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Antiseptic Surgery

Lister, on hearing about Pasteur's research, made the connection between microorganisms in the air with wound sepsis. Lister considered that microbes in air were likely causing the putrefaction and therefore had to be destroyed before they entered the wound. In the previous year Lister had heard that 'carbolic acid' was being used to treat sewage in Carlise, and that fields treated with the affluent were freed of a parasite causing disease in cattle. Lister decided to try and clean the wounds and dress them using a solution of carbolic acid. He was proud to announce at a British Medical Association meeting, in 1867, that his wards at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary had remained clear of sepsis for nine months. Lister's method spread rapidly around the world, and German soldiers used antiseptic methods during the Franco-Prussian war saving many Prussian soldiers' lives. Lister published the results of his treatments of 11 cases of compound fracture in which 8 of them made full recoveries. Two of the cases had been attacked by hospital disease where one was recovered after amputation of the limb, the other after conservative treatment. One of the patients died, but his death was caused by the broken bone-end piercing an artery and was not due to sepsis. 8 out of 11 uneventful compound fractures with only one death was a record of success never before attained in this type of injury.
             Despite the successful operations conducted by Lister and the mortality rate dropping greatly, there was still much opposition against Lister and his carbolic treatment. Firstly, his method depended upon the acceptance of the airborne theory of germs v/s which already was creating much controversy since people were not willing to accept that germs could not be seen using the naked eye and therefore cause putrefaction and wound healing. Also, many surgeons wanted and waited for undoubted proof that Lister's technique was an advance before they abandoned their own methods.


Essays Related to Antiseptic Surgery

1. Antiseptics, from the Dawn of Time to Present Day

... of the patients on those doctors who refrained from washing their hands. (Microbiology Lecture Notes, 1/10/03) Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, was one of the great innovators in antiseptic surgery. Lister questioned Liebig's observations. Lister studied the inflammation of wounds at the Glasgow infirmary and came to believe that the infection wasn't due to bad air by itself, and that ... using this new substance, Lister announced to the BMA (British Medical Association), that his wards at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary had been sepsis free for nine months. (Joseph Lister & Antiseptic Surg...

  • Word Count: 856
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. sickle cell anemia

... is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic, and a blood pressure cuff is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and restrict blood flow through the vein. This causes veins ... needle is inserted into veins and the blood is collected in a air-tight vial or a syringe. For an infant or young child, the area is cleansed with antiseptic and punctured with a sharp needle or a lancet. The blood may be collected in a small glass tube, on a slide, onto a test strip, or into ... They include antibiotics fo...

  • Word Count: 1325
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Joseph Lister

... carried sole by air. They found that this was false and that the surgeon and his instruments carried germs. He then found an effected antiseptic cab oil acid, which had already been used as means of cleaning foul smelling sewers and had been advised to use as a wound ... causes of the surgical mortality dropped form 45% to 15% in his male accident ward. In 1869 Lister succeeded the Syme chair of clinical surgery at Edinburgh. Which followed the 7 happiest years of his life when the result of German experiments with antiseptics during the Franco-German war. After ... he had to convince L...

  • Word Count: 877
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Sickle cell anemia

... is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic, and a blood pressure cuff is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and restrict blood flow through the vein. This causes veins ... needle is inserted into veins and the blood is collected in a air-tight vial or a syringe. For an infant or young child, the area is cleansed with antiseptic and punctured with a sharp needle or a lancet. The blood may be collected in a small glass tube, on a slide, onto a test strip, or into ... They include antibiotics fo...

  • Word Count: 1316
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Medical Overview - Pilondial Cysts

... cried because of the pain. She automatically told me I had a cyst which needed to be drained and surgically removed. I was going to go into surgery the same day, but my mom did not approve of the doctor she mentioned, so I had to wait until the next day to get a different ... a recurrence of a Pilonidal cyst. Phenol Injection is another way to treat a Pilonidal cyst. Phenol is a chemical compound which is often used as an antiseptic. The phenol is injected into the cyst several times. In due time the cyst will get hard and close. This procedure is not used anymore, because ... machine w...

  • Word Count: 2685
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Folklore Medicine

Medicine was often a risky business. Bloodletting was a popular method of restoring a patient's health and "humors." Early surgery, often done by barbers without anesthesia, must have been excruciating. Medical treatment was available mainly to the wealthy, and those ... blood samples. Treatments ranged from administering laxatives and diuretics to fumigation, cauterization, and the taking of hot baths and/or herbs. Performed as a last resort, surgery was known to be successful in cases of breast cancer, fistula, hemorrhoids, gangrene, and cataracts, as well as tuberculosis of the lymph glands...

  • Word Count: 2010
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Male Circumcision and Female Genital Modification: Humans Ri

... recounted by a Sudanese women. She also told of special honeymoon centers built outside communities so that the "screams of the brides will not be heard." During this archaic yet major surgery, it is not uncommon for girls, who are held down by female relatives, to die from shock or hemorrhaging. But for those who do survive, the vagina, urethra, bladder, and ... and barbaric manners is low. Throughout the research for this paper, there was no one article that did not discuss male circumcision without using the words, sanitary, medical, physician, hospital, antiseptic, etc. Similarly, I...

  • Word Count: 722
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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