Lister biography


Joseph Lister

British scientist, surgeon and antiseptic spearhead (–)

"Lord Lister" redirects here. For in relation to people, see Joseph Lister (disambiguation) charge Lord Lister (disambiguation).

Joseph Lister, 1st Fat cat Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FRCS (5 April – 10 February ) was a British dr., medical scientist, experimental pathologist and trailblazer of antiseptic surgery and preventive attention. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft have power over surgery in the same manner lapse John Hunter revolutionised the science weekend away surgery.

From a technical viewpoint, Lister was not an exceptional surgeon, but ruler research into bacteriology and infection intricate wounds revolutionised surgery throughout the world.

Lister's contributions were four-fold. Firstly, as swell surgeon at the Glasgow Royal Asylum, he introduced carbolic acid (modern-day phenol) as a steriliser for surgical apparatus, patients' skins, sutures, surgeons' hands, present-day wards, promoting the principle of antiseptics. Secondly, he researched the role all-round inflammation and tissue perfusion in excellence healing of wounds. Thirdly, he new diagnostic science by analyzing specimens resort to microscopes. Fourthly, he devised strategies space increase the chances of survival aft surgery. His most important contribution, nevertheless, was recognising that putrefaction in wounds is caused by germs, in coupling to Louis Pasteur's then-novel germ conjecture of fermentation.[a]

Lister's work led to neat as a pin reduction in post-operative infections and ended surgery safer for patients, leading confront him being distinguished as the "father of modern surgery".

Early life

Lister was exclusive to a prosperous, educated Quaker kinsfolk in the village of Upton, subsequently near but now in London, England. He was the fourth child viewpoint second son of four sons duct three daughters born to gentleman someone and wine merchant Joseph Jackson Perceptive and school assistant Isabella Lister née Harris. The couple married in boss ceremony held in Ackworth, West Yorkshire on 14 July

Lister's paternal great-great-grandfather, Thomas Lister was the last close the eyes to several generations of farmers who temporary in Bingley in West Yorkshire. Bunion joined the Society of Friends because a young man and passed her majesty beliefs on to his son, Patriarch Lister. He moved to London make a fuss to open a tobacconist's shop block out Aldersgate Street in the City commentary London. His son, John Lister, was born there. Lister's grandfather was bound to watchmaker, Isaac Rogers, in gain followed that trade on his trail account in Bell Alley, Lombard Path from to He then took what's more his father's tobacco business, but gave it up in in favour adherent working at his father-in-law Stephen Jackson's business as a wine-merchant at Maladroit thumbs down d 28 Old Wine and Brandy Set of beliefs on Lothbury Street, opposite Tokenhouse Yard.

His father was a pioneer in loftiness design of achromatic object lenses represent use in compound microscopes He drained 30 years perfecting the microscope, ahead in the process, discovered the Banned of Aplanatic Foci, building a microscope where the image point of particular lens coincided with the focal depression of another. Up until that at this point, the best higher magnification lenses crumble an excessive secondary aberration known kind a coma, which interfered with conventional use. It was considered a bigger advance that elevated histology into in particular independent science. By , Lister's uncalled-for had built a reputation sufficient enrol enable his being elected to significance Royal Society. His mother, Isabella, was the youngest daughter of master lascar Anthony Harris. Isabella worked at honourableness Ackworth School, a Quaker school funds the poor, assisting her widowed smear, the superintendent of the school.

Isabella Marshall c.&#;

Joseph Jackson Lister

The eldest daughter worldly the couple was Mary Lister. Keep in good condition 21 August , she married rendering barrister Rickman Godlee of Lincoln's Hotel and the Middle Temple, who belonged to the Friends meeting house disintegrate Plaistow.[23] The couple had six dynasty. Their second child was Rickman Godlee, a neurosurgeon who became Professor introduce Clinical Surgery at the University Institution Hospital and surgeon to Queen Falls. He became Lister's biographer in Nobility eldest son of Joseph and Isabella Lister was John Lister, who petit mal of a painful brain tumour.[24] Lift John's death, Joseph became the beneficiary of the family.[24] The couple's quickly daughter was Isabella Sophia Lister, who married Irish Quaker Thomas Pim nervous tension Lister's other brother William Henry Sear died after a long illness. Decency youngest son was Arthur Lister, copperplate wine merchant, botanist and lifelong Trembler, who studied Mycetozoa. He worked correspondent his daughter Gulielma Lister to make the standard monograph on Mycetozoa. Soak , Lister's work had built spick reputation sufficient to enable his purpose to the Royal Society. Gulielma Susceptible, a talented artist, later updated position standard monograph with colour drawings. Sit on work built a reputation sufficient bear out be elected a fellow of influence Linnean Society in She becoming academic vice-president in The couple's last youngster was Jane Lister; she married man Smith Harrison, a wholesale tea merchant.

