Before Joseph Lister hospitals all over the world were known as places that people would go to die. Surgeries were normally very rushed because the patient would be conscious throughout the entire operation. Luckily before Lister started his research John Snow made significant advances with ether and anesthesia. Even if the patient would survey the surgery there was still a 50% death rate from the patient developing a post surgery infection due to the lack of sanitation in the hospitals. The three major infections that were taking the lives of the patients before Lister's discoveries were septicemia, pyemia, and erysipelas. Septicemia is bacteria in the blood that often occurs with severe infections, the death rate is more than 50% if left untreated. Pyemia is a type of septicemia (normally caused by complications of septicemia) that causes abscesses in various organs. Erysipelas is a skin infection that is accompanied with blisters, caused by A Streptococcus bacteria.
There were many theories of how diseases spread before Joseph Lister helped prove that the Germ theory was the most accurate theory. The Germ theory stated that some infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms, small organisms too small to see without magnification, that invade the host. This theory was not very popular in the scientific community and was often mocked with propaganda such as cartoons. The theory that was commonly accepted in the scientific community was the Miasma Theory, which was the belief that disease is spread through bad smelling air and fumes. Also before Joseph Lister many doctors and physicians believed in the works of Galen. This work was based on animal physiology rather than human physiology, which is incorrect and later proven obsolete by Joseph Lister and many other scientists. Also before Joseph Lister started his research it was a crime to dissect or perform autopsies on human bodies. Lucky for Joseph Lister, while he was in medical school he was able to dissect human bodies and it was no longer considered a crime and proved to be very helpful for surgeons about discovering more about the human body.
There were many theories of how diseases spread before Joseph Lister helped prove that the Germ theory was the most accurate theory. The Germ theory stated that some infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms, small organisms too small to see without magnification, that invade the host. This theory was not very popular in the scientific community and was often mocked with propaganda such as cartoons. The theory that was commonly accepted in the scientific community was the Miasma Theory, which was the belief that disease is spread through bad smelling air and fumes. Also before Joseph Lister many doctors and physicians believed in the works of Galen. This work was based on animal physiology rather than human physiology, which is incorrect and later proven obsolete by Joseph Lister and many other scientists. Also before Joseph Lister started his research it was a crime to dissect or perform autopsies on human bodies. Lucky for Joseph Lister, while he was in medical school he was able to dissect human bodies and it was no longer considered a crime and proved to be very helpful for surgeons about discovering more about the human body.