18/19: J. Lister

• Before Joseph Lister

  • Until the acceptance of germ theory in the 1860s, surgeons did not take any precautions to protect open wounds from infection.
  • They did not wash their hands before operating, sterilise their equipment or clean the operating table.
• Joseph Lister's discovery

  • 1867: He discovered that carbolic spray was very effective in stopping wounds from getting gangrene.
  • He developed antiseptic surgery by spraying medical instruments, catgut and bandages with a 1-in-20 solution of carbolic acid.
  • However, the production of better quality glass allowed Joseph Jackson Lister, father of Joseph Lister, in 1826 to make a microscope with 1,000 times magnification.
• Joseph Lister laid the foundations for... (after)

  • Despite the opposition it was soon obvious that Lister's methods were a success.
  • In 3 years, he reduced the death rate among his patients from 46% to 15%.
  • Others copied his methods. In the 1880s, appendectomies were being carried out and in 1896, surgeons did the first major cardiac surgery when they repaired a heart damaged by a stab wound.