has lectured and written extensively on the history of science, Geison spent 15 years studying 30 bound volumes of Pasteur's unpublished correspondence and lecture notes and over 100 laboratory workbooks?over 10,000 pages in all. These works have not been available to researchers until recently because Pasteur left them to his family with instructions never to show them to anyone. With the death of his last male decendant, they became the property of the French National Library. Geison has discovered that Pasteur's two most famous experiments were tainted by lies and scientific, if not moral, misconduct. The author's deconstruction of the Pasteur myth is not an attempt to discredit the man or his works but to present the unadorned truth. Well written and scholarly, with extensive notes and bibliography, this book is highly recommended.?James Olson, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., Chicago Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Geison's 20-year study of Pasteur eventuates in a well-documented, evenhanded biography that will be useful for many years to come. The title implicatively refers to Geison's attention to Pasteur's laboratory notebooks, which were not well known nor used by previous researchers, and the other valuable personal papers at the Bibliothe{}que Nationale in Paris. Geison considers Pasteur's selection of research topics, his handling of laboratory work, and his relations with colleagues and other scientists as well as the sociology and politics of science, organizations, and the lay public in Pasteur's time. Especially important is Geison's pioneering work on Pasteur's first patients with rabies and use of animal experimentation in the rabies research. Recent publications pointing to flaws and unethical aspects in Pasteur's science make this book timely. Geison does not gloss over these matters but shows their connections to the contexts of their times, exploding several Pasteurian myths in the process. Although packed with detail and some very close argumentation, this is a readable, enjoyable biography. William Beatty "Winner of the 1996 William H. Welch Medal