Abstract
This article highlights a neglected feature of Joseph Lister's work, namely how, in addition to promoting germ theories and the principles of the antiseptic system, he also devoted much time and effort to communicating the performative aspects of antisepsis and of the many other surgical innovations that he developed. Attention to ‘detail’ and striving for ‘improvement’ were crucial to Listerian practice, and he sought to convey his credo in three main ways: first, his publications aimed at ‘bringing the subject out in the same sort of way as it had been worked out by himself’; second, he set out strict protocols and information on materials and methods, yet also encouraged surgeons to improvise; and third, he made himself an exemplar of a new form of professionalism, which made constancy and vigilance in practice a moral duty for surgeons.
Highlights
This article highlights a neglected feature of Joseph Lister’s work, namely how, in addition to promoting germ theories and the principles of the antiseptic system, he devoted much time and effort to communicating the performative aspects of antisepsis and of the many other surgical innovations that he developed
Attention to ‘detail’ and striving for ‘improvement’ were crucial to Listerian practice, and he sought to convey his credo in three main ways: first, his publications aimed at ‘bringing the subject out in the same sort of way as it had been worked out by himself’; second, he set out strict protocols and information on materials and methods, yet encouraged surgeons to improvise; and third, he made himself an exemplar of a new form of professionalism, which made constancy and vigilance in practice a moral duty for surgeons
In his address in Edinburgh in August 1875, Lister included the following as a footnote to the published lecture: If anyone chooses to assume that the septic material is not of the nature of living organisms, but a so-called chemical ferment destitute of vitality, yet endowed with a power of self-multiplication equal to that of the organism associated with it, such a notion, unwarranted though I believe it to be by any scientific evidence, will in a practical point of view be equivalent to a germ theory, since it will inculcate precisely the same methods of antiseptic management
Summary
In relation to the spread and uptake of antiseptic theory and practice, it is no longer sufficient to say that Lister’s lectures and publications put his ideas ‘in the air’, whence they spread Such diffusionist models of the adoption of innovations in medicine have been shown to be inadequate at every level.[8] In the case of Lister and antisepsis, many surgeons were never persuaded, and others had a ‘pick and mix’ approach.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
