Joseph Lister

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Who?

What did they do?

  • Lister was a British doctor and pioneer of antiseptic surgery (1827 - 1912).
  • He used Pasteurs Germ Theory and adapted it to 'bacteria must be causing infection in open wounds'.
  • He did an experiment where he put carbolic acid on the wound and the bandages. The wound healed and the patient didn't get gangrene.
  • He published his work in 1867 and insisted that doctors and nurses s wash their hands with carbolic acid before operation.

What factors helped them?

Other information              

  • Science - He used Carbolic acid.
  • Individuals - Lister wanted to stop infection and was successful.
  • Communication - He used Louis Pasteur's work and adapted it.
  • In 1864, Lister saw an account of remarkable effect of using Carbolic acid on sewage. It destroyed the parasites and he had an idea to use it on open fractures.
  • He made a turning point in surgery as between 1864 and 1866 there had been sixteen deaths after thirty five amputations (46%). Between 1867 and 1870 when antiseptic was invented, there were six deaths after fourty operations (15%).

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