If a patient were to have a single finger amputated during the mid-nineteenth century, his or her surgeon could expect a death rate of roughly 50% due to the spread of infection (“Joseph Lister”). Today’s death rates due to surgical operations are significantly lower due to the work and contributions of one biologist: Joseph Lister, the pioneer of cleanliness in surgical practices (“Joseph Lister (1827-1912”).
Joseph Lister was born to Joseph Jackson Lister and Isabella Harris in the village of Upton, England on April 5th, 1827 (“Sir Joseph Lister”). The elder Joseph Lister researched optics, the study of light, which initially motivated the younger Joseph Lister to become involved in the biological community. In addition, Lister’s father’s inquiries aided in creating an important tool in biology: the compound microscope. …show more content…
Things took a turn for the worse when doctors began the use of anesthesia since operations could last longer and involve trickier procedures. Many doctors at the time believed that something called “miasma,” or the patient’s exposure to “bad air,” was the cause of infection. However, when Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization, Joseph Lister became intrigued by the theory of bacterial infection. He began experimenting with carbonic acid: he soaked bandages in it, rinsed wounds with it, disinfected surgical tools with it, had surgeons wash their hands with it, and for a short time he even sprayed it directly into the air of operating rooms. By using these techniques at Glasgow University, he was able to reduce death rates due to infection after surgery by as much as 30%. Though his methods did cause some damage, mostly in the form of irritation, Lister was able to refine his practice over the years to minimize the harmful effects carbonic acid had on human tissue
Joseph Lister was born to Joseph Jackson Lister and Isabella Harris in the village of Upton, England on April 5th, 1827 (“Sir Joseph Lister”). The elder Joseph Lister researched optics, the study of light, which initially motivated the younger Joseph Lister to become involved in the biological community. In addition, Lister’s father’s inquiries aided in creating an important tool in biology: the compound microscope. …show more content…
Things took a turn for the worse when doctors began the use of anesthesia since operations could last longer and involve trickier procedures. Many doctors at the time believed that something called “miasma,” or the patient’s exposure to “bad air,” was the cause of infection. However, when Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization, Joseph Lister became intrigued by the theory of bacterial infection. He began experimenting with carbonic acid: he soaked bandages in it, rinsed wounds with it, disinfected surgical tools with it, had surgeons wash their hands with it, and for a short time he even sprayed it directly into the air of operating rooms. By using these techniques at Glasgow University, he was able to reduce death rates due to infection after surgery by as much as 30%. Though his methods did cause some damage, mostly in the form of irritation, Lister was able to refine his practice over the years to minimize the harmful effects carbonic acid had on human tissue