Ignaz Semmelweis
Discovered that handwashing could drastically reduce the incidence of puerperal fever, though his findings were initially rejected.
Most quoted
"When I look back upon the past, I see the error of my ways, but I also see the error of the ways of my opponents. I see that I was too impatient, too impetuous, too unyielding. But I also see that they were too blind, too prejudiced, too obstinate."
— from Reflections on his career
"Puerperal fever is a blood poisoning caused by the absorption of putrid organic matter, originating from cadaveric particles, into the blood of the parturient woman."
— from Die Ätiologie, der Begriff und die Prophylaxis des Kindbettfiebers, 1861
"I have discovered the cause of puerperal fever, and it is nothing but the cadaveric particles adhering to the hands of the examining physicians and students."
— from Letter to Professor Skoda, 1847
All quotes by Ignaz Semmelweis (353)
They say I am a rebel, but I say I am a reformer.
The greatest revolution is not in arms, but in ideas.
I am not afraid of death, I am afraid of indifference.
They say I am a nuisance, but I say I am a necessity.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
My epitaph should read: 'He washed his hands.'
It's amazing how much resistance a simple bar of soap can generate.
I've been called many things, but 'unclean' is not one of them.
The only thing dirtier than their hands is their minds.
Perhaps they think cleanliness is next to godliness, but only for the patients.
I'm just trying to save lives, not win popularity contests.
They say I'm obsessed with hands. Well, they're obsessed with death.
My greatest crime, it seems, is making them uncomfortable.
If ignorance is bliss, then my colleagues are the happiest men alive.
I've offered them a simple solution, and they've offered me a lifetime of headaches.
When I look back upon the past, I see a dark and terrible picture, a picture of suffering, of death, and of human blindness.
My discovery is not a matter of opinion, but of fact. It is a truth that saves lives.
The hand that touches the dead body, and then the living, carries death.
To save lives is the highest calling of a physician.
The truth, though it may be bitter, must be spoken.
Contemporaries of Ignaz Semmelweis
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Ignaz Semmelweis (1818–1865).