HIST 3D Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Polarimeter, Louis Pasteur, Bone Fracture
Lister, Pasteur, and Antiseptic Surgery
● Inflammation and Sepsis
- Nature of inflammation
- Expanding surgery
- Microbial world
● Lister- The Scientific Surgeon
- Quakerism and early science
- Education: science before medicine
- Scientific studies
- Scotland: dresser to Professor
- Hospitalism
● Pasteur and Microbes
- Life and personality
- Chemist; specificity of life
- 1850s: fermentation studies
- putrefaction
● Lister: the antiseptic surgeon
- Studying inflammation in hospitals
- Idea, 1865- power of analogy
- Trials and fractures, 1865-1869
- Applied to surgery
- Problems and slow spread
● Discovery of antisepsis
- “Calor”=hot, “dalor”=painful, “tumor”=swelling, “rubor”=red
- After 1846, anaesthetics allowed for “craftsmanship” in surgery to emerge
- Surgeons were able to take more time in surgeries, and wounds were exposed
for lengthier periods of time, leading to a greater risk of infection
- Sepsis considered perfectly acceptable mode of wound healing; surgeons would
talk about laudable pus
- Attitude toward the microbial world: conclusion that microbes were everywhere
→ treated as a part of natural history (seen as amusement)
● Joseph Lister (1827-1912)
- Long family history of Quakerism
- Considered an odd religious sect
- Could not be officers in the army/navy, couldn’t go to ancient universities
- Denomination emphasized the concept of service
- Real turning point in microscopy in 1830 → Joseph Jackson Lister (his father)
discovered how to make the microscope more powerful
- Familiar with microbial world at a young age
Document Summary
After 1846, anaesthetics allowed for craftsmanship in surgery to emerge. Surgeons were able to take more time in surgeries, and wounds were exposed for lengthier periods of time, leading to a greater risk of infection. Sepsis considered perfectly acceptable mode of wound healing; surgeons would talk about laudable pus. Attitude toward the microbial world: conclusion that microbes were everywhere. Treated as a part of natural history (seen as amusement) Could not be officers in the army/navy, couldn"t go to ancient universities. Real turning point in microscopy in 1830 joseph jackson lister (his father) discovered how to make the microscope more powerful. Familiar with microbial world at a young age. Went to a non-denominational college in 1844 (accepted quakers) that adopted a modern educational curriculum (didn"t directly begin in medicine science degree) Developed scientific reputation through his research in microscopy (published articles on microscopy of the iris, etc. )
