The Story of A Doctor Killed For Saying “Wash Your Hands”

The year was 1844 in Vienna, Austria, a cultural and intellectual center of Europe, excited to explore the city and make it his own, was a recent graduate, Dr. Ignis Seice, who completed his

doctor

al studies at the University of Pest and Vienna. , the bushy and bright-eyed tale. The

doctor

was passionate about obstetrics and gynecology, or the study of pregnancy, childbirth, and the female reproductive organs. His enthusiasm was well received and he was hired as an assistant at a clinic in Vienna. Everything was going according to plan shortly after his arrival. Ignis noticed a tragedy. The phenomenon that occurred within the clinic you see was divided into two departments, the first was operated by resident doctors and trained medical students, the second was operated exclusively by midwives or individuals, often women who assisted in childbirth despite who generally had not attended medical school for some reason.

The mortality rate of mothers in the first clinic treated by doctors was significantly higher than that of mothers treated by midwives, not just marginally but five times higher. Nor was it a casual observation. This phenomenon spread throughout Vienna to the point that women were begging. In order not to be sent to the doctor's clinic, Ignis even witnessed women choosing a street birth rather than being sent behind the doors of death. Ironically, these street births had lower mortality rates, plus Ignis couldn't bear to witness the horror he had to endure. To find out why so many mothers died at the

hands

of trained doctors, he first began experimenting with the differences between the two clinics.

Midwives made women give birth on their sides, while doctors made them give birth on their backs, so he began turning women over. It made no difference then Ignis noticed that when a patient died in the doctor's clinic, a priest would walk around the hospital ringing a bell. Ignis theorized that the sound of the bell was so piercing and startling that it put the women in great distress causing their hearts to stop so much. stopped the priests from ringing their bells there was no difference different it was the weather it had something to do with the shape of the buildings sunlight through the windows no NOPE NOPE he was perplexed he was also demoted Ignis had become obsessed with solving the case of these dying mothers to the chagrin of his superiors his bosses had not hired him to play medical detective they hired him to be an assistant his persistence in studying the topic of mortality almost cost him his job frustrated and confused ignis took a vacation he spent a month in Venice enjoying the sun and the art of clearing his mind maybe the deaths were a fluke maybe an act of god maybe he should give up well thank god he didn't upon his return to vienna ignis was faced with tragic news , a dear colleague of his Dr.

Jacob Kchka had suddenly fallen ill and died what happened Ignis asked the answer changed Ignis's life and the world of medicine forever Dr. Kchka had been performing an autopsy on a deceased patient during the process had accidentally cut his finger according to those In the room, Dr. Kchka, wincing at the pain of the cut, continued to examine the hot, rotting body of the deceased patient with an ungloved hand and a fresh wound, naively dug into the decomposing corpse, shortly after his hand became infected, he developed a fever and fell seriously ill. and he died a few days later the light bulb went out and ignis's head the cut he exclaimed Dr. kchka had cut open his hand which must have exposed his bloodstream to something deadly inside the corpse's body ignis took to his nose he spilled On each graph of each mother who died, she realized that doctors in a clinic were performing autopsies on corpses and then using those same

hands

to deliver the babies.

The midwives at the second clinic never performed autopsies, they only delivered babies, meaning their hands never came into contact with the decomposition. flesh the doctors must be transferring some kind of cadaveric particles from the dead to the living, but what were those particles? Of course, today we know exactly what those particles were. Germs. We know that there are germs on every surface we touch every day, especially on and inside the sick. bodies we know that germs are constantly trying to get inside us and infect our wounds we also know that one of the most effective methods to combat germs is the simple practice of

wash

ing our hands unfortunately in 1847 not a single person on planet Earth had heard about it. germs you see the germ The theory or principle that microscopic bacteria cause organic matter to rot and spread disease was still a few years away.

Ignis didn't realize exactly how accurate his theory was, but he did know it was time to test it. His thought was: It is very easy to put

your

hands inside a corpse, it gets them dirty, so before putting them on another patient we must clean them. Thus the experiments began. Ignis instructed medical students to begin dipping their hands in a chlorinated lime solution before delivering babies. Because? Well, rotting. Meat smells bad and this chlorinated lime was the best to eliminate that smell from

your

hands. Ignis didn't know that chlorine is actually one of the strongest and safest disinfectants in the world, which is why it is used so frequently in swimming pools.

