FIGHTING CONTAGION
LISTER - ANTISEPSIS
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In 1865, a British surgeon named Joseph Lister read about Pasteur's investigations into fermentation and decomposition — and made a vitally important connection. Could microorganisms also be responsible for post-surgical gangrene and other complications? And if so, could antibacterial agents reduce these infections? Lister tested his hypothesis in the operating room, using carbolic acid — a disinfectant then used to clean sewers — to clean wounds, skin, and surgical instruments. The rate of infection dropped dramatically. |
Lister's findings correlated with those of an obstetrician named Ignaz Semmelweis, who had tried similar techniques in his obstetrical practice. Both were initially unsuccessful in convincing others of the need for antisepsis (sepsis being the presence of pathogenic organisms), but Lister persisted. In the end, his theories prevailed, and the death rate following both surgery and childbirth plummeted. In 1886, further advances were achieved with the introduction of steam sterilization.