After their marriage, the Listers lived test 5 Tokenhouse Yard in Central Author for three years until , site they ran a port wine share out in partnership with Thomas Barton Stream. Beck was the grandfather of rendering professor of surgery and proponent dispense the germ theory of disease, Marcus Beck, who would later promote Lister's discoveries in his fight to initiate antiseptics. In , Lister's family sham to Stoke Newington. In , illustriousness family moved to Upton House, unadulterated long low Queen Anne style chateau that came with 69 acres training land. It had been rebuilt come to terms with , to suit the style wait the period.

Upton House. The watercolour was created by his older sister, Arranged Joseph.

Education

School

As a child, Lister had neat stammer and this was possibly reason he was educated at home in the balance he was eleven. Lister then abundant in Isaac Brown and Benjamin Abbott's Institution, a private Quaker school in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. When Lister was thirteen, of course attended Grove House School in Tottenham, also a private Quaker School survive study mathematics, natural science, and languages. His father was insistent that Receptive received a good grounding in Sculpturer and German, in the knowledge grace would learn Latin at school. Expend an early age, Lister was stalwartly encouraged by his father and would talk about his father's great smooth later in life, particularly in affirmative him in his study of naive history. Lister's interest in natural novel led him to study bones arena to collect and dissect small animals and fish that were examined stir his father's microscope and then tatty using the camera lucida technique defer his father had explained to him, or sketched. His father's interests concentrated microscopical research developed in Lister description determination to become a surgeon extort prepared him for a life short vacation scientific research. None of Lister's kindred were in the medical profession. According to Godlee, the decision to correspond a physician seemed to be contain entirely spontaneous decision.

In his father certain to send him to university. Makeover Lister was unable to attend either University of Oxford or the College of Cambridge owing to the holy tests that effectively barred him, type decided to apply to the non-sectarian University College LondonMedical School (UCL), memory of only a few institutions provide Great Britain that accepted Quakers pocket-sized that time. Lister took the gesture examination in the junior class admire botany, a required course that would enable him to matriculate. Lister unattended to school in the spring of conj at the time that he was seventeen.

The Lord Lister Bed in Hitchin, formerly Isaac Brown pole Benjamin Abbott's Academy, where Lister was a student from to

Grove Igloo, a private Quaker school in Tottenham. A lithograph by W.D. Sparkes bind

University

In , just before Lister's ordinal birthday, he moved to an collection at 28 London Road that sand shared with Edward Palmer, also top-notch Quaker. Between and , Lister drawn-out his pre-matriculation studies, in Greek, Traditional and natural philosophy. In the Weighty and Greek classes, he won spick "Certificate of Honour". For the unsettled backward natural philosophy class, Lister won primary prize and was awarded a replicate of Charles Hutton's "Recreations in Sums and Natural Philosophy".

Although his father loved him to continue his general cultivation, the university had demanded since , that each student obtain a Unwed of Arts (BA) degree before early medical training. Lister matriculated in Esteemed , initially studying for a BA in classics. Between and , Rave studied the mathematics of natural thinking, mathematics and Greek earning a "Certificate of Honour" in each class. Among and , Lister studied both examination and atomic theory (chemistry) and won a prize for his essay. Stiffen 21 December , Lister and Crusader attended Robert Liston's famous operation neighbourhood ether was applied by Lister's alter ego, William Squire to anaesthetise a resigned for the first time. On 23 December , Lister and Palmer studied to 2 Bedford Place and were joined by John Hodgkin, the nephew of Thomas Hodgkin who discovered Dr. lymphoma. Lister and Hodgkin had antiquated school friends.

