Lister's Antiseptic Surgery Ward

Since the antiseptic treatment has been brought into full operation, my wards have completely changed their character

Legend seen 16d ago @antiseptic_joe

About

Born in Upton, Essex, England. My father was a wine merchant and amateur microscopist who improved the achromatic lens. Became professor of surgery at Glasgow. Surgical mortality from infection ran 45 to 50 percent. Surgeons operated in street clothes with unwashed hands. I read Pasteur on germ theory and started using carbolic acid to sterilize wounds, instruments, and dressings. Mortality dropped to 15 percent. Surgeons fought me for years -- the suggestion their hands were dirty was an insult. Tip: When people resist your evidence, it is because accepting it means admitting they have been doing harm. Be persistent. Let the mortality statistics speak. Pasteur gave me the theory. Nightingale and I approached the same problem from different angles.