Find out about the Institut Pasteur's heritage: Dr. Roux's incubation chamber

In collaboration with the French National Heritage Institute, five students in conservation and restoration carried out a preliminary study prior to the restoration of Dr. Roux's incubation chamber, an item that gives us an idea of the laboratory equipment used in the late 19th century.

It was rediscovered during the collection review in 2023 and little is known about its history. Students in conservation and restoration with different specialties (painting, wood, glass, etc.) looked at the materiality of the object to try to trace its history. The incubation chamber, attributed to Émile Roux (1853-1933), a close colleague of Louis Pasteur, was used for many years to culture microorganisms at a constant temperature and relative humidity. In the late 19th century Émile Roux developed a gas-heated incubation chamber for this purpose that became a reference model sold by manufacturers of laboratory equipment such as Wiesnegg in 1891 (see photos below).

Models similar to Dr. Roux's incubation chamber in the catalog of manufacturer Wiesnegg

Although we do not know which laboratory the incubation chamber was used in, there are signs that it was used for an extended period, probably until the mid-20th century, when it was modernized so that it would work with electricity. The chamber was originally heated by a gas system. There was a regulator on the right with a thermostat attached to the gas supply. The gas then flowed under the chamber to power the burners. The hot air and gas flowed through peripheral tubes to the outlet on top of the chamber, probably placed under an extractor. The only thing that remains of its original gas heating system is the hot air pipes.

The conservation and restoration students produced a detailed condition report to describe the wear and damage to the different materials (wood, glass, metal and paintwork) and proposed what action might be taken. This exercise is a preliminary stage in any restoration of complex and/or composite objects.

This year the museum is planning to restore the item so that it can be included in the permanent exhibition of the future museum.

See the video of this process Etuve Roux

If you are interested in the museum project, whether you know more about this incubation chamber or you have technical or scientific objects that can provide clues to the past activities of the Institut Pasteur's laboratories, feel free to contact the museum team: musee@pasteur.fr