Joseph Lister Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joseph Lister Memorial |
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The memorial in 2014
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| Artist | Thomas Brock |
| Completion date | 13 March 1924 |
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| Subject | Joseph Lister |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| 51°31′21″N 0°08′45″W / 51.52248°N 0.14596°W | |
The Joseph Lister Memorial is a special statue in London, England. It honors a very important doctor named Joseph Lister. He changed medicine forever by making surgery much safer.
The memorial is located in Portland Place in the Marylebone area. It stands in the middle of the road. You can find it near where Lister used to live at 12 Park Crescent. This memorial is considered a historic landmark.
Who Was Joseph Lister?
Joseph Lister (1827–1912) was a British surgeon. He is famous for pioneering antiseptic surgery. Before Lister, many people died after surgery from infections. Doctors did not know that tiny germs caused these infections.
Lister learned about Louis Pasteur's work on germs. He realized that if germs caused decay, they could also cause infections in wounds. He then started using carbolic acid to clean surgical tools and wounds. This was a revolutionary idea.
His methods dramatically reduced deaths from surgery. This made operations much safer for patients. Because of his work, Lister is often called the "father of modern surgery."
About the Memorial
The Joseph Lister Memorial was created by the famous sculptor Thomas Brock. Brock also created the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace. The memorial was finished and shown to the public on March 13, 1924.
Design and Features
The base of the monument is made from strong, grey Aberdeen granite. On top of this base, there is a bronze bust of Joseph Lister. A bust is a sculpture that shows only the head and shoulders of a person.
At the front of the memorial, there are two other bronze figures. These are a woman and a young boy. The boy is holding a garland of flowers. The woman is pointing towards Lister with her right hand. These figures likely represent gratitude and hope for the future of medicine.
Unveiling the Statue
The memorial was officially unveiled by John Bland-Sutton. He was the President of the Royal College of Surgeons at that time. The unveiling was a big event. It celebrated Lister's lasting impact on health and medicine.
