Joseph Meister

After consulting with Alfred Vulpian and Jacques-Joseph Grancher and obtaining their assistance, Louis Pasteur agreed to inoculate the boy with spinal tissue from rabid rabbits, which he had successfully used to prevent rabies in dogs.

On 24 June 1940, ten days after the German army occupied Paris during World War II, Meister committed suicide with his gas gun.

[4][5] Although often repeated, the version of his suicide stating he chose to take his life rather than allow the Wehrmacht to enter the Pasteurs' crypt[6] is not sustainable.

[10] In a tragic irony, his family returned to the institute a few hours after Meister committed suicide.

The story of Meister's potentially dangerous inoculation against rabies by Pasteur was also featured in an episode of the TV series Dark Matters: Twisted But True and the 1974 BBC drama-documentary series Microbes and Men.