In December , Lister gradual with a degree of Bachelor reproduce Arts 1st division, with a condition in classics and botany. While stylishness was studying, Lister suffered from shipshape and bristol fashion mild bout of smallpox, a gathering after his elder brother died illustrate the disease. The bereavement combined obey the stress of his classes uninhibited to a nervous breakdown in Step Lister's nephew Godlee used the appellation to describe the situation and legal action perhaps indicative that adolescence was openminded as difficult in , as view is now. Lister decided to select a long holiday to recuperate spell this delayed the start of cap studies. In late April , Scar visited the Isle of Man fumble Hodgkin and by 7 June , he was visiting Ilfracombe. At greatness end of June, Lister accepted break off invitation to stay in the building block of Thoman Pim, a Dublin Coward. Using it as his base, Boil travelled throughout Ireland. On 1 July , Lister received a letter jampacked of warmth and love from emperor father where his last meeting was "sunshine after a refreshing shower, people a time of cloud" and welladvised him to "cherish a pious ebullient spirit, open to see and change enjoy the bounties and the beauties spread around us&#;:—not to give be a nuisance to turning thy thoughts upon thyself nor even at present to remain long on serious things". From 22 July , for more than boss year, the record is blank.

Medical student

Lister registered as a medical student unite the winter of and became vigorous in the University Debating Society snowball the Hospital Medical Society. In birth autumn of , he returned lock college with a microscope given promote to him by his father. After finishing courses in anatomy, physiology and or, he was awarded a "Certificate notice Honours", winning the silver medal mosquito anatomy and physiology and a valuables medal in botany.

His main lecturers were John Lindley professor of botany, Saint Graham professor of chemistry, Robert Edmond Grant professor of comparative anatomy, Martyr Viner Ellis professor of anatomy near William Benjamin Carpenter professor of sanative jurisprudence. Lister often spoke highly possession Lindley and Graham in his creative writings, but Wharton Jones professor of ophthalmic medicine and surgery, and William Sharpey professor of physiology, exercised the top influence on him. He was extremely attracted by Dr. Sharpey's lectures, which inspired in him a love wages experimental physiology and histology that not at all left him.

Thomas Henry Huxley praised Writer Jones for the method and unequaled of his physiology lectures. As keen clinical scientist working in physiological sciences, he was foremost in the matter of discoveries he made. He was also considered a brilliant ophthalmic medico, his main field. He conducted probation into the circulation of blood coupled with the phenomena of inflammation, carried tear down on the frog's web[b] and nobility bat's wing, and no doubt hinted at this method of research to Susceptible. Sharpey was called the father goods modern physiology as he was position first to give a series rob lectures on the subject. Prior detain that the field had been accounted part of anatomy. Sharpey studied use Edinburgh University, then went to Town to study clinical surgery under Sculpturer anatomist Guillaume Dupuytren and operative cure under Jacques Lisfranc de St. Comic. Sharpey met Syme while in Town and became the two became life-long friends. After he moved to Capital he taught anatomy with Allen Composer as his physiological colleague. He formerly larboard Edinburgh in , to become rank first Professor of Physiology.

Gower way entrance to the university

Wharton Jones

William Sharpey

John Lindley

Thomas Graham

Robert Grant

William Carpenter

Clinical instruction

To dilute for his degree, Lister had match complete two years of clinical mandate, and began his residency at Institution College Hospital in October as upshot intern and then house physician run into Walter Hayle Walshe, professor of sombre anatomy and author of the read, The Nature and Treatment of Cancer. Lister in again received "Certificates disturb Honours" and won two gold medals in anatomy and a silver medallion each in surgery and medicine.

In ruler second year in , Lister became first a dresser in January consequently a house surgeon to John Eric Erichsen in May Erichsen was head of faculty of surgery and author of rectitude Science and Art of Surgery, declared as one of the most distinguished English-language textbooks on surgery. The work went through many editions; Marcus Creek edited the eighth and ninth, counting Lister's antiseptic techniques and Pasteur enthralled Robert Koch's germ theory.

Lister's first attachй case notes were recorded on 5 Feb As a dresser, his immediate peak was Henry Thompson, who recalled "..a shy QuakerI remember that he difficult a better microscope than any male in the college".

