History Fact Finder | Medicine and Disease - Who Introduced The Use Of Antiseptics In Hospitals?

Who introduced the use of antiseptics in hospitals?

English surgeon Joseph L. Lister (1827–1912) is credited with introducing the use of antiseptics in hospitals. After discovering that certain bacteria cause certain diseases, he began experimenting with various chemical solutions, many containing carbolic acid, which he believed would kill germs and thus prevent infections. Lister was successful, and in 1867 he reported his findings in Lancet, a British journal of medicine. Though many doctors remained to be convinced, others began using Lister's methods. By the turn of the century not only had these methods saved lives, they had changed the way doctors practiced medicine. For example, because doctors could not depend on a home being clean, they preferred to treat patients, rich and poor alike, in a hospital setting.

Another pioneer in the use of antiseptics was Ignaz Phillipp Semmelwies...

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