Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis (Semmelweis Ignaz Philipp)

(1818-1865)
Born July 1, 1818 in Buda (now Budapest). He studied at the Pest University (1835-1837). In 1844 he graduated from Medical School at the University of Vienna, perfected in surgery. In 1846 received the title of doctor-midwife. He worked as an assistant in a maternity home at the Vienna General Hospital. Began studying 'puerperal fever' (puerperal sepsis). Concluded that the source of infection is cadaverous material that falls into the mother's body through the hands of medical students coming to the maternity ward after work in the dissecting. Semmelweis demanded that all students and doctors before visiting the maternity ward thoroughly washed their hands and then disinfected to a solution of bleach. At his insistence, antisepsis were subjected to all the tools and supplies.
Opening Semmelweis met with no understanding of his colleagues, including a director of the department of Professor I. Klein: they all adhere to 'atmospheric space' theory of the origin of puerperal fever. Semmelweis was forced to go to Budapest, where from 1850 to 1855 was in charge of a maternity hospital. In 1855 he became a professor of obstetrics, University of Budapest. Fought for the introduction of his method, he taught students and conducted surgical operations in antiseptic conditions (15 years before Lister, thanks to which this method has been widely distributed).

In 1861 Semmelweis published an open letter to the famous attendants from different countries of Europe, to explain their position. The same year saw the publication of his book The etiology, nature and prevention of 'puerperal fever' (Die Aetiologie, der Begriff und die Prophylaxis des Kindbettfiebers). Semmelweis died in Vienna on August 13, 1865.