Ignaz Semmelweis: The Doctor Mocked for Saying Wash Your Hands
In 1847 a young doctor in Vienna noticed that mothers were dying far more often in the ward run by doctors than in the one run by midwives. His simple fix saved lives, and his colleagues ridiculed him for it. Here is his story, and what clean hands still do for your family today.
- Born
- 1818
- Worked at
- Vienna General Hospital maternity clinic
- Known for
- Handwashing to prevent childbed fever, 1847
- Book
- The Etiology, Concept and Prevention of Childbed Fever, 1861
- Died
- 1865, age 47
- Remembered as
- The savior of mothers
Two wards, two very different outcomes
Vienna General Hospital had two maternity clinics. Doctors and medical students worked in the first. Midwives worked in the second.
The difference was stark. From 1841 to 1846, the doctors' clinic lost between 6.9% and 15.8% of mothers each year to childbed fever, a deadly infection after giving birth. The midwives' clinic lost between 2.0% and 7.6%1.
The clue
In 1847, Semmelweis's friend Jakob Kolletschka was cut by a student's scalpel during an autopsy and died. His autopsy looked strikingly like those of the mothers who died of childbed fever1.
Semmelweis put it together. Doctors and students went straight from autopsies to delivering babies. He believed they were carrying what he called cadaverous particles on their hands. The midwives did not do autopsies1.
A simple fix
Semmelweis required doctors to clean their hands with a chlorinated lime solution before examining patients. The results came quickly1.
- April18.3%Before the handwashing rule.
- SpringThe ruleSemmelweis requires chlorinated lime handwashing.
- June2.2%Deaths drop sharply.
- July1.2%Lower still.
- August1.9%The improvement holds.
Mocked and forgotten
You might expect the medical world to celebrate. Instead, many doctors ignored or ridiculed his idea. Some were offended at the suggestion that a gentleman's hands could be unclean1. Semmelweis lost his position in Vienna and moved to Budapest. He published his major book on childbed fever in 1861, but it did not win over his critics1.
His final years were tragic. In 1865 he was committed to an asylum, where he was beaten by guards. He died weeks later, at age 47, of an infected wound1. Only after his death did the work of Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister on germs explain why he had been right1. Today he is often called the savior of mothers.
What clean hands do for you today
Handwashing sounds too simple to matter. Semmelweis showed it can be life or death. Modern research backs him up. According to the CDC, handwashing2:
Those numbers are the top of each range. The CDC reports a 23 to 40% drop in diarrhea illness, 16 to 21% for respiratory illness, and 29 to 57% for school absences from stomach illness2.
- Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap
- Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails
- Scrub for at least 20 seconds, about two rounds of Happy Birthday
- Rinse well under clean running water
- Dry your hands with a clean towel or air dry
- Before, during and after preparing food
- Before eating
- After using the toilet or changing a diaper
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick
- After touching raw meat
A lesson for the rest of us
Semmelweis had the truth, but he struggled to persuade people, and pride kept many doctors from listening. It is a good reminder to stay humble when new evidence challenges what we have always done, and to be patient and kind when we are the ones trying to share it.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ignaz Semmelweis?
A Hungarian doctor working in Vienna who showed in 1847 that handwashing with a chlorinated lime solution sharply reduced deaths from childbed fever1.
Why was Semmelweis ridiculed?
Many doctors rejected his idea, and some were offended at the suggestion that their hands could carry disease. Germ theory had not yet been accepted1.
How long should I wash my hands?
The CDC says scrubbing for at least 20 seconds removes more germs than washing for a shorter time2.
Does handwashing really prevent illness?
Yes. The CDC reports that handwashing reduces diarrhea illness by 23 to 40% and respiratory illnesses like colds by 16 to 21%2.
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