Antiseptics Flashcards
Who discovered carbolic acid?
Joseph Lister.
Who/what inspired Joseph Lister to discover carbolic acid?
Louis Pasteur’s Germ Theory. Lister read Pasteur’s work and understood that germs were responsible for infections in surgery.
When was the Germ Theory discovered?
Discovered by Louis Pasteur in 1861, published in 1864.
When was carbolic acid discovered?
1867
Who produced the “donkey engine”?
Joseph Lister.
What was Joseph Lister’s theory?
He believed that if germs could be killed with an “antiseptic”, then more of his patients would survive.
How was carbolic acid used?
Using a pump/aerosol can, it was sprayed on anything that might have come into contact with the wound. Materials such as bandages and clothes were often soaked in carbolic acid to remove germs.
Why was carbolic acid unpopular?
Although it did kill germs, carbolic acid created unpleasant working conditions, and also harmed the hands of the surgeons and nurses that washed in it.
Why did so many people dislike carbolic acid? (7)
1) Surgeons couldn’t copy the method right as they were less systematic and doubted it.
2) It was believed to prevent the body’s own healing ability.
3) It slowed operations down.
4) It made operating difficult, caused hands to crack, and soaked the entire operating theatre.
5) Surgeons didn’t take him seriously. (“Watch out in case one of Mr Lister’s microbes fly in!”)
6) He constantly revised and changed his methods which made people doubt him.
7) Surgeons were jealous that his patients lived, they felt criticized for ‘letting their patients down’.
What were the mortality rates in the 1800s?
In 1800, about 40% of patients died, mostly through post operative infection.
