Please see above. In the future I will be very very careful about linking issues from the history of science to these threads. Very touchy group...
It's not the history (which is of great interest), it's the continuity of topic. Note that the experiments you described have been quoted for years as a disproof of evolution.
Hair triggers, all. :)
Sorry you got jumped on and glad you posted the info.
I cut my science-loving teeth on "Micobe Hunters" which covered this with fairly florid prose and I particularly relished the back-and-forth of the early experiments.
Thanks for the nostalgia trip.
I'm going to have to apologise for misreading your motives. It seems like nearly evo thread has someone post a story about Pasteur as a refutation of evolution. Some of are pretty tired of this.
The history of vitalism and spontaneous generation are fascinating when put in perspective and context. It's just that they have no direct bearing on current research.