On 6 July 1885, a young boy,  Joseph Meister from Alsace, France, was vaccinated against rabies having been bitten 14 times by a rabid dog.

Joseph’s mother travelled to Paris to see Louis Pasteur and begged him to help after her son was bitten by the rabid dog. Pasteur had been working on a vaccine which would save people from rabies which was at that time fatal. His vaccine, however, had never been used on humans.

Dr  Jacques Joseph Grancher administered the vaccine to 9 year old Joseph over a period of 10 days with 12 doses being given. It saved Joseph’s life.

Today there are several different rabies vaccines available. Vaccines which are saving lives.

Dr. Grancher went on to set up a dedicated vaccination centre in an annex of the École Normale Supérieure, not far from Louis Pasteur’s laboratory.

Grancher played an active role in the creation of the Institut Pasteur, finding the land to accommodate the institute and overseeing its construction. On November 14, 1888, the day the Institut Pasteur was inaugurated, French President Sadi Carnot elevated Dr. Grancher to the rank of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. Dr. Grancher was chosen to give the inaugural address.

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