Joseph Meister, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJoseph Meister
First person inocculated for rabies
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Paris, Île-de-France, France
About Joseph Meister
- Joseph Meister (21 February 1876 – 24 June 1940) was the first person to be inoculated against rabies by Louis Pasteur, and the first person to be successfully treated for the infection. In 1885, nine-year-old Meister was badly bitten by a rabid dog.
- After consulting with Alfred Vulpian and Jacques-Joseph Grancher and obtaining their assistance, Pasteur agreed to inoculate the boy with spinal tissue from rabid rabbits, which he had successfully used to prevent rabies in dogs.
- The treatment was successful and the boy did not develop rabies.As an adult, Meister served as a caretaker at the Pasteur Institute until his death in 1940 at age 64.
- On 24 June 1940, ten days after the German army invaded Paris during World War II, Meister committed suicide with his gas gun.Although often repeated, the version of his suicide stating he chose to commit suicide rather than allow the Wehrmacht to enter the Pasteurs' crypt is not sustainable.
- Instead, a contemporary journal article as well as the testimony of Meister's granddaughter indicate that he was overwhelmed by the guilt of having sent his family away, thinking it had resulted in their deaths.
- In a tragic irony, they actually came back the same day he took his life.
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