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1867 CEPeer-reviewed · 2 sourcesWell documented

Lister Brings Antisepsis to the Operating Room

Carbolic acid on wounds, hands, and instruments turns germ theory into fewer amputations

On the timeline · around 1867 CE · Germ Theory and Modern MedicineGerm Theory and Modern MedicineLister Brings Antisepsis to the Operating Room1825185018751900

Quick facts

Physician
Joseph Lister (1827-1912)
Published
Six Lancet articles, March-July 1867
Agent
Carbolic acid (phenol)
Effect
Fewer wound infections, gangrene, and amputations

What happened

Joseph Lister took Pasteur's insight that microorganisms cause putrefaction and applied it to surgery, where wound infection and gangrene killed a large share of patients who survived the operation itself. In 1867 he adjusted his method, applying carbolic acid as a lotion directly to the raw wound, and published his results in six articles in The Lancet between March and July of that year. He also introduced weak carbolic hand washes for surgical staff and carbolic acid baths for instruments; the chemical, he found, killed germs on contact. His approach reduced the incidence of wound sepsis and gangrene, which in turn reduced the need for amputation. As the number of surgery-related infections fell, the evidence that antisepsis worked became irrefutable and it was adopted by surgeons around the world.

Why it matters

Lister translated germ theory into a practical surgical routine, keeping microbes out of wounds, and in doing so made surgery survivable at a scale it had never been. His work, alongside anesthesia, is why the operating room became a place of routine cure rather than desperate risk, and antisepsis evolved into the sterile technique still central to surgery today.

How we know

Lister's 1867 Lancet articles survive and are the primary record of his method and results, and his introduction of carbolic acid for wounds, hands, and instruments is documented in peer-reviewed medical history and in museum collections of his equipment.

Sources

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Part of a timelineHistory of Medicine24 events · From surgical papyri and the balance of four humors to a Babylonian handbook of omens, an alphabet of the human body, and the day two scientists learned to edit genesView all →
Lister Brings Antisepsis to the Operating Room · History of Medicine · SourcedStory