Antoine Bechamp was a French scientist and microbiologist born in 1816. He is best known for his work on the theory of microzymas, which proposed that tiny living particles are fundamental to the formation of cells and play a role in disease. Bechamp's ideas were in contrast to those of Louis Pasteur, who is often credited with developing the germ theory of disease. Bechamp also contributed to the field of fermentation and studied the role of microorganisms in this process. His research laid the groundwork for understanding the relationship between microbes and health, although his theories were largely overshadowed by Pasteur's work during his lifetime.