Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) was a Hungarian physician known as the “savior of mothers” for his pioneering work in obstetrics and the prevention of childbed fever. While working in Vienna General Hospital in the mid-19th century, Semmelweis observed a stark contrast in mortality rates between two maternity wards: one staffed by doctors and medical students, the other by midwives. He noticed that the incidence of fatal puerperal fever (childbed fever) was significantly higher in the ward where doctors performed deliveries. Through meticulous observation and experimentation, Semmelweis discovered that handwashing with chlorinated lime solution dramatically reduced the occurrence of childbed fever. Despite his compelling evidence, Semmelweis faced skepticism and opposition from the medical establishment of his time. However, his work laid the foundation for modern antiseptic practices and significantly improved maternal and infant survival rates in obstetrics. Ignaz Semmelweis’s contributions to public health have had a lasting impact on medical hygiene and patient care.

Ignaz Semmelweis Quotes

1. “Semmelweis reflex: The tendency to reject new evidence or new knowledge because it contradicts established norms, beliefs or paradigms.”
— Ignaz Semmelweis

2. “When I look back upon the past, I can only dispel the sadness which falls upon me by gazing into that happy future when the infection [puerperal fever] will be banished. But if it is not vouchsafed for me to look upon that happy time with my own eyes … the conviction that such a time must inevitably sooner or later arrive will cheer my dying hour.”
— Ignaz Semmelweis