But step inside

But step inside Pasteur’s front door in Dole or in Arbois and you are instantly transported back two centuries to a world before modern medicine to meet a man whose curiosity and determination changed all our lives for the better. The very least we can do is name roads after him. Pasteur Country Dole: Visit Pasteur’s birthplace close to the banks of the Doubs and the canal that linked the former tanneries. Follow the brass plates in the pavement of a perched cat – Le Circuit du Chat Perché – for 4Km to discover the hidden treasures of this charming Art & History town, capital of the Comté region in the 15th century. Doletourisme.fr www.doletourisme.fr/en/ Pasteur's home laboratory in Arbois and one from a liver tumour. Diseases, he realised, were caused by germs, and from 1867, Pasteur promoted the sterilization of surgical instruments and the importance of cleaning wounds that soon produced radical improvements in public health. He also addressed the disease crisis in the French silk industry and identified the organisms responsible for contaminating silkworms. But there was still work to be done. During the anthrax epidemic of the 1870s, Pasteur turned his attention to immunology, coming up with vaccines for both anthrax and rabies. Louis Pasteur’s health declined steadily after a stroke in 1894 and he died a year later on 28 September 1895 in Paris, where he had lived with his wife for the last seven years. At her request, he was buried in a crypt beneath the Pasteur Institute, founded by him in 1888 for research into infectious diseases, his tomb surrounded by Byzantine-style mosaics that honour his many discoveries. Arbois: Centre of the Jura winemaking industry, Arbois was home to the Pasteur family from 1823; visit at your own pace with a tablet, ‘guided’ by his nephew. Walk the Circuit Pasteur; indulge yourself with handmade chocolates from Maison Hirsinger; and explore the vineyards and hiking trails of the local Coeur du Jura area. coeurdujura-tourisme.com 60 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 61