Author: Issabayeva Madina
Until the 19th century, surgeons did not even think that it would be nice to wash their hands before an operation or giving birth. Disinfection? - you ask. No, not heard. Using one surgical instrument for a dozen patients was commonplace in the past. As a result, most operations ended with suppuration and gangrene, and childbirth - with blood poisoning. Mortality after the intervention of surgeons was simply huge.
And so, for start, let's briefly examine what distinguishes aseptic from antiseptic and why are these two terms often used together in one section? The main difference between them is that aseptic is a set of measures to prevent microbes from entering wound surfaces, and antiseptic is to combat microbes that have got into the wound. Aseptic is to disinfect everything that comes into contact with the wound and is temporarily or constantly introduced into the body during surgery.
After delving into the history of medicine, we learned that in the middle of the 19th century, doctor Ignash Semmelweis noted: in one of the hospitals, much more women died from postpartum sepsis than in others. As it became known, medical students who also worked with corpses helped in parturient women in this hospital. Then the doctor made the assumption that “cadaverous particles” remain in the students' hands, which lead to such consequences. He suggested washing his hands and processing tools, which no one had done before. Forcing his subordinates to wash their hands in a disinfectant solution of bleach, his measures afterwards proved to be very effective. Such an innovation of Semmelweiss reduced mortality among mothers by 7 times. Nevertheless, he did not find supporters, and he was fired from the hospital. This discovery was not appreciated: in the scientific community, his ideas were considered delusional. Ironically, Semmelweiss died in a psychiatric hospital from sepsis, but remained in history as the founder of hygiene.
A little later, the Englishman Joseph Lister proved the need to sterilize the instrument and treat the wound fields. These simple and elementary discoveries of Semmelweiss and Lister later saved the lives of millions of peopleю.
28/05/2020
