User:Scope creep/Sandbox B23

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Notes: Summary is useful. p. 143. Missed 4 major breakthroughs, three were by Frenchmen and he missed them, although spoke French. Missed Semmelweis washing his hands. Draining tubes that he thought he had introduced, were introduced a decade before. Had to be told about Germ theory. By time Lister had formulated antisepsis, anti-contagionism had had its day. He was there at the beginning.

Diffusion[edit]

When Lister started his career, the surgical profession was neither capable nor well suited to making the changes needed to

The scientific method espoused by Lister

Germ theory[edit]

The first experimentalist surgeon to question the validity of airborne microorganisms, was the surgeon and professor of medicine at Edinburgh, John Hughes Bennett.[1] In January 1868, Bennet in an lecture for the Edinburgh Medical Journal advanced an alternate theory in the article The Atmospheric Germ Theory[2]that was in agreement with the theories of Félix Archimède Pouchet, who believed in spontaneous generation of life.[3] In his experiments, Bennet reported that he "proved" that germs generate spontaneously, so one could never create a germ-free environment.[4] It was likely that Hughes Bennett never adequately sterilized his experimental apparatus correctly.[4] On 8 November 1868, Lister gave a lecture on Germ theory, where he elaborated on the origin of germs, as a rebuttal of Bennet's theory. [5]

Edinburgh introductory lecture. Edinburgh p.65


By April 1875, Lister's antiseptic method has been largely accepted by surgeons in the United Kingdom and Europe.[6] By 1880, American surgeons used Listerism exclusively and by the late 1880's surgeons worldwide had adopted the new technique.[7]

Diffusion of Listerism[edit]

Chap 1. Administration

  • p 6. Lister examined new possibilities. Due to symes influence.
  • p.8 Tried to professionalise the industry. Apothecaries, Physicians and Surgeon. Lister approached it as a surgeon.
  • p8. Lack of faith in hospitals, filthy cholera ridden.
  • p9. Glasgow highest rate of death. Surgery rates remained static from 1846 to 1860. Surgeons were ashamed of surgery. 40% dead of surgery.
  • p.10 Ignaz Semmelweis. Lister didn't learn of Semmelweis approach until 1883. Surgery was deplorable. Surgical wards were worse than medical wards at hospitals.
  • p.11. Some work on tools. 1870's better tools. Military hospitals mixed case types. 1859. Nightingale.
  • p.12 3rd edition of nightgales book, 1863, industry took notice. Nightgale didn't believe hospitals cured people.
  • p.13 Same.
  • p.14. Nightgale never accepted that germs caused disease. Considered the whole lot, mystic rites. Some hospitals took notice of Nightgale hygeiene specs.
  • p.15. Anti-vivisection acts stopped britain reaching the same level of medical research as had been attained on the continent. Lister refused to honour it, although Queen asked.
  • p.16 Expriments on live animals was considered unacceptable. met with Napoleon. Lister attempted to introduce new technqueue was met with he encountered numerous professional, institutional, and political obstacles along the way. Surgeons refused to accept innovative ways.

Chap 2. Social.

  • p 17. Two divergent sources. disease: contagionism and anticontagionism. Cholera difficult to explain. Dependent on view 1831
  • p 18. Still Cholera. It seemed outlandish
  • p 19. History of cholera. Physicians found it puzzling
  • p 20 Miasmists introduced. Edwin Chadwick's Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain which can be viewed as the high water mark of anticontagionism
  • p 20. William Budd. Was a catagionist.
  • p 21 John Snow, William Farr, conclusive proof.
  • p. 23 Budd proved that typhoid was contagious
  • p. 24 Budd was anti-anticontagionism. Berated the medical community who still believed in it. Saw that the theory of evolution supported it.
  • p. 26 Miasmists again. Start of seperation of water from human waste. 1856-1858 new sewers. Sanitary act 1866. Chadwick lost job.
  • p. 27 JohnSimon ecstatic. Chadwick unhappy. Poor law restricted adequate health.
  • P. 28. Lister promoted personal care via antisepsis. "therapeutic nihilism" in the 1850s gave way to "eager expectation of cure

Chap 3 Professional traditions. MARCH I6, 1867.

  • p.29 Listers paper published in Lancet. Discussion on phenol. More papers in the Lancet
  • p.30 James Greenlees discussed. Description of process.
  • p.31 Attack of lister for use of process. James Y. Simpson. Accused him of nicking the procedure from Lemaire.
  • p.32 Attack described, but no mention of use after surgery. Lemaire never discovered or believed in Germ theory.
  • p.33. Description of lemaires process. Defence by Lister.
  • p.34 Simpson mentions William Pirrie re: acupressure, who answer back that carbolic acid is effective.
  • p.35 Simpson supported acupressure. Support and attack from various quarters on merits on phenol. On 1868, new attacks on phenol and antisepsis. John Hughes Bennett attacked Lister, Pasteur
  • p.36 Bennett presents alternate theory, but is attacked from all sides.
  • p.37 Pearson R. Cresswell. Classified it as a revolution. London surgeons start showing in the lancet that it works.
  • p.38 James Paget describes its use.
  • p.40 Thomas Bryant,John Wood describes its use in London hospitals. More London hospitals results.
  • p.41 It also reached Ireland. Lister replies to James Paget.
  • p.42 Introduction of sutures. Drainage tubes.
  • p. 43 1869. Was controversial enough to attacked. Lister attacked on catgut ligatures. Joseph Bell, ER Bickersteth
  • p.44 praise from several people on catgut, including paget.
  • p.45 Descriptions. Lancet for Lister. Attack by Nunnely
  • p.46 Attack by Donald Campbell Black
  • p.47. Same
  • p.48 Same

Chap 4 Competition

  • p 49 Lister went on the attack. Refuted figures. Compared figures to current figures. Blamed Glasgow Royal Infirmary for soaring death rates.
  • p 50 Thomas Wakley editorial. "Hospitalism". Lister attacked the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, who replied. More rebuttals.
  • p 51 Suggested updates to procedures in rebuttal.
  • p 52 Lister another article in Lancet. London surgeons rejected German theory. Though Londons surgeons were lazy and careless in their approach.
  • p 53 Lister asked to extend system to France, Germany as par of Franco-Prussian war. Germ as Germ theory. Lawson tait backup up Wakely. Taking the mick. Wakely refused to use the term, Germ.
  • p 54 1971. London tests the anti-septic system but didn't work.Birmingham physicians said ok, became specialist in its application.
  • p 55 St Mary's London, reports in Lancet. 1871 was its real start. Evolution of sprayer. Became a steam engine.
  • p 56 Donkey engine sprayer.
  • p 57 Lister at edin meeting describes improvements. Description of new gauze. Addressed British Medical Association. Plymouth. Bring enemy to bay.
  • p 58 Accused them of apathy. First book on antisepsis by adherent by Arthur Ernest Sansom. 1871.
  • p.59 1872. People were still ignorant of lister speech in plymouth.
  • p.60 More of the same.
  • p.61-62. Same.

Chap 5 - Theory - Germ Theory versus spontaneous generation

  • P 63 Moved to London. Could teach it directly. Acceptance of germ theory. Hughes Bennet was the first to question airborne germs. Sided with critic of Pasteur, Félix Archimède Pouchet
  • p 64. Better understanding by Bennet. Made a mistake in Pasteur's theory. Never realised. Temperature's was metric. Also never realised that keeping Germs out was key to Pasteur's idea.
  • p 65. Bennet came down on the wrong side of germ theory. Missed key point. key point in possibly why Lister focused on Germ theory. Lister refused to respond to him.
  • p 66 John Tyndall. Took long term view. Found Huxlley, is nemesis. Bastian. Lecture by Tyndall stated air was organic Agreed with Pasteur, Lister, Budd. Wakely attacked Tyndall, stating germs never seen.
  • p 68 Wakely, closing argument. Tyndall suggested using heated instruments to lance abscesses. Wakely called Tyndall and Bastian experiments faulty and their advice, ridiculous. Additional experiments were needed to prove Germ theory. Wakely considered unscientific. Biased in his opinion. Other researches proved it, while he was still pontificating on the theory.
  • p 69 Benjamin Ward Richardson Despised experimenters. Sanitation and salvation. Castigated experimenters. 31 October 1870 wrote a paper describing organic poisons. Fell off the beam.
  • p 70 Wakely joined in. Used Richardson to suggest Germs would expand to fill universe. Suggested Germ theory would be cast aside. Richardsons views were ridiculous.Arthur Ernest Sansom Opposed spontaneous generation as suggested by Richardson. Sansom used microscope study of putrid discharges.
  • p 71 Wakely tried to forces those supposed Germ theory to define nomenclature. Other voices started to support Germ theory. Bastian thought he has disproved atmospheric germ theory. More refutation, testing. Burden-Sanderson.
  • p 73 John Burdon-Sanderson Lister dealt directly with him as leading proponent, well respected. Lister defended Germ theory. Did the urine experiment again.
  • p 74 Description of results of experiment. results of experiment were same as John Burdon-Sanderson. 6 months later, Lister another paper. Proposed another theory. "Contagious diseases were highly variable because of the great environmentally determined plasticity of organisms." These interpreters base their analysis on the tendency, according to Lister, of non-virulent microorganisms to develop into detrimental ones by contacting the putrefying discharges of wounds." Lister didn't understand microbiology. Was concerned about the specificity of organisms.

Description of two papers on p.74

  • p 75 More arguments with Wakely. Boiling didn't destroy them. Now on 1874. Non-acid solutions, hard to sterilize. Little understanding taxonomy of bacteria. Animals or vegetables. Thought they were germinal matter. Bastian still thought germs were deteriorated body tissue. Additional arguments against Germ theory. Fevers were hard to explain.
  • p.76. Bastian agreed with Lionel S Beale, bacteria derive from decomposing soil. Beale knew that all things contain bacteria. Was a microscopist. Beale believed that disease-causing Germs were fragments of protoplasm, a semi-fluid that was the basis for life. Determined that bacteria travelled in atmosphere. Beale motivated Burdon-Sanderson. Descriptions of experiments by Burdon-Sanderson.
  • p.77 Bastian, Beale and Burdon-Sanderson against Lister, Pasteur. BBBC agreed that bacteria was abundantly present in the body. Burdon-Sanderson still south of the real idea. Arguments about whether bacteria were alive.
  • p 78 Bastian attacked John Simon (who supported Germ theory) for printing Burdon-Sanderson findings. Changing nature of acceptance of germ theory.

(NOTES: Experiments at the heart. Need to read up on it)

Chap 6 - Experiments

  • P 79 Robert Koch fired first shot at spontaneous generation. He described lifecycle of anthrax bacillus. Tyndall failed to repeat Bastians experiments 199 times. Tyndall confirmed germs destroyed after 5 minutes. Small war in The Times.
  • p 80 Described Bastians books as a misleading the English people. Pasteur joined debate against Bastian. Germ theorists only seen doing lab work. Pasteur sent a letter to Bastian.
Do you know why I desire so much to fight and conquer you? it [sic] is because you are one of the principle adepts of a medical doctrine which I believe

to be fatal to progress in the art of healing-the doctrine of the spontaneity of all diseases.

