The Man Who Pioneered Infection Control: Ignaz Semmelweis
A small tribute to the man who introduced hand-washing and antisepsis to the surgery room
As millions continue to be affected by the scourge of COVID-19, the significance of simple hygiene practices like hand-washing is amplified. CDC has time and again recommended washing hands regularly, stating bluntly that it saves lives.
We are all aware of the importance of washing our hands. Hospitals supply medical practitioners with antiseptic gel before treating patients vulnerable to infection.
One would be hard-pressed to imagine a world where doctors did not sanitize or wash their hands before or after examinations. Yet, we lived in such a world just a little less than 150 years ago.
Until the late 1800s, doctors and health workers did not sanitize or even wash their hands between treating patients, even between surgeries.
They went from dissecting corpses to examining new mothers without washing their hands!
The medical workers unwittingly became the source for transmitting the disease to expectant mothers during obstetric examinations or childbirth!
