In the Fullness of Time

Lister had been interested in wound infection, or “hospital gangrene” as it was known then, for many years. When operating on tuberculous changes in the wrist, he noted good results when the wound did not become infected. On the other hand, when infection set in, he encountered a high incidence of gangrene and blood poisoning.1 In Lister’s time, wound infection was generally thought to arise from a chemical reaction between oxygen in the atmosphere and exposed tissues. Others of his day believed, with even less scientific basis, that infection was due to a “miasma” in the air. Wounds, consequently, were very tightly bandaged in order to exclude contact with air. Of course, this warm, sequestered area was an ideal environment for bacterial growth.