When Did Louis Pasteur Present His Memoir on the Discovery of Molecular Chirality to the Académie Des Sciences? Analysis of a Discrepancy (2008)
Gal, J. (Author)
Chirality: The Pharmacological, Biological, and Chemical Consequences of Molecular Asymmetry
Volume: 20
Pages: 1072--1084
Louis Pasteur presented his historic memoir on the discovery of molecular chirality to the Académie des sciences in Paris on May 22nd, 1848. The literature, however, nearly completely ignores this date, widely claiming instead May 15th, 1848, which first surfaced in 1922 in Pasteurs collected works edited by his grandson Louis Pasteur ValleryRadot. On May 21st, 1848, i.e., one day before Pasteurs presentation in Paris, his mother died in Arbois, eastern France. Informed at an unknown point in time that she was very ill, Pasteur left for Arbois only after his presentation. Biographies of Pasteur by his soninlaw René ValleryRadot or the grandson, and Pasteurs collected correspondence edited by the grandson are incomprehensibly laconic or silent about the historic presentation. While no definite conclusions are possible, the evidence strongly suggests a deliberate alteration of the record by the biographer relatives, presumably for fear of adverse public judgment of Pasteur for a real or perceived insensitivity to a grave family medical emergency. Such fear would have been in accord with their hagiographic portrayal of Pasteur, and the findings raise questions concerning the extent of their zeal in protecting his demigod image. Universal recognition of the true date of Pasteurs announcement of molecular chirality is long overdue. Chirality, 2008. © 2008 WileyLiss, Inc.
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