Table 1.
Landmark contributions in hand hygiene and infection control from 1546 to 1867.
| “Puerperalia” (Gynecological context) | General (surgical) context | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1867 | Joseph Lister (1827–1912) |
Antiseptic surgery | |||
| 1847 | Ignáz Fülöp Semmelweis (1818–1865) |
Mandatory chlorine handwashing in Vienna General Hospital | |||
| 1853 | Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) |
Implemented hand washing and other hygiene practices in British army hospitals | |||
| 1843 | Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894) |
“physicians with unwashed hands are responsible for transmitting puerperal fever from patient to patient” | |||
| 1820 | Antoine Germain Labarraque (1777–1850) |
Use of sodium-hypochlorid as disinfectant | |||
| 1814 | Zsoldos János (1767–1832) |
“physicians and midwives, wash your hands with lime and soapy water before and after childbirth” | |||
| 1809 | Zsoldos János (1767–1832) |
Handwashing rules, disinfection of medical equipment with camphoric burnt wine | |||
| 1795 | Alexander Gordon (1752–1799) |
Described cases of puerperal sepsis, advocating for disinfection and handwashing for its prevention | |||
| 1751 | John Burton (1710–1771) |
Puerperal fever is a contagious disease | |||
| 1546 | Girolamo Fracastoro (1478–1553) |
Infection could be passed on via hands and clothes | |||