Pasteur's success depended upon a whole network of forces, including the public hygiene movement, the medical profession and colonial interests. It is the operation of these forces, in combination with the talent of Pasteur, that Latour sets out as a prime example of science in action.

Pasteur's success depended upon a whole network of forces, including the public hygiene movement, the medical profession and colonial interests. It is the operation of these forces, in combination with the talent of Pasteur, that Latour sets out as a prime example of science in action.