Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 72.djvu/25

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THE INSTITUTE OF FRANCE
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Tomb of Pasteur in the Pasteur Institute.

days. Those bitten about the bead are the most difficult to cure. Yet with all the drawbacks not more than five cases out of every fifteen hundred prove fatal. It is natural that the French people should look upon Pasteur as one of their greatest men and as worthy of the highest honor. It is for this reason that they have responded so freely with their gifts when additional means have been required for the work of the institute. Since Pasteur's death his work has gone forward successfully. One of his pupils, Dr. Roux, has discovered a vaccine which is said to be an almost sure cure for croup and diphtheria. Other physicians are seeking through experiment and special study new and better methods of treating what has hitherto been regarded as fatal disease. It is needless to add that Pasteur's remedy for rabies is now made use of in every civilized country.

The great buildings of the institute are used chiefly for its patients, yet in connection with them places are found for those who wish to study its methods and watch its experiments. A special course of study covering several months is open to all who wish to take it, though those who do take it are expected to pay a small sum for tuition and to meet their personal expenses. Perhaps no establishment in the world has contributed more to the sum total of human happiness than the Pasteur Institute, which is even now only in the beginning of its career.

The Normal School

This article must close with a few words concerning the normal school which is one of the most prominent educational institutions of