Moscow, February 23 – RIA Novosti. Events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of the developer of the vaccine against incurable rabies, French academician Louis Pasteur, were held in Samara. Scientists from Russia and France took part in a round table dedicated to the memorable date and anniversary of the creation of the Pasteur station in the city.

Like the modern coronavirus vaccine, a part of society in the 19th century did not accept Louis Pasteur’s development for the treatment of rabies, criticized and even considered it dangerous. But, as experts noted, the Russian authorities were among the first to financially support the French scientist in the creation of the microbiological institute, donating 100,000 francs in 1886.

One of the key topics of the speeches was the anniversary of the creation of the first Pasteur station in modern Russia – 135 years ago. The first patient of the French academician from our country was a child from Samara, Mitya Kalyapin, who was escorted to Paris by two Samara doctors. His miraculous healing, by the standards of the time, led to the opening of a Pasteur station in the city, where rabies patients from all over the country were treated.

“Samara in the 19th century was a large village with small inclusions of urban areas. There were no sewers, and the sanitary condition of the city was appalling. Diseases broke out here: smallpox, plague, cholera. And there was rabies, too. The vaccination experiments were very socially significant. They allowed us to protect the health of the nation. Our conference is also significant, because we are going through a really difficult period,” said Petr Kabytov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Honorary Professor at Samara University.

According to experts, in the debate on vaccination, the promotion of scientific knowledge and overcoming various kinds of prejudices that are in the minds of many people regarding vaccinations are of particular importance.

“We are at the peak of a pandemic, and all these circumstances are extremely painful for our society. In this situation, it is very important how people deal with this problem and how they help each other. Not so long ago, we experienced mass vaccination, including our students. Now they work as medical volunteers and help in polyclinics. Over the past week, our students have worked 252 volunteer shifts,” said Mikhail Leonov, Vice–rector of Samara University.

Louis Pasteur is a French scientist, chemist, and founder of microbiology. His key achievement was the development of a vaccine against incurable rabies, which saved many thousands of lives around the world. December 27, 2022, will mark the 200th anniversary of the academician’s birth.

Source: RIA Novosti.