Ten fun facts about Ignaz Semmelweis

Fact 1
He is now known as an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures.

Fact 2
Described as the “savior of mothers”, Semmelweis discovered that the incidence of puerperal fever could be drastically cut by the use of hand disinfection in obstetrical clinics.

Fact 3
Semmelweis's observations conflicted with the established scientific and medical opinions of the time and his ideas were rejected by the medical community.

Fact 4
In 1865, Semmelweis was committed to an asylum, where he died at age 47 after being beaten by the guards, only 14 days after he was committed.

Fact 5
Semmelweis began studying law at the University of Vienna in the autumn of 1837, but by the following year, for reasons that are no longer known, he had switched to medicine.

Fact 6
Semmelweis's advice on chlorine washings was probably more influential than he realized himself.

Fact 7
Semmelweis is now recognized as a pioneer of antiseptic policy.

Fact 8
Morton Thompson's 1949 novel The Cry and the Covenant is a fictionalized account based on the life of Semmelweiss.

Fact 9
He was awarded his doctorate degree in medicine in 1844.

Fact 10
After failing to obtain an appointment in a clinic for internal medicine, Semmelweis decided to specialize in obstetrics.

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