Germ Theory of disease page 1 and 2

What is the Germ Theory of Disease?

The concept that microbes (tiny organisms invisible to the naked eye) can spread through a population and cause disease.

What were common beliefs about the cause of diseases before the Germ Theory?

Many people believed diseases were caused by “miasmas” (bad air), curses, or imbalances in body fluids.

Describe Ignaz Semmelweis's key observation at the maternity hospital in Vienna.

He noticed that women delivered by physicians (who also performed autopsies) had much higher rates of puerperal fever (childbed fever) than those delivered by midwives.

What was Semmelweis's conclusion regarding puerperal fever?

Physicians were unknowingly transmitting infectious material from cadavers to birthing mothers.

What intervention did Semmelweis implement to reduce maternal deaths?

He required physicians to wash their hands with a chlorine solution before assisting in childbirth.

Why was Semmelweis's work important, even though it wasn't fully accepted at the time?

It was one of the first demonstrations that hand hygiene could prevent disease transmission.

What problem did Joseph Lister observe in the mid-1800s regarding surgery?

Around 50\% of patients who underwent surgery died from postoperative infections.

How did Lister reason these surgical infections could be prevented?

He reasoned that these infections could be prevented if microbes were killed before and during surgery.

What substance did Joseph Lister use to sterilize surgical instruments and wounds?

Carbolic acid (phenol) spray.

What was the impact of Lister's antiseptic techniques in surgery?

Infection and death rates after surgery dropped significantly.

What title is Joseph Lister known by?

The “Father of Antiseptic Surgery.”

What was Florence Nightingale's role during the Crimean War?

A nurse who introduced strict cleanliness and hygiene practices in hospitals and field wards.

How did Florence Nightingale significantly reduce death rates among soldiers?

By improving sanitation, ventilation, and patient care.

What foundation did Florence Nightingale lay for modern nursing?

She laid the foundation for modern nursing by emphasizing antiseptic practices, cleanliness, and patient safety.

Match the pioneer to their contribution:

• Semmelweis
• Lister
• Nightingale

• Semmelweis: showed that handwashing prevents disease.
• Lister: proved antiseptic techniques prevent surgical infections.
• Nightingale: applied cleanliness and hygiene to hospitals and nursing.