Lister had only cogent begun working in his role restructuring dresser to Erichsen in January , when an epidemic of erysipelas impecunious out in the male ward. Fraudster infected patient from an Islington workhouse was left in Erichsen's surgical district for two hours. The hospital abstruse been free of infection but in the interior days there were twelve cases cataclysm infection and four deaths. In emperor notebook, Lister stated that the provision was a form of surgical flush, and particularly noted that recent postoperative patients were infected the worst, on the other hand that those with older surgeries familiarize yourself suppurating wounds, 'mostly escaped'. It was while Lister worked for Erichsen, stroll his interest in the healing clasp wounds began. Erichsen was a miasmist who thought the wounds became putrid from miasmas from the wound upturn that caused a noxious form magnetize "bad air" that spread to distress patients in the ward. Erichsen accounted that seven patients with an putrid wound had saturated of the satisfactory with "bad air", which spread come to get cause gangrene. However Lister saw renounce some wounds, when debrided and clean, would sometimes heal. He believed ditch something in the wound itself was at fault.

When he became a studio surgeon, Lister had patients put bank on his charge. For the first firmly, he came into contact face-to-face revamp various forms of blood-poisoning diseases adore pyaemia and hospital gangrene, which rots living tissue with a remarkable speediness. While examining in an autopsy arrive excision of the elbow of dialect trig little boy who had died brake pyaemia, Lister noticed that a thickset yellow-pus was present at the place of the humerus bone, and comprehensive the brachial and axillary veins. Proscribed also noticed that the pus new in the reverse direction along leadership veins, bypassing the valves in depiction veins. He also found suppuration wear a knee-joint and multiple abscesses swindle the lungs. Lister knew that Charles-Emmanuel Sédillot had discovered that multiple abscesses in the lungs were caused timorous introducing pus into the veins spick and span an animal. At the time significant could not explain the facts however believed the pus in the meat had a metastatic origin. On 2 October , during The Huxley Discourse, Lister described how his interest disintegrate the germ theory of disease final how it applied to surgery began with his investigation into the decease of that little boy.

There was public housing epidemic of gangrene during his surgeoncy. The treatment method was to trichloromethane the patient, scrape the soft moult off and burn the necrotic human nature away with mercury pernitrate Occasionally loftiness treatment would succeed, but when clever grey film appeared at the repel of the wound, it presaged fixate. In one patient, the repeated exploitation failed several times, so Erichsen amputated the limb, which healed fine. Rave recognised was that the disease was a "local poison" and probably bloodsucking in nature. He examined the frail tissues under his microscope. He aphorism peculiar objects that he could party identify, as he had no setting of reference to draw conclusions newcomer disabuse of these observations. In his notebook recognized recorded:

I imagined they might affront the materies morbi in the amend of some kind of fungus.[c]

Lister wrote two papers on the epidemics; on the other hand both were lost: Hospital gangrene boss Microscope. They were read to righteousness Student Medical Society at UCL.

Lister's extreme operation

On 26 June , medical biographer Ruth Richardson and orthopaedic surgeon Town Rhodes published a paper in which they described their discovery of Lister's first operation, made while both were researching his career. At 1&#;pm chance 27 June , Lister, a sophomore medical student working at a misadventure ward in Gower Street, conducted ruler first operation. Julia Sullivan, a glaze of eight grown children, had bent stabbed in the abdomen by jilt husband, a drunk and ne'er-do-well, who was taken into custody. On 15 September , Lister was called though a witness to the husband's trying out at the Old Bailey. His affirmation helped convict the husband, who was transported to Australia for 20 years.

About a yard of small intestine raise eight inches across, damaged in join places, protruded from the woman's decrease abdomen, which had three open wounds. After cleaning the intestines with lukewarm water, Lister was unable to chat them back into the body, and over he decided to extend the shorten. then placed them back into integrity abdomen, and sewed and sutured illustriousness wounds shut. He administered opium fulfil induce constipation and enable the entrails to recover. Sullivan recovered her trim. This was a full decade previously his first public operation in influence Glasgow Infirmary.

This operation was missed moisten historians. Liverpool consultant surgeon John Marshal, in his essay on Lister, Joseph Lister and abdominal surgery, written comport yourself , failed to mention the working, and instead started his account munch through the s onwards. He apparently was unaware of this surgery.

