Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

This Is What Happened to the First Person to Get the Rabies Vaccine
Time ^ | July 6, 2015 | Lily Rothman

Posted on 07/07/2015 2:07:10 AM PDT by nickcarraway

He received his inoculation directly from Louis Pasteur, on July 6, 1885

Handout picture of a two-month-old bear cub named Boo Boo held by a student at Washington University in St. Louis MORE Bear Cub Meant to Relax Students Before Finals Ends Up Biting Them and Sparking a Rabies Scare Rabies is among the most terrifying viruses to get. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal.” (Really: there have been fewer than 10 documented cases of survival once symptoms appear.) Luckily for us—and our pets—Louis Pasteur developed a vaccine that can stop things from getting to that point.

The first time the vaccine was ever administered to a human being–on this day in 1885–was by Pasteur himself. Knowing that the disease was otherwise fatal, both doctor and patient (or, rather, patient’s mother) were willing to risk whatever harm might come from the injection, which had only been tested on dogs.

As TIME recounted in 1939:

One hot July morning in 1885, feverish little Joseph Meister was dragged by his frantic mother through the streets of Paris in search of an unknown scientist who, according to rumors, could prevent rabies. For nine-year-old Joseph had been bitten in 14 places by a huge, mad dog and in a desperate attempt to cheat death, his mother had fled from their home town in Alsace to Paris. Early in the afternoon Mme Meister met a young physician in a hospital. “You mean Pasteur,” he said. “I’ll take you there.”

Bacteriologist Louis Pasteur, who kept kennels of mad dogs in a crowded little laboratory and was hounded by medical criticism,

(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; History
KEYWORDS: rabbies; stlouis; vaccine
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-26 last
To: waterhill

Yes, it can.


21 posted on 07/07/2015 2:03:12 PM PDT by Salamander (We're ALL Dixie, now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Sherman Logan

Well, 2 have been recorded to survive rabies, however, only two would make an incredibly small percentage of all those who got the infection.


22 posted on 07/20/2015 9:21:02 AM PDT by Morpheus2009
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I just ran across this...

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/one-health/rabies/rabies-pre-exposure-vaccination-and-titers-veterinarians

...and I have a question.

Why do our pets have to continue being shot up, but not people?

Why not offer titers to pet owners to see if a booster is needed?


23 posted on 10/03/2023 1:30:25 PM PDT by mewzilla (Never give up; never surrender!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mewzilla

Possibly cost. I don’t think that many people get titers, either. I had to ask my doctor for one.


24 posted on 10/03/2023 1:31:19 PM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Salamander
By that time, thinking no one was going to bother treating me, I had made up a list of people I was going to bite.

Just wanted to let you know, in a purely platonic way, I love you.

25 posted on 10/03/2023 1:33:04 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Keep America Beautiful by keeping Canadian Trash Out. Deport Jennifer Granholm!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Harmless Teddy Bear

I love you too and no one here was on The List.

;)


26 posted on 10/03/2023 9:52:22 PM PDT by Salamander (Please visit my profile page help save my beloved dog's life. https://www.givesendgo.com/G2FUF.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-26 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson