Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 194-195. (Budapest, 2006)

TANULMÁNYOK — ARTICLES - HÄNNINEN, O. - FARAGÓ, Mária - MONOS, Emil: Semmelweis ' Discovery and Its Finnish Follow-Up

appreciation of his work. His mortal remains were transferred to a new place of honor in Kerepes Cemetery, Budapest. Forty years after Semmelweis' death his complete works were published in German language and one year later they were also published in Hungarian. A monument designed by sculptor Alajos Stróbl is still seen in a small park next to St. Roche's Hospital. In 1965, one hundred years after Semmelweis' death Budapest Medical University adopted the name Semmelweis University of Medicine (since 2000 Semmelweis University). In 1965, the ashes of Semmelweis were transferred to the garden of the house he was born. By the decision of UNESCO the year of 1965 was declared the year of Semmelweis. On the Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, USA, the Museum of the International Academy of Surgeons is located. There, in the Hall of Fame, stand the statues of twelve eminent personalities of medical history. Beside Asclepius, Hippokrates, Galenos, Marie Curie and others there is a statue of Ignác Semmelweis. Semmelweis and Lister Joseph Lister (1827-1912) was another prominent scientist whose works, similar to those of Semmelweis, were not understood by his contemporaries. Lister graduated in 1852. He became professor of surgery in the University of Glasgow in 1859 (14). In 1861-65, he had studied causes of extremely high incidents (45-50%) of septic mortality in male patients after amputation at the Department of Traumatology. In 1865, i.e. about two decades after Semmelweis' discovery, Louis Pasteur published that air can transmit organisms that cause destruction of tissues. Lister combined this piece of knowledge with his own experience in the field of wound fever. His main conclusion was that these organisms should be destroyed before they infected the wounds. In 1864, Lister had learned that people in Carlise used carbolic acid for treatment of wastewaters that reduced infectious diseases of the cattle. Lister started to clean the wounds with carbolic acid. He presented his ideas and results at the meeting of the British Medical Association in 1867, i.e. a couple of years after the death of Semmelweis. Introducing the new technique he succeeded to markedly reduce septicemia in his hospital. Lister's results did not convince medical profession. His colleagues were as negative as those of Semmelweis in Vienna: The war between France and Germany, and the great success of German military surgeons promoted success of Lister's innovation. One can also speculate that Semmelweis's findings presented in his book in German language had paved the way in Germany for the adoption of Lister's methods. In fact Germans considered Semmelweis as their compatriot (11). When Lister visited Germany in 1875, he was celebrated as a great innovator in medicine. In England, however, Lister became really recognized in 1877 only, when he moved to London and worked as professor of surgery in Kings College. It was here, where his successful patella operation, on 26th October 1877, with his antiseptic method received a lot of publicity. Lister became Sir Joseph. According to the Hungarian sources of information (1) Lister had no knowledge about Semmelweis when he visited Budapest in 1883. Apparently at that time scarcely any information was available in the United Kingdom about German scientific literature: Glasgow was a minor peripheral center and most probably the library of the medical school was quite modest. At that time (and now as well) most of British intellectuals did not read