Joseph Lister 1st Baron Lister
known between 1883 and 1897 as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery.
At the start of 19th century surgeons were operating various surgeries but after 4-5 days of surgery patient get wound infections. They were helpless to treat these infection and not knowing the source of infection. Josef Lister, a british surgeon has studied a lot on sepsis and how to prevent the sepsis.He used carbolic acid dressing on one orthopaedic patients wound and surprisingly patient had not developed wound infection!
Lister studied the uses of carbolic acid and various methods on sterlisation of operation theater, instruments and health personnels practices.
Today we very well know that hand washing is basics of antisepsis,but in 18-19th century doctors were not washing their hands before checking patients or doing surgeries. He was Lister who insisted and proved that simple hand washing with water and then chemical solution containing carbolic acid reduces the infection in patients from 80% to 15%.
He instructed surgeons under his responsibility to wear clean gloves and wash their hands before and after operations with 5% carbolic acid solutions. Instruments were also washed in the same solution and assistants sprayed the solution in the operating theater. One of his additional suggestions was to stop using porous natural materials in manufacturing the handles of medical instruments.
Lister was son of Joseph Jackson Lister, a pioneer of achromatic object lenses for the compound microscope.
He was born in West Ham, Essex, England 5th april 1827.
He was pioneer of ANTISEPSIS.
He was married with Agnes Syme, who helped him in his research work.
Lister worked in various institutes in Britain.
Every hand washings remember Contribution of Lister