Semmelweis Flashcards
Learn about the big man himself (11 cards)
What was the difference in death rates between the two hospital wards?
The ward run by doctors had a much higher death rate from childbed fever than the one run by midwives.
Why did the doctors’ ward have a higher death rate?
Doctors went from dissecting dead bodies to delivering babies without washing their hands, spreading germs.
How did the midwives differ from the doctors regarding germ transmission?
Midwives did not perform dissections, so they did not carry the germs.
What change did Semmelweis implement to reduce death rates?
He made doctors and students wash their hands with a chlorine solution before touching patients.
What was the effect of hand-washing on the death rates in the doctors’ ward?
Death rates dropped sharply and became almost as low as in the midwives’ ward.
What visual evidence supports Semmelweis’s findings?
Tables or graphs showing a big decrease in deaths after hand-washing was introduced.
Why was Semmelweis’s work not accepted by many doctors?
Many doctors did not understand germs and found it insulting to suggest they caused deaths.
What was a significant barrier to the acceptance of Semmelweis’s ideas?
The idea that invisible ‘particles’ could cause disease was not widely accepted at the time.
What conclusion can be drawn from Semmelweis’s discovery?
Good hygiene, like hand-washing, can save lives by stopping the spread of infection.
What is the legacy of Semmelweis’s ideas in modern medicine?
His ideas form the basis of hygiene practices in hospitals worldwide.
Fill in the blank: Semmelweis’s discovery highlighted that _______ can save many lives.
good hygiene
