12th August 1865: Joseph Lister carries out world's first antiseptic surgery

Lister is remembered among the greats of medical science for being the first person to identify the link between clean hospital conditions and infection rates.
To understand the importance of Lister’s achievement, it’s important to remember that in the 19th Century up to 50% of all hospital patients died of infection. This often occurred after surgery, during which time patients developed ‘ward fever’ - a non-specific range of secondary infections caused through poor hospital hygiene where surgeons weren’t required to wash their hands or even their stained operating gowns.
Having read the work of the Frenchman Louis Pasteur regarding the spread and growth of bacteria, Lister became interested in finding a way to remove infection-causing micro-organisms from hospitals. Germ theory of disease was only just becoming more widely accepted, but after discovering that carbolic acid, now referred to as phenol, had successfully been used to reduce the smell of raw sewage Lister began experiments using it as what became termed an ‘antiseptic’.
On the 12th August Lister used a piece of lint covered in carbolic acid to cover the compound fracture wound of a seven-year-old boy, and found that over a period of six weeks the wound healed without developing gangrene. Developments in surgical hygiene followed. As well as surgeons wearing gloves, they began to wash their hands in carbolic acid, as well as washing their instruments in Lister’s 5% solution and spraying it liberally around the operating theatre.

[@saige6442]

My history teacher showed this to us in class, it's really useful since we need to know a lot about Lister's work on antiseptics for our GCSE exams, and this video has exactly the right information for our course. Thanks for making this~

[@MilciadesAndrion]

When we review this material we realize the greatness of characters like Joseph Lister who helped humanity open their eyes to the importance of hygiene. This is what is happening today during the crisis caused by COVID-19

[@doctoredable]

More than 150 years ago Lister is still considered a visionary. One would think that his research would continue to influence today's medical personnel. Doctors know the importance of sanitary conditions during surgery. Unfortunately in many hospitals nurses that take care of patients after having surgery do not. The incidence of hospital acquired infections after patients have had surgery that requires aseptic wound care is at at alarming rate. I have seen first hand how "lax" attention to aseptic protocol often is. You can put cleans gloves on but if you scratch your head or answer the phone with those same gloves on the gloves need to be changed. One would think this would be routine. It is not. Stanford University Hospital was recently cited as a very dangerous place to have surgery even though the doctors there are tops in their field. Post operative nursing care has been highly suspect as the cause of their very high rates of post surgical infections. It does not surprise me at all.

[@airconditioningrepairatlan2438]

Thanks for this video Bro!I just learned something new, Good job!!!

[@alexismccurrent3204]

Why did I think that was a kid trying to escape out the window? 😆😂😂😭😭😭😣

[@jimparsons6803]

Better living through chemistry. Or more exactly the understanding of chemistry

[@k.a5189]

The boy that was treated was 11 years old

[@historypod]

Please can you direct me to a source for that?

[@jigspanchal5555]

Look at any source: 600 B.C. The first Plastic surgery happen in India.

[@arcelbondame5154]

listerine