He also began to notice a number of physicians who passed on infection to their patients after surgery. Lister used Pasteur’s ideas, combined with his own to form the aseptic technique. Lister knew about phenol being used as a disinfectant to kill bacteria, so he began to use it as a wound cleanser as well as to clean his surgical instruments. Jessney noted that, “Surgical instruments were never cleaned thoroughly with anything more than a wipe. Patients were seldom washed of dirt and surgeons rarely washed their hands. For some, bloodstains were seen as trophies and a mark of prestige” (107). The invention of this technique by Lister changed the spread of infection within the hospital. According to Dennis Pitt MD, “Lister changed the treatment of compound fractures from amputation to limb preservation and opened the way for abdominal and other intracavity surgery” (8). Aseptic technique single handedly was able to help the world with the fight of disease and spread of infection. The sheer amount of lives saved since then is astonishing. The use of aseptic technique in the doctor’s office is most evident and visible in everyday life. As I walk into the doctor’s office, I sit on a new bed cover where the previous extremely ill patient before me sat. I am not at risk of their illness. In past
He also began to notice a number of physicians who passed on infection to their patients after surgery. Lister used Pasteur’s ideas, combined with his own to form the aseptic technique. Lister knew about phenol being used as a disinfectant to kill bacteria, so he began to use it as a wound cleanser as well as to clean his surgical instruments. Jessney noted that, “Surgical instruments were never cleaned thoroughly with anything more than a wipe. Patients were seldom washed of dirt and surgeons rarely washed their hands. For some, bloodstains were seen as trophies and a mark of prestige” (107). The invention of this technique by Lister changed the spread of infection within the hospital. According to Dennis Pitt MD, “Lister changed the treatment of compound fractures from amputation to limb preservation and opened the way for abdominal and other intracavity surgery” (8). Aseptic technique single handedly was able to help the world with the fight of disease and spread of infection. The sheer amount of lives saved since then is astonishing. The use of aseptic technique in the doctor’s office is most evident and visible in everyday life. As I walk into the doctor’s office, I sit on a new bed cover where the previous extremely ill patient before me sat. I am not at risk of their illness. In past