Joseph Lister: Unsung Heroes of Science 2019

It is estimated that in 2012, 312 million major surgical procedures were performed, showing an increase by a third in the last eight years. It is highly likely that you know someone who has had to face a surgery. Luckily, we are now generally able to assume that a surgeon will take the necessary precautions of antiseptic methods during a surgery. But this was not always the case. Joseph Lister was the surgeon who introduced new principles of cleanliness which transformed surgical practice in the late 1800s. In his early published works where he was studying blood-related diseases, Lister had tried out methods to encourage clean healing and had formed theories to explain the prevalence of sepsis, i.e. poisoning of the blood. One afternoon in 1864, while walking home, his colleague drew his attention to Louis Pasteur, a bacteriologist. After reading Pasteur's paper, Lister came up with the idea of preventing surgical infections by destroying the organisms, such as the harmful bacteria that caused it. For his first patient who had a fractured leg, he mixed carbolic acid, which was used to clean sewers with the blood, and formed a paste. Then he covered the wound and continued to add some fresh carbolic acid every day. The patient recovered with no infection. Until Lister introduced sterile surgery, a patient could undergo a procedure successfully only to die from an infection, which became known as ward fever. But why is it that a sterile environment is important? Especially in hospitals, patients tend to be more vulnerable to infection due to weak immune systems. Patients also live within close proximity to each other and are examined by nurses and doctors who have just touched other patients. Certain residue left on surgical instruments can put patients at serious risk of infection and lead to an increased number of deaths. However, his technique was not praised in London. Lister's antiseptics did not immediately catch on in the medical community. Many doctors mocked the idea of invisible germs floating in the air, calling it unscientific quackery. He was an unsung hero. However, eventually, most surgeons switched to the aseptic technique. Lister prevailed. His reputation grew. The surgeons were converted. Many honours were showered on him. He retired from active surgery in 1893 and was elected president of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1895. He died in 1912 but will be remembered as the innovator who revolutionised the history of surgery, dividing it into the era that came before him and the era that came after him. This is why Joseph Lister is our unsung hero. Handwashing and sterilisation is now a daily practice in hospitals everywhere and is recognised as the best way to prevent spreading illness. Lister is now known as the father of antiseptic surgery. Thank you for watching and we hope you were able to learn something new. This was Joseph Lister, our unsung hero.