Sinclair, Sir William J.: Semmelweis. His Life and his Doctrine (Manchester, 1909)
IV. Spread of the Doctrine During the Vienna Period
SKODA AND KLEIN 83 subject had received no official attention whatever. Skoda was not an easy man to suppress. In January, 1849, he proposed that a Commission should be appointed to investigate the value of the Semmelweis discovery in all its aspects and bearings. The great majority of the Committee of Professors were in favour of Skoda’s proposal, but Klein and the other reactionaries, who had as reactionaries much influence in official quarters, were bitterly opposed, and they were successful in preventing inquiry. As a counterstroke a furious attack was made upon Skoda both by clerics and medicals on account of his “materialistic opinions.” The proposed Commission was officially declared to be an assault upon the personal honour of Professor Klein under the pretext of scientific research; and if any inquiry was to be made into the incidence of puerperal fever in the First Obstetric Clinic, such an inquiry must be instituted by Professor Klein alone, who had intimate knowledge of the circumstances and knew best the means and the methods suitable for obtaining a solution of the difficulties. So Skoda’s Commission, already nominated, never met, and leaving the investigation to Klein was equivalent to letting the subject drop. He was not the man to throw light on that subject or any other, v. Waldheim remarks very appropriately concerning this lame and impotent conclusion: “Rosas and Klein were the victors in this battle with the Committee of Professors. Stupidity had slain free research, and along with it an already blessed discovery, the prevention of childbed fever would be suppressed in Austria; and with it also another, antisepsis. The year 1849 was the era of reaction, and that speaks volumes.” That may be perfectly true, but it is now of no interest to us except in as far as it affected the fortunes of Semmelweis. But he was in a sense his worst enemy himself. He had plenty of time at his disposal; he had collected material concerning his discovery, and everything
