The Story of Pastorization Is a Case Study in the Limits of Science

The story of pastorization is a case study in the limits of science. Louis pasteur came up with his technique for sterilizing milk in 18 65, but we didn't actually have pastorized milk as a standard on american grocery stores shelves until 19 15. And that's because science and chemistry on its own wasn't enough to make a meaningful change. You also needed persuasion. He had to convince a dairy industry to make pastorized milk. It took crusading lawmakers. There was a whole sub culture of pastorization activists back then. We need new institutions like three face trials and randomise controlled experiments. That kind of institutional innovation is going to be important in the future.