In 1865, Pasteur began to study the silkworm diseases that were crippling the silk industry in France. He discovered the infectious agents and revealed the manner in which these agents are transmitted--by contagion and hereditary principle--and how to prevent them. Elaborating on his study of fermentation, he could now confirm that each disease is caused by a specific microbe and that these microbes are foreign elements. With this knowledge, Pasteur was able to establish the basic rules of sterilization or asepsis. Preventing contagion and infection, his method of sterilization revolutionized surgery and obstetrics.

From 1877 to 1887, Pasteur employed these fundamentals of microbiology in the battle against infectious diseases. He went on to discover three bacteria responsible for human illnesses: staphylococcus, streptococcus and pneumococcus.

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