4 - Alliances: “Emperor of the Mediterranean?”

Summary

The plan to coerce the I. P. into reform without entering the place itself, to play the role of its benefactor from without, truly has a seductive elegance. I am ready to give myself wholly to it. (September 6, 1920)

The goal we are after [is] to transform the necropolis that extends around your grandfather's tomb into a vital establishment worthy of his name. (February 14, 1921)

Your father … addressed me as his “Pocket Pasteur.” (September 22, 1922)

—Nicolle to Louis Pasteur Vallery-Radot

On December 27, 1922, “the whole world” celebrated “the centenary of the birth of Pasteur.” Pasteur's son-in-law, René Vallery-Radot—who had already paid tribute to his wife's famous father by naming his son Louis Pasteur— helped set the festive international tone with his hagiographic article “Why the Whole World Glorifies Pasteur.” Colonial extension helped ensure that the chorus of “hosannas” found voice at the earth's four corners. In Tunisia, Vallery-Radot's article was read to all schoolchildren as part of an hour-long discussion of Pasteur's many contributions to humanity. To help them remember their lesson, the children were presented with a special commemorative plate, which was a gift of the Société des Sciences Médicales—joint sponsor, along with the Tunisian government and the IPT, of the country's grand fête. The day itself was celebrated by a series of conferences, held—most certainly to underscore the applications of Pasteur’s work far beyond medical realms—at the Agriculture School in Tunis, as well as in Sousse and Bizerte.The day also kicked off “Pastorian week” [“la semaine pastorienne”], which featured an exhibit on “Pasteur, his family, his disciples, and his work (photos, manuscripts etc.) organized by the Palais des Sociétés françaises.” A special subscription was opened to fund a bust of Pasteur and a scholarship for study at the IPT.

Although planning of the Tunisian celebration was shared by several organizations, Nicolle was clearly its prime mover. He was in constant contact with René Vallery-Radot's son, Louis Pasteur—“Pasteur,” as he was more commonly known—to procure the requisite photographs and other documents for the Pasteur exhibit. His own article, “The Way of Pasteur,” appeared in the Dépêche Tunisienne on December 27. This very public celebration evidently had deep personal significance for the director of the Pasteur Institute in Tunisia.