the work of semmelweis

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  • Created by: Louise98
  • Created on: 09-04-14 17:36
What was the work of Semmelweis?
Ignaz semmelweis was a physician who demonstrated that Puerperal Fever “childbed fever” was contagious and could be drastically reduced by enforcing appropriate hand washing by doctors.
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When was this discovered?
He made this discovery in 1847 whilst working in a Vienna Hospital in the maternity department. He failed to convince his fellow doctors. Semmelweis realised that the number of cases was much larger in one of his wards than the other ones.
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What happened?
After testing hypotheses he found that the number of cases reduced if doctors washed their hands carefully before dealing with a pregnant woman. The risk was increased if the doctors had been in contact with corpses before the pregnant women.
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What was Semmelweis's conclusion?
The germ theory hadn’t been developed at the time so semmelweiss concluded that some unknown “cadaveric material” caused the childbed fever.
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What happened when he lectured about his results?
He lectured about his findings to medical communities they didn’t believe him as his observations went against scientific opinion at the time which blamed diseases on an imbalance of basical humours in the body.
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What was argued?
It was also argued that if a doctor had to wash his hands before treating women they would run out of time and would be too much work. Doctors weren’t happy to admit they had caused so many deaths.
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What happened after Semmelweis's death?
Only after Semmelweiss’s death the germ theory of disease had been developed and he is now recognised as pioneer of antiseptic policy.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

He made this discovery in 1847 whilst working in a Vienna Hospital in the maternity department. He failed to convince his fellow doctors. Semmelweis realised that the number of cases was much larger in one of his wards than the other ones.

Back

When was this discovered?

Card 3

Front

After testing hypotheses he found that the number of cases reduced if doctors washed their hands carefully before dealing with a pregnant woman. The risk was increased if the doctors had been in contact with corpses before the pregnant women.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

The germ theory hadn’t been developed at the time so semmelweiss concluded that some unknown “cadaveric material” caused the childbed fever.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

He lectured about his findings to medical communities they didn’t believe him as his observations went against scientific opinion at the time which blamed diseases on an imbalance of basical humours in the body.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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