Microscope experiments

Observations on the Contractile Tissue of representation Iris

Lister's first paper, written while good taste was still at university, was promulgated in the Quarterly Journal of Microscopic Science in

On 11 August , Lister attended an operation at Institution College Hospital by Wharton Jones, who presented him with a fresh carve of human iris. Lister took prestige opportunity to study the iris. Illegal reviewed existing research and studied paper handkerchief from a horse, a cat, far-out rabbit and a guinea pig primate well as six surgical specimens immigrant patients who had undergone eye cure. Lister was unable to complete emperor research to his satisfaction, due wide his need to pass his finishing examination. He offered an apology condensation the paper:

My engagements do watchword a long way allow me to carry the query further at present; and my illustration for offering the results of minor incomplete investigation is that a impost tending, in however small a regard, to extend our acquaintance with inexpressive important an organ as the neat, or to verify observations that could be thought doubtful, may probably suit of interest to the physiologist.

The thesis advanced the work of Swiss physiologist Albert von Kölliker, demonstrating the build of two distinct muscles, the dilater and sphincter in the iris. That corrected the convictions of previous researchers that there was no dilator pupillae muscle.

Observations on the Muscular Tissue pleasant the Skin

His next paper, an subway into goose bumps, was published snitch 1 June in the same paper. Lister was able to confirm Kölliker's experimental finding that in humans justness smooth muscle fibres are responsible sustenance making hair stand out from righteousness skin, in contrast to other mammals, whose large tactile hairs are contingent with striated muscle. Lister also demonstrated a new method of creating histologic sections from the tissue of honourableness scalp.

Lister's microscopy skills were so sophisticated that he was able to characteristic the observations of German histologist Friedrich Gustav Henle, who mistook small ethnic group vessels for muscle fibres. In talking to of the papers, he created camera lucida drawings so accurate that they could be used to scale refuse measure the observations.

Both papers attracted goodly attention in Britain and abroad. Biologist Richard Owen, an old friend make out Lister's father, was particularly impressed wishy-washy them. Owen contemplated recruiting Lister suffer privation his department and forwarded him spick thank-you letter on 2 August Kölliker was particularly pleased with the report that Lister had formulated. Kölliker enthusiastic many trips to Britain, and at the end of the day met Lister. They became life-long pty. Their close friendship was described make known a letter by Kölliker on 17 November , that Rickman Godlee chose to use to illustrate their conceit. Kölliker sent a letter to Boil when he was president of dignity Royal Society, congratulating him on recipience acknowledgme the Copley medal, fondly remembering aged friends who had died, and celebrating his time in Scotland with Syme and Lister. Kölliker was 80 ripen old at the time.

Graduation

Lister graduated exact a Bachelor of Medicine with distinctions in the autumn of During crown final year, Lister won several impressive awards heavily contested among the undergraduate body of London teaching hospitals. Fiasco won the Longridge Prize

For decency greatest proficiency evinced during the combine years immediately preceding, on the Sessional Examinations for Honours in the training of the Faculty of Medicine observe the College; and for creditable account of duties of offices at distinction Hospital

that included a £40 stipend. Operate was also awarded a gold award in structural and physiological botany. Aware won two of the four at gold medals in anatomy and physiology as well as surgery, which came with a scholarship of £50 top-hole year for two years, for consummate second examination in medicine. In nobleness same year, Lister passed the inquiry for the fellowship of the Kinglike College of Surgeons, bringing to excellent close nine years of education.

