Joseph Lister publishes his antiseptic surgery article in The Lancet
- When
- 1867
- Where
- The Lancet
- Episodes
- 2
Joseph Lister published his seminal article on antiseptic surgery in The Lancet in March 1867. The series, titled On a New Method of treating Compound Fracture, Abscess, Etc., began on 10 March 1867. This publication outlined his technique for treating compound fractures and abscesses, marking a significant development in surgical practice.
Episodes
- First Instalment Published
The first part of Lister's series on antiseptic treatment was published in The Lancet on 10 March 1867.
- Final Instalment on Abscesses
The last part of the series, focusing on abscesses, was added to The Lancet in July 1867.
Background and detail
Background. In early 1867, Lister began writing the compound fracture case histories of his experiments with carbolic acid in