The Infectious Nature Of The Disease - 1001 Words

Throughout history there have been many diseases that have baffled medical professionals. The early study of a diseases origin has ensured the survival of mankind against wide spread death and illness. Puerperal, also known as Childbed Fever, is a disease that causes widespread death and infection in women soon after childbirth. (science/puerperal-fever) The infection can affect any part of the female reproductive system. (science/puerperal-fever) Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician, discovered that puerperal was an infectious disease that can be controlled by the use of an antisepsis technique. (Merckle) He also discovered that it was infectious and contagious. (science/puerperal-fever) Without the implementation of antisepsis†¦show more content†¦(Control) Countless numbers of women perished before the need for proper handwashing came to light. Ignaz Semmelweis discovered the need for proper handwashing procedures when he began work at a local maternity clinic in Vienna. (Zoltan) Semmelweis made it his mission as a physician to back any inquiries that he made with scientific evidence. (Admin) Many women gave birth at home during this time period, but those who went to local clinics found themselves at risk of contracting this deadly disease. During this period in history, it was still believed that the origin of infectious diseases was caused by miasma, overcrowding, and poor ventilation, Semmelweis dug further to discover the true origin of the disease. (Zoltan) Against his chief’s wishes, Semmelweis conducted a series of experiments to determine if there was a pattern in contraction of the illness. (Zoltan) He studied two sets of patients. The first set of patients that he observed were looked after in a maternity ward that was primarily staffed by male doctors and male medical students. (Davis) The second set of patients were attended to by female midwives only. (Davis) Semmelweis observed that the patients that were being cared for by male staff were contracting the illness at a much higher rate than that of those being cared for by female staff members. (Davis) He observed that the position that the mother gave birth in had no effect on whether or not she contracted the disease in either