Class 8 English Chapter 5 Louis Pasteur

Class 8 English Chapter 5 Louis Pasteur

Subject: English
Board: SEBA Assam
Medium: English

Introduction

One day a boy called Louis Pasteur was playing with friends in Arbois, a small French town. Suddenly he saw a man running towards him. The man was frightened. Louis asked, “What is the matter?” The man said, “Someone has been bitten by a mad wolf from the mountain.” Louis understood the danger: a mad animal could have rabies.

Many years later, while experimenting on rabbits, Pasteur discovered the deadly virus that causes rabies. He treated sick rabbits by injecting them with the virus in weakened form and succeeded in curing them. He wanted to try the method on humans but was not sure. On 6 July 1885 a boy bitten by a mad dog was brought to him. The boy’s mother begged Pasteur to save her son. Pasteur injected the boy and kept him under observation. The boy responded to the treatment and recovered.

Pasteur’s method of treatment made him famous worldwide. In 1888 the French government founded the Pasteur Institute in Paris, devoted to research on biology, micro-organisms, diseases and vaccines. Pasteur died in 1895.

Short Summary

Louis Pasteur was a French scientist who discovered the cause of rabies and developed a treatment. After experiments on animals he used his method successfully on a human child bitten by a mad dog. His work led to the establishment of the Pasteur Institute and changed medicine forever.

Important Dates & Facts

• Place: Arbois (boyhood incident)
• First human rabies treatment by Pasteur: 6 July 1885
• Pasteur Institute founded: 1888 (Paris)
• Louis Pasteur died: 1895

Key Vocabulary (from the lesson)

Word	Meaning
rabies	a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain; often fatal if untreated
virus	a very small infectious agent that can cause disease
inject	to put a liquid into a person’s or animal’s body with a needle
micro-organism	a tiny living thing visible only with a microscope
institute	an organization for scientific or educational work

Comprehension Questions & Answers

Q1. What worried Louis when the frightened man ran to him?

A1. Louis learned that a man had been bitten by a mad wolf; he worried because the animal might have rabies.

Q2. How did Pasteur find the cause of rabies?

A2. While experimenting on rabbits he discovered the deadly virus that causes rabies.

Q3. What was Pasteur’s first human case and what happened?

A3. On 6 July 1885 a boy bitten by a mad dog was brought to Pasteur. Pasteur injected him with the treatment and the boy recovered.

Q4. Why was the Pasteur Institute founded?

A4. The French government founded the Pasteur Institute in 1888 to study biology, micro-organisms, diseases and vaccines inspired by Pasteur’s work.

Q5. When did Louis Pasteur die?

A5. Louis Pasteur died in 1895.

Activity 1  Fill in the blanks (with answers)

1. The boy who was bitten was brought on 6 July 1885.
2. Pasteur worked with rabbits to study the virus.
3. The government founded the Pasteur Institute in 1888.
4. Pasteur’s discovery helped treat rabies.

Activity 2  Flowchart (chain of events)

1. Pasteur sees a man who says someone was bitten by a mad wolf.
2. Years later Pasteur experiments on rabbits and finds the virus that causes rabies.
3. He develops a method of treatment and tests it on animals successfully.
4. On 6 July 1885 Pasteur treats a boy bitten by a mad dog.
5. The boy recovers; Pasteur becomes famous and the Pasteur Institute is established (1888).

Grammar : Tenses & Voice  Explanation with examples from the lesson

Simple Present

Use: universal truth, habitual actions.

Example: Animals with rabies go mad.

Present Continuous

Use: action happening now.

Example: He is working on his experiment.

Simple Past

Use: actions completed in the past.

Example: Pasteur injected the boy.

Past Continuous

Use: an action which was going on at a certain time in the past.

Example: One day a boy was playing with his friends.

Active ⇄ Passive (example)

Active: Pasteur injected the boy with the virus.

Passive: The boy was injected with the virus by Pasteur.

Grammar Exercises  with answers

1. Change to passive:
   • We treat the patients. → The patients are treated (by us).
   • Pasteur injected the boy. → The boy was injected by Pasteur.
2. Choose tense (Simple Past / Past Continuous):
   • One day a boy was playing with his friends. (Past Continuous)
   • Pasteur found the virus later. (Simple Past)
3. Fill the blanks (verbs):
   • He injected the boy and kept him under watch. injected
   • Pasteur died in 1895. died

Reported Speech (imperatives & questions)

Direct: “What is the matter?” Louis asked.

Reported: Louis asked what the matter was.

Direct (imperative): “Do something for the old man.”

Reported (imperative): She asked him to do something for the old man.

Activity 3 Classroom & Writing Tasks

1. Discuss in groups

Make a poster showing how to prevent diseases spread by animals and mosquitoes  mention disease, prevention, cure.

2. Speech / Project

Prepare a short speech on Florence Nightingale or Louis Pasteur (2–3 minutes). Points to include: early life, main work, contribution to health.

Florence Nightingale short note (included in lesson activities)

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) was a nurse known as “the Lady with the Lamp”. She served wounded soldiers in the Crimean War (1854), improved hospital conditions, and is remembered for her contribution to modern nursing.

Word Web: DISEASE (example)

Central word: DISEASE

• virus
• fever
• vaccine
• infection
• symptom
• prevention

Final Activity Short answers (for practice)

1. What is rabies?  A viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain and is often fatal.
2. How did Pasteur help mankind?  He discovered the cause of rabies and developed a treatment; his work led to vaccines and the Pasteur Institute.
3. When was the Pasteur Institute founded?  1888.
4. Who was Florence Nightingale?  A nurse who cared for soldiers in the Crimean War and reformed nursing; called “the Lady with the Lamp”.