Joseph Lister

Without the antiseptic system, the grandeur of modern surgery would be an impossibility.

I feel it is a great thing to be allowed to do anything to relieve suffering.

The success of the antiseptic system depends not on any one detail, but on the combination of several means directed to the same end.

I have been accused of being a faddist, but I have always held that it is better to be a faddist than to be a fossil.

The antiseptic system is not a mere matter of dressings; it is a principle.

To prevent the occurrence of suppuration with all its attendant risks was an object manifestly desirable, but till then apparently unattainable.

Our profession is a noble one, but it is also a very responsible one.

The whole subject of wound treatment is one of the most important in the whole range of surgery.

I look upon the introduction of the antiseptic system as the greatest revolution that surgery has ever undergone.

It is a common error to suppose that the antiseptic treatment consists merely in the application of a disinfectant to a wound.

The surgeon's hands, the instruments, the sponges, the dressings, and the air of the operating room must all be rendered aseptic.

I am thankful to have been the means of relieving so much suffering.

The mortality after major operations has been reduced to a small fraction of what it was before the antiseptic method was introduced.

We must not rest content with what has already been achieved; there is still much to be done.

The true healing art is a combination of science and humanity.

I have always felt that the surgeon should be as gentle as a woman and as brave as a lion.

The antiseptic system is based upon the germ theory of putrefaction.

I am convinced that the day will come when the principles of antiseptic surgery will be universally adopted.

The surgeon's first duty is to do no harm.

It is not enough to kill the germs; we must also prevent their access.