1818-1865

Hungarian Physician

Ignaz Semmelweis was the first to recognize that the hands of physicians carried the dreaded puerperal, or childbirth, fever. Although his observations were scoffed at and largely ignored during his lifetime, Semmelweis introduced aseptic techniques into medical practice that later proved fundamental to the profession.

Born July 1, 1818, in Buda (now Budapest), Austria-Hungary, Semmelweis attended the University of Pest and graduated a doctor of medicine from the University of Vienna in 1844. He also received a master's degree in midwifery and surgical training, as well as instruction in diagnostic and statistical methods. While at the First Obstetrical Clinic at the university teaching center at Vienna General Hospital, where he received his first appointment, Semmelweis's duties included the instruction of medical students, surgical procedures, and clinical examination.

Semmelweis was puzzled by the problem of puerperal fever, a condition related to childbirth where the mother...