Pasteur wanted to find out what causes milk and wine to spoil. He demonstrated
that spoilage and fermentation occur when microorganisms enter from the
air, multiply rapidly, and produce waste products. After showing that spoilage
could be avoided by keeping germs out or by destroying them with heat,
he investigated animal diseases and showed that microorganisms were involved.
Other investigators later showed that specific kinds of germs caused specific
diseases.
| See Content Standard G History and
Nature of Science (grades 9-12): Historical Perspectives.
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