Doesn’t he look like Robin Williams?!?
Full disclosure, I did not read this whole book. It is more of a history of his life and the political climate in Russia and France and the scientific world. I was interested in the science.
Elie Metchnikoff was the guy who discovered the immune system. And he also is the guy who figured out there are good bugs in the food we eat and in our large intestine. Metchnikoff is the guy who made yogurt famous as a health food. This was around 1900. Probiotics were popular more in the early 1900s than they were in the 1970s and 1980s.
This book is really well written. Not often is a biography and especially a science biography this enjoyable to read. I try to stay away from biographies because reading someone else describe someone else’s life is normally lack luster. But this book is the exception. Luba Vikhanski did a great job.
Metchnikoff came up with the word Orthobiosis. Which means correct living. He was searching for a cure to old age. He realized that aging is just a breaking down of cells and tissues. And aging is basically like a long term chronic illness. And he did say that eating/drinking good bacteria could help to elongate life and prevent illness. His name was associated with yogurt, even having his own brand. He did not run the company, but he allowed a company to use his name.
I did not really learn much in this book about science. But it is always interesting to read about people’s lives. Metchnikoff ran the Louis Pasture Institute in Paris for many years until his death. Louis Pasture was the guy who discovered germs/bacteria and got the dairy industry to pasteurize milk. And Metchnikoff built upon that research and discovery to understand that the guy has good bacteria and bad bacteria.
Metchnikoff was born in Russia and worked there before he came to Paris to work at the Louis Pasture Institute. Olga, Metchnikoff’s second wife, was from a well off family and they were able to live off her monthly allowance. This is what allowed him the freedom to follow his passion of science research. The fall of the monarchy in Russia also played apart in his coming to Paris. Because Russia was not as open to scientific research or forward movement at that time.
It was neat to see how the fall of the Russian monarchy effected people. I had not read much about this and I am related to the Romanoff family. So it was a little extra interesting to me.
I feel sick. They are poisoning me a lot. I got to get out of here. That’s all I have for now.