Pasteur asked the French Academy of Medicine to commission panel to investigate the question of germ theory.
  • p 81 Result was a report. Bastian agreed to demonstrate experiment.
  • p 82 Contest never took place, as Tyndall provided conclusive proof of germ theory. Tyndall specific experiment. Explained why cultures could not be sterilized with continuous heat. 1877 Lister joined Tyndall, Pasteur. Bacteria shaped liked rods. Paper. Tyndall did additional experiments.
  • p 83. 1877. The year Germ theory was accepted. Thomas Wakley finally accepted the theory. Lister was elected to the Pathological Society of London. Lister accepted that the Germ theory was not universal amongst all physicians. John Burdon-Sanderson also came around.
  • p 84 Advancement of Germ theory. Evidence was overwhelming. Claude Bernard attacked experimental process of Pasteur, who replied by replicating experiments using skinned grape. Introduction of Robert Koch.
  • p 85 Picture of Koch. Discovered how to cultivate anthrax in the eye. Koch's work was used by Watson Cheyne, who was Listers house surgeon from 1876, to state that Listers antiseptic method did not stop living organisms getting into wounds. Lister replied, his system not perfect. Wakley replied also who clarified the theory.
  • p 86. Lister appreciative of Koch's colouring method. Koch advanced Lister and Pasteur method. Vaccine research started.
  • p 88 Germ theory fully accepted. P.87 not specific to Lister.
  • Rest of chapter about Koch.

Chapter 7 - Technical evolution - Whole chapter is about the adoption of spray and innovation

  • p.92 Sampson Gamgee Friend of Lister. Schoolfriend. Questions preoccupation of Lister of Germ theory. Questions jitter in Lister approach. Perhaps too somewhat critical view.
  • p.93 Unnecessary docus on the spray as whole as opposed to the affirmation of Germ theory by Lister. Gamgee brought the use of the spray to the fore.
  • p.94 All innovated in the use of Boric Acid spray.
  • p.95 The spray was opposed by Fench surgeon M. Demarquay, but both English and Scottish surgeon supported it for particular use cases.
  • p.96 Use of poor process by the surgeon in Glasgow, criticised by Hector C. Cameron. Aware of the notice he was getting, Lister wrote a seven-part series that appeared in The Lancet between March and June 1875.
  • p.97 In the paper, focused on the use of gauzes and the way they should be used. Description of his innovations. Description of the most complex parts of his technique, description and use of drainage tubes. Description of sinus-forceps, a true innovation. Used everywhere.
  • p.98 By 1875, the method was largely accepted by everybody. Start to become overly gallus. More work with Boric acid, used for simpler operations. Wakley finally applauded the method and described it to his readers, by this point.
  • p.99 German society of surgeons invite Lister to Germany to celebrate the method. April 1875.
  • p.100 He visits. August, 1875, Demonstration of open knew surgery, left open at the British Medical Association, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.


  • p

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ravichandran, Balaji (17 March 2007). "Celebrating the medical past, again". BMJ. 334 (7593): 587–587. doi:10.1136/bmj.39153.707465.59.
  2. ^ Bennet, John Hughes Bennet. "The Atmospheric Germ Theory: A Lecture Delivered to the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, January 17, 1868". Edinburgh Medical Journal. 13 (9): 810–834.
  3. ^ Bennett, John Hughes (17 January 1868). "The Atmospheric Germ Theory: A Lecture Delivered to the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, January 17, 1868". Bennett, John Hughes. “The Atmospheric Germ Theory: A Lecture Delivered to the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, January 17, 1868.” Edinburgh Medical Journal vol. 13,9 (1868): 810–834. 13 (9): 810–834. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b Ravichandran, Balaji (17 March 2007). "Celebrating the medical past, again". BMJ. 334 (7593): 587–587. doi:10.1136/bmj.39153.707465.59.
  5. ^ Gaw, Jerry L. (1999). ""A Time to Heal": The Diffusion of Listerism in Victorian Britain". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 89 (1). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society: 65.
  6. ^ Gaw, Jerry L. (1999). ""A Time to Heal": The Diffusion of Listerism in Victorian Britain". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 89 (1). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society: 99.
  7. ^ Barr, Justin; Podolsky, Scott H (March 2017). "Listerism then and now". The Lancet. 389 (10073): 1002–1003. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30652-9.