![Joseph Meister](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Joseph_Meister.jpg)
Joseph Meister (21 February 1876 – 24 June 1940) was the first person to be
inoculated against
rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, ...
by
Louis Pasteur, and likely the first person to be successfully treated for the infection.
History
In 1885, nine-year-old Meister was badly bitten by a supposedly rabid dog. After consulting with
Alfred Vulpian
Edmé Félix Alfred Vulpian (5 January 1826 – 18 May 1887) was a French physician and neurologist. He was the co-discoverer of Vulpian-Bernhardt spinal muscular atrophy and the Vulpian-Heidenhain-Sherrington phenomenon.
Vulpian was born in Par ...
and
Jacques-Joseph Grancher
Jacques-Joseph Grancher (; 29 September 1843 in Felletin, Creuse – 13 July 1907) was a French pediatrician born in Felletin.
In 1862 he began his medical studies in Paris, where he worked as an assistant at the Hôpital des Enfants Malade ...
and obtaining their assistance,
Louis Pasteur agreed to inoculate the boy with spinal tissue from rabid rabbits, which he had successfully used to prevent rabies in dogs. The treatment was successful and the boy did not develop rabies. For Pasteur, this was technically illegal as
Practicing without a license
Practicing without a license is the act of working without the licensure offered for that occupation, in a particular jurisdiction.Springhouse Corporation. (2004) ''Nurse's legal handbook.'' Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Most activities that req ...
as the French chemist was not a licensed physician, but he proceeded on the advice of licensed colleagues who agreed that the youth needed the treatment and Pasteur was the only professional available to apply it.
[Murphy, Timothy F. (2004) ''Case Studies Biomedical Research Ethics.'' MIT Press, ] Fortunately, the celebrated success of the treatment led to any formal charges being waived.
As an adult, Meister served as a
caretaker
Caretaker may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker''
* '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital
* Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...
at the
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute (french: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines f ...
until his death in 1940 at age 64. On 24 June 1940, ten days after the
German army occupied Paris during World War II, Meister committed suicide with his gas gun.
Although often repeated, the version of his suicide stating he chose to take his life rather than allow the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
to enter the Pasteurs'
crypt is not sustainable. Instead, a contemporary journal article as well as the testimony of Meister's granddaughter indicate that, fearing for his family's safety, Meister asked them to leave, while he stayed behind to protect the Pasteur institute from the German soldiers. He incorrectly believed this had resulted in them being captured by the Nazis. In a tragic irony, his family returned to the institute a few hours after Meister took his own life.
[Veterinary Medicine 35, p. 5538, 1940]
Portrayals
Meister was played by
Dickie Moore in the 1936 film ''
The Story of Louis Pasteur
''The Story of Louis Pasteur'' is a 1936 American black-and-white biographical film from Warner Bros., produced by Henry Blanke, directed by William Dieterle, that stars Josephine Hutchinson, Anita Louise and Donald Woods, and Paul Muni as t ...
''. The story of Meister's potentially dangerous
inoculation against rabies by Pasteur was also featured in an episode of the TV series ''
Dark Matters: Twisted But True'' and the 1974 BBC drama-documentary series ''Microbes and Men''.
References
Further reading
*
Gerald L. Geison
Gerald Lynn Geison (March 26, 1943 – July 3, 2001) was an American historian who died at 58.
Career
Gerald L. Geison went on to earn a doctorate in Yale University's ''Department of the History of Science and Medicine'' in 1970 and then joined ...
. ''The Private Science of Louis Pasteur'' (Princeton University Press, 1995) ()
External links
Recording of Meister's account of his meeting with Pasteur
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meister, Joseph
French children
Dog attack victims
Suicides in France
1876 births
1940 deaths
1940 suicides
Louis Pasteur
History of human subject research