Ignaz Semmelweis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ignaz Semmelweis
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![]() Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, aged 42 in 1860
copperplate engraving by Jenő Doby |
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Born |
Semmelweis Ignác Fülöp
July 1, 1818 Buda, Hungary
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Died | August 13, 1865 Vienna, Austrian Empire (now Austria)
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(aged 47)
Citizenship | Kingdom of Hungary |
Alma mater | Universities of Vienna and Pest |
Known for | Introducing hand disinfection standards, in obstetrical clinics, from 1847 |
Spouse(s) | Maria Weidenhoffer (1837–1910), married in 1857 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Obstetrics, surgeries |
Ignaz Semmelweis (born 1818 - died 1865) was a Hungarian doctor who discovered bacteria, disease and infection. He is the father of infection control. Semmelweis observed that if the doctors washed their hands, the number of infections of puerperal fever could be reduced. For this reason, Semmelweis ordered his medical students to wash their hands before and after medical rounds. He was mocked by fellow doctors, but he could not prove his findings, because bacteria had not been discovered yet. In 1870, Robert Koch proved that bacteria can cause disease. People such as Louis Pasteur proved what is known as the germ theory of disease only after Semmelweis' death.
Semmelweis probably had Alzheimer’s disease and was put into an asylum for the insane. He died after being beaten by the staff and inmates.
Images for kids
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Puerperal fever monthly mortality rates for the First Clinic at Vienna Maternity Institution 1841–1849. Rates drop markedly when Semmelweis implemented chlorine hand washing mid-May 1847 (see rates).
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Streptococcus pyogenes (red-stained spheres) is responsible for most cases of severe puerperal fever. It is commonly found in the throat and nasopharynx of otherwise healthy carriers.
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In his 1861 book, Semmelweis presented evidence to demonstrate that the advent of pathological anatomy in Wien (Vienna) in 1823 (vertical line) was accompanied by the increased incidence of fatal childbed fever. The second vertical line marks introduction of chlorine hand washing in 1847. Rates for the Dublin Rotunda maternity hospital, which had no pathological anatomy, are shown for comparison (view rates).
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2008 Austrian commemorative coin picturing Semmelweis (€50 gold coin)