172 CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE 



had no influence whatever in producing putrefaction, but 

 that it was due to living matter, "germs," in the air? It 

 was a fine instance of the "scientific use of the imagina- 

 tion." "Germs" had been observed from time to time, 

 but had not been generally accepted as the vera causa of 

 putrefaction. The experiment just related was tried about 

 1867. The commonest, all-pervading germs, the staphy- 

 lococcus and streptococcus, were not identified and proved 

 to be the chief pyogenic (pus-producing) organisms until 

 1881, fourteen years after Lister had seen them so clearly 

 with his mind's eye! Even in 1898 when I published my 

 "Surgical Complications and Sequels of Typhoid Fever" 

 I had to prove by elaborate citations of experimental and 

 clinical evidence that the typhoid bacillus itself could cause 

 suppuration, and that it had actually been observed in the 

 circulating blood for the past ten years or more a work 

 of supererogation. 



From Glasgow Lister went to Edinburgh (1869) 

 as the successor of his father-in-law, Syme, and con- 

 tinued to experiment, to practise and to publish, but 

 only a few were convinced, among them being Syme 

 himself. 



On the continent in the early 70*3 Saxtorph in Copen- 

 hagen, Thiersch in Leipzig, Volkmann in Halle, Nuss- 

 baum in Munich, and Championniere in Paris were among 

 Lister's earliest and enthusiastic disciples. In America 

 not much attention was paid to his work until he visited 

 Philadelphia in September, 1876, to attend the Interna- 

 tional Medical Congress held in connection with the Cen- 

 tennial Exhibition. He was made president of the Sec- 

 tion on Surgery and read a paper on the antiseptic 

 method. 



At that time I heard him and became fully convinced 

 of the truth of the "germ theory" and of the value of his 

 antiseptic method. When I went on duty at St. Mary's 

 Hospital, October I, 1876, I adopted the system (and was 

 the first surgeon in Philadelphia to do so) and have never 



