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Sooo,, cleanliness is next to Noodle..ness? 😎

Surgical Sanitation

Remember to keep it clean, Doc! All modern surgeons know the importance of keeping their workplace sterile and ensuring that bacteria don’t find their way into patients’ wounds, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, the first truly antiseptic surgery—a surgery performed with the goal of keeping microorganisms away—wasn’t performed until this day in 1865. The procedure was headed by British surgeon and medical scientist Joseph Lister, who had spent years researching how to prevent the deadly infections that often followed surgical procedures.

In 1861, Lister, already an accomplished surgeon, went to work in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He immediately noticed that around half of all amputations performed in the Male Accident Ward resulted in sepsis, a deadly blood infection caused by microorganisms, and eventual death. At the time, sepsis was a mystery known only as “hospital disease.” Lister didn’t suspect that tiny microorganisms could be the root cause of it. Instead, he theorized that a pollen-like dust in the air might be responsible. To neutralize this “dust”, Lister decided to use carbolic acid, which was usually used to clean sewers. Unbeknownst to Lister at the time, carbolic acid happened to have powerful anti-microbial properties. Lister created a small, pitcher-like device to create carbolic acid steam and disperse it into the air, during surgery. After pioneering his technique in 1865, Lister watched the death rate from surgeries in his Male Accident Ward fall from 45 to 15 percent over the next four years.

During this time, Lister also began studying the work of French chemist and bacteriologist Louis Pasteur. Pasteur posited that microorganisms, such as the kind that had first been seen under a microscope in 1676, were responsible for fermentation, putrefaction, and the development of certain illnesses. Lister realized that his theory about pollen-like dust was incorrect, and that microorganisms were likely the cause of sepsis. Lister continued using carbolic acid steam during surgeries, while Pasteur’s work helped him develop better techniques for wound cleaning, general operating room sanitation, and post-surgical care. Amazing what can happen when great scientific minds meet!

[Image description: A black and white historical illustration of Joseph Lister and colleagues performing an antiseptic surgery with Lister’s carbolic steam spray apparatus on a nearby stool.] Credit & copyright: Public Domain
More about this Curio:
Encyclopedia Britannica: "Joseph Lister: British Surgeon and Medical Scientist."
History Today: "Lister Pioneers Antiseptic Surgery in Glasgow."
The Royal Society: "Joseph Lister and the Performance of Antiseptic Surgery."

CaptainFeelgood 7 Aug 17
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