INTRODUCTION. 2J 



tation than anything suggested in surgery since the 

 introduction of anesthetics — namely, antisepsis. 



"It is to one of old Scotia's sons, Sir Joseph Lister, 

 that the everlasting gratitude of the world is due for the 

 knowledge we possess in regard to the relation existing 

 between micro-organisms and inflammation and suppura- 

 tion, and the power to render wounds aseptic through 

 the action of germicidal substances." ' 



Lister, convinced that inflammation and suppuration 

 were due to the entrance of germs from the air, instru- 

 ments, fingers, etc., into wounds, suggested the employ- 

 ment of carbolic acid for the purpose of keeping sterile 

 the hands of the operator, the skin of the patient, the 

 surface of the wound, and the instruments used. He 

 finally concluded an operation by a protective dressing 

 to exclude the entrance of germs at a subsequent period. 



Listerism originated in 1875, and when Koch pub- 

 lished his famous work on the Wundinfcctionskrank- 

 heiten (traumatic infectious diseases), in 1878, it spread 

 slowly at first, but surely in the end, to all departments 

 of surgery and obstetrics. 



From time to time, as the need for them was realized, 

 the genius of the investigators provided devices which 

 materially aided them in their work. Some of these 

 have been indispensable throughout all subsequent in- 

 vestigations and have made possible many discoveries 

 that must otherwise have failed. Among them may be 

 mentioned the improvement of the compound microscope, 

 the use of sterilized culture fluids by Pasteur, the introduc- 

 tion of solid culture-media and the isolation methods by 

 Koch, the use of the cotton plug by Schroeder and van 

 Dusch, and the introduction of the anilin dyes by Weigert. 



It is interesting to note that after the discovery of the 

 anthrax bacillus by Pollender and Davaine in 1849 there 

 was a prolonged period during which no important patho- 

 genic organisms were discovered, but during which the 

 technic was being elaborated. This was again followed 



1 Agnew's Surgery, vol. i. chap. ii. 