The results were immediate and significant according to Ignis's meticulous records. The mortality rate at the doctor's clinic fell from 18% to less than 2%. Ignis had done it. He had proven the idea that

wash

ing hands would save lives. Ignis then became rich. and famous and everyone loved him forever end not quite yet we haven't gotten to his murder yet ignis was excited by this discovery the doctors working under him saw the results of washing his hands and believed in ignis' theory about deadly particles Neither Ignis's superiors nor the doctors in the general community had the same feeling. Ignis had bothered many people over the years with his obsession with maternal mortality rates.

He had also actively participated in a controversial political debate. Within Austria, in the late 1840s, he made enemies and when Ignus began to preach the findings of him. That handwashing saves lives was met with crossed arms and suspicious looks, but he was obviously right, so how could he be denied today? Medicine was guided by scientific research and data for most of human hi

story

and, especially in Austria in the 19th century, this was not the case. At a time when the medical establishment believed that all diseases were the result of an imbalance of the humors or an unequal balance of substances within the body, blood, yellow and black bile, doctors believed that the only cure for diseases was to balance these humors using tortuous methods and also to balance these humors. balance your blood, doctors would cover you in leeches to balance your accounts, they would induce vomiting or diarrhea.

We now know that bleeding and excessive fluid loss have disastrous effects on the human body, especially one that is sick, doctors at this time were causing much more pain. Doctors also believed in the miasma theory that various diseases, from chlamydia to even obesity, could be caused by poisonous night air wafting from the sick to the healthy, although this theory is not technically correct the concept of airborne disease is real, but it was not until doctors like Dr. Ignis came along that science really began to focus on the whole truth, so while Ignis said that the hands clean save lives, what many doctors heard was that all older doctors make mistakes, are dirty and kill their own patients.

It was true, but it's not easy to hear let alone believe. Surprisingly, Ignis was fired from his hospital. She was denied a position at a midwifery clinic. They offered him a teaching position, but only if he used mannequins instead of real spelunkers, like his colleagues. ignis was insulted like that. He suddenly packed his bags and left Vienna without

saying

goodbye. Ignis now established a new life in Budapest, Hungary, married, had children, opened a private practice and revolutionized Hungarian maternity wards, where the mortality rate fell to 85%, while rates in Vienna did so at the same time. . The period in which his hygiene practices were not in use were more than th% higher as time went on.

Ignis became bolder and more confident in his theory. He published a book that he sent to the heads of major medical departments around the world. Ignis assumed this would happen. He changed the world, but again his writings were met with skepticism from decision makers who were hesitant to believe that invisible particles from corpses were killing people. This angered Ignis and he began writing angry public letters to those who opposed him. The letters were extreme, often calling for doctors. irresponsible murderers and admonish them for their ignorance; However, his offensive tone only made the doctors more resistant to his hygienic lectures.

After a while, something changed in Ignis, he became bitterly depressed and behaved very out of character. These symptoms were theorized to describe the late-stage case of syphilis, which was common among doctors who spent their careers delivering children without wearing gloves, gowns, or masks. Ignis's colleagues were concerned about this madness and in 1865 they invited him to tour a new asylum that had been built in Vienna. Ignis accepted the invitation in hopes of reconnecting with old friends as they toured a medical facility. Once inside, Ignis' friends began to tell him of their concerns for his well-being. He realized that this was not a tour, it was a trap. , he ran towards the door only to be stopped by a guard who he turned around. in the other direction but more guards stood in his way as they approached him.

Ignis was beaten and scratched for the life of him. The guards beat him violently until he was lying on the ground. Delirious. They put him in a straitjacket and dragged him during the fight. Ignis had suffered a major injury to his hand and was bleeding through his straitjacket. The infection took over his entire body and spread throughout his body just two weeks later, Dr. Ignis Seice, 47, died from an infection, precisely what he worked on all his life. of the. To prevent shortly after Ignis' death, French chemist Dr. Louie Pastor wrote the germ theory which finally gave a theoretical explanation for why Dr.

Semlvice's method of washing hands prevents the spread of disease. His discovery of proper hygiene and hospital environments has saved and prolonged billions of lives, but he is not all responsible for the house he grew up in becoming the Semov Visce Museum. The Semov Visce University in Budapest is named after him and is also credited with the name Semov Visce Reflection, a term for the rejection of the new. information because it contradicts what you think you already know. George Washington was actually assassinated by his doctors trying to balance his moods, so click here to learn more about that and what

killed

all the other US presidents.

As always, stay happy and healthy.