Healers
Joseph Lister
Surgeon
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic surgical technique, applying Louis Pasteur's germ theory to wound care using carbolic acid (phenol) to kill microorganisms in surgical wounds, dressings and instruments. His 1867 paper in The Lancet, On the Antiseptic Principle in the Practice of Surgery, reported sharply reduced mortality from wound infection and sepsis on his surgical wards at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and his methods spread internationally within a generation, transforming surgery from a frequently fatal last resort into a survivable procedure.
Facts
Cross-Tradition Connections
Discoveries
Lister is credited with introducing antisepsis as a systematic surgical practice; antecedent, less systematic uses of disinfectant agents by other practitioners are not disputed as a rival claim to his own.
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.