Joseph Lister: Figures from GCSE History

Joseph Lister Facts

Summary: Born in Upton, Essex, Joseph Lister had a significant impact on the development of antiseptic use in hospitals.
Born: 5 April 1827, Upton, Essex
Died: 10 February 1912, Kent
Biggest achievement: Lister is now known as the “father of antiseptic surgery” due to his work on using carbolic acid to reduce infections after surgery.

Who was Joseph Lister?

Joseph Lister was born 5th April 1827 in Upton, Essex. Lister’s father was J.J. Lister, a wine merchant with a keen interest in medicine and microscopes. His father spent time educating him on how to use a microscope. J.J. and his wife Isabella were both Quakers. Due to his parents’ beliefs, Quaker institutions educated Lister. This benefitted Lister as Quaker schools dedicated more time in their curriculum to natural history and science. 

Joseph Lister’s education and early life

By the time Liister was 16 he had decided to become a surgeon. In 1846, Lister witnessed the first surgical procedure on a patient under anaesthetic. Lister attended University College, London to study medical science. He graduated in 1852 and became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Lister then worked as a surgeon at the University College Hospital. 
On a visit to Scotland in 1853, Lister met James Syme, a teacher of surgery at Edinburgh University. Syme appointed Lister as his surgical assistant. In April 1856, Lister married Syme’s eldest daughter, Agnes. In October 1856, Lister began to work at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as a surgeon.

In 1860, Lister became Professor of Surgery at Glasgow University. In August 1861, the Glasgow Royal Infirmary hired Lister as a surgeon. The hospital’s new surgical block was Lister’s responsibility. He and his colleagues assumed that the new ward would decrease the amount of deaths from “hospital disease”. However, almost 50% of amputation cases died of infection from 1861–1865. Lister was determined to investigate how to decrease deaths from infection.

Joseph Lister’s experiments with antiseptics

The new surgical ward provided Lister with the perfect environment to experiment with antiseptics. At the time, people believed that miasma in the air caused infection. Lister was unsure if this was true. He had read Louis Pasteur’s work on Germ Theory, which stated that microorganisms caused decay in food and alcohol. Lister’s extensive surgical experience indicated that flesh could also rot and decay. He believed that applying Pasteur’s theory to infection during surgery could work. Pasteur had theorised that exposing a wound to chemicals would kill germs. Lister decided to test this theory.

Joseph Lister and carbolic acid

Lister did not invent carbolic acid. Carbolic acid was used to clean sewers and fields from foul smells. On 12th August 1865, Lister soaked a dressing in carbolic acid and wrapped it around a patient’s broken leg. He observed that the wound healed without infection. From August to March, Lister demonstrated 11 successful cases of using carbolic acid in surgery. He published an article about these in The Lancet, a medical journal. 

What did Joseph Lister discover?

The use of antiseptics provided impressive results. The new surgical ward at Glasgow Royal Infirmary saw mortality rates fall from 50% to 15% between 1865 and 1869. Lister experimented with carbolic acid in many different ways, for example using it in spray form during an operation.

Lister pioneered hand-washing and sterilising equipment before surgery. He correctly believed that this would limit infection.

The impact of Joseph Lister’s work

The initial reaction to Lister’s work was disbelief. Many in the scientific community did not believe in Pasteur’s Germ Theory, which was the basis of Lister’s work. Lister’s work being experience-based, rather than focusing on data and theory, did not help convince scientists. Lister’s work did make a significant impact in Germany. Karl Thiersch used carbolic acid in 1867 and taught his students Lister’s theory of antiseptics. In 1875, medical facilities in Munich, Leipzig and Berlin invited Lister to visit. He received glorious receptions in all three cities with banquets attended by up to 300 guests. 

Eventually, recognition of his work increased. In 1883, he became Sir Joseph Lister and in 1897 the title Baron of Lyme Regis, under Queen Victoria. In 1902, King Edward VII granted him the Order of Merit for his services to science. Lister had begun a movement to find better methods of eradicating germs. He is now known as the “father of antiseptic surgery”.

Lister retired from surgery in 1893. 

Joseph Lister’s death

Lister died aged 84 on 10th February 1912 in Walmer, Kent. Lister’s death triggered an overwhelming public reaction. Westminster Abbey held a large public funeral for Lister on 16th February. Edinburgh and Glasgow conducted memorial services.
After his death, the Royal Society established the Lord Lister Memorial Fund. The fund collected money for public causes from donations. This eventually transformed into the Lister Medal. Today, the medal is considered the most respected prize a surgeon can receive.