In 1861, a doctor named Joseph Lister became a surgeon at a hospital in Glascow, Scotland. At that time, many patients who underwent surgery often developed infections that caused the death or loss of a limb. But no one knew why.Lister then read an article written by French scientist Louis Pasteur, in which Pasteur said that microscopic organisms, called bacteria or germs, were responsible for the deterioration of meat and milk. Since Pasteur mentions that these germs float in the air, Lister wondered if these same organisms could be responsible for the infections that people developed after surgery.
Thus, Lister was the first doctor to use an antiseptic, a substance that kills germs, to fight infection. He used a chemical called phenic acid, and made sure that all surgeons cleaned their instruments with this substance before they operated on a patient. And when the patient developed an infection, Lister would put the chemical directly into the wound to kill the germs.
When Lister began his work at the hospital, nearly half of all patients who had undergone surgery had died after an operation. After Lister discovered the advantages of antiseptics, the death rate dropped to 15 percent!
Today no doctor would think of operating on a patient without first washing his hands and instruments in an antiseptic. Today we use antiseptics such as iodine on small wounds and scratches to kill germs that might cause an infection.
.
