This paper marks the beginning of Pasteur’s studies on rabies. English translation in R. Suzor, Hydrophobia: An account of M. Pasteur’s system…London, 1887.

In his seminal 1880 paper, Sur les maladies virulentes, et en particulier sur la maladie appelée vulgairement choléra des poules, GM-2537, Pasteur developed the idea of a protective inoculation by attenuated living cultures, and subsequently adopted this principle with anthrax, rabies, and swine erysipelas. His work laid the foundations of the science of immunology. However, in that paper Pasteur did not reveal his method of attenuation until this paper presented in September 1882, and first published in 1883. The method developed by Pasteur and his team was  "heating the anthrax bacillus at exactly between 42 and 43 degrees centigrade for at least 5-6 hours.” Toward the end of his paper they stated, “It cannot be doubted that we possess a general method of attenuation…."

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)

Edition and translation of about 60 letters mostly between Pasteur and his protegé Louis Thuillier in the Reynolds Historical Library at the University of Alabama. During the period involved in this correspondence "Thuillier conducted a series of vaccinations against anthrax in sheep and cattle in Germany and Austria-Hungary. It is believed that Pasteur intended to conduct the vaccinations himself, but was constrained by other responsibilities from doing the job in person. Relying on Thuillier as a surrogate prompted a steady stream of letters between protégé and mentor, detailing the successes, failures and obstacles faced in the project. Tragically, the relationship between Pasteur and Thuillier ended just over a month after the completion of the vaccination tests in Germany. As that project ended, Pasteur sent Thuillier with three other scientists to study a cholera epidemic in Egypt. Thuillier became ill, most likely from cholera and died on September 18, 1883 at age 27."