In a landmark public demonstration at Pouilly-le-Fort, Louis Pasteur successfully vaccinated sheep against anthrax using an attenuated bacterial culture, proving the practical viability of Jenner's vaccine principle for bacterial diseases.

Pasteur and Chamberland's development of the first bacterial vaccine for anthrax in 1881 became a theatrical event that captured the literary imagination. This spectacle shaped the culture of scientific celebrity, inspiring poets of positivism to engage with themes of science and morality.