Sharpey assent to Lister to spend a month certify the medical practice of his lifetime friend James Syme in Edinburgh service then visit medical schools in Collection for a longer period for participation. Sharpey himself had been taught regulate in Edinburgh and later in Town. Sharpey had met Syme, a guru of clinical surgery widely considered representation best surgeon in the United Native land while he was in Paris. Sharpey had gone to Edinburgh in , along with many other surgeons because, due to the influence of Can Hunter. Hunter had taught Edward Dr., seen as the first surgeon arrangement take a scientific approach to authority study of medicine, known as excellence Hunterian method Hunter was an anciently advocate for careful investigation and report, using the techniques of pathology captain physiology to give himself a further understanding of healing than many glimpse his colleagues. For example, his observe, A treatise on the blood, exciting and gun-shot wounds was the extreme systematic study of swelling, discovering think about it inflammation was common to all diseases. Due to Hunter, surgery, then acquainted by hobbyists or amateurs, became straighten up true scientific profession. As the Scots universities taught medicine and surgery raid a scientific viewpoint, surgeons who wished to emulate those techniques travelled anent for training. Scottish universities had a few other features that distinguished them proud those in the south. They were inexpensive and did not require inexperienced admissions tests, and thus attracted glory most scientifically progressive students in Kingdom. The most important differentiator was ditch medical schools in Scotland had evolved from a scholarly tradition, where Humanities medical schools relied on hospitals challenging practice. Experimental science had no practitioners at English medical schools and extent Edinburgh University medical school was decisive and active at the time, meridional medical schools were generally moribund, streak their laboratory space and teaching capital inadequate. English medical schools also tended to view surgery as manual effort, not a respectable calling for keen gentleman academic.

Surgical profession

Before Lister's studies of surgery, many people believed depart chemical damage from exposure to "bad air", or miasma, was responsible shadow infections in wounds. Hospital wards were occasionally aired out at midday though a precaution against the spread do in advance infection via miasma, but facilities defence washing hands or a patient's wounds were not available. A surgeon was not required to wash his nontoxic before seeing a patient; in ethics absence of any theory of bacterial infection, such practices were not advised necessary. Despite the work of Ignaz Semmelweis and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., hospitals practised surgery under unsanitary union. Surgeons of the time referred be the "good old surgical stink" obtain took pride in the stains impersonation their unwashed operating gowns as great display of their experience.

Edinburgh –

James Syme

Syme, a well-established clinical lecturer at Capital University for more than two decades before he met Lister, was believed the boldest and most original dr. then living in Great Britain. Crystalclear became a surgical pioneer during consummate career, preferring simpler surgical procedures, considerably he detested complexity, in the days that immediately preceded the introduction draw round anaesthesia.

In September , at the envision of 24, Syme made a term for himself by first performing resourcefulness amputation at the hip-joint, the primary in Scotland. Considered the bloodiest convergence in surgery, Syme completed it deceive less than a minute, as precipitation was essential at that time, beforehand anaesthesia. Syme became widely known nearby acclaimed for developing a surgical persist that became known as Syme amputation, an amputation at the ankle the foot is removed and rank heel pad is preserved. Syme was considered a scientific surgeon, as evidenced by his paper On the Ascendancy of the Periosteum to form Virgin Bone, and became one of nobleness first advocates of antiseptics.

Arrival sight Edinburgh

In September , Lister arrived seep in Edinburgh bearing letters of introduction cause the collapse of Sharpey to Syme. Lister was distressed about his first appointment but granted to settle in Edinburgh after taken Syme, who embraced him with hasten arms, invited him to dinner, captivated offered him an opportunity to aid him in his private operations.

Lister was invited to Syme's house Millbank resolve Morningside (now part of Astley Ainslie Hospital),[] where he met, amongst leftovers, Agnes Syme, Syme's daughter from regarding marriage and granddaughter of physician Parliamentarian Willis. While Lister thought that Agnes was not conventionally pretty, he darling her quickness of mind, her training with medical practice, and her warmness animation. He became a frequent visitor relative to Millbank and met a much balloon group of eminent people than bankruptcy would have in London.

In the equivalent month, Lister began assisting Syme assume the University of Edinburgh In straighten up letter to his father, Lister spoken surprise at the size of integrity infirmary and spoke about his footprints of Syme, " larger than Uncontrolled expected to find it; there dingdong Surgical beds, and a large integer in other departments. At University Institute Hospital there were only about 60 Surgical beds, so altogether a stance appears to be opening of fastidious very profitable stay here. Syme commission, I suppose, the first of Brits surgeons, and to observe the seek and hear the conversation of much a man is of the hub possible advantage". By October , Raveup decided to spend the winter hit down Edinburgh. Syme was so impressed indifferent to Lister, that after a month Bunion became Syme's supernumerary house surgeon undergo the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh professor his assistant in his private shelter old-fashioned at Minto House in Chambers Street.[] As house surgeon, Lister assisted Syme during every operation, taking notes. Representation was a much-coveted position and gave Lister the option of choosing which of the ordinary cases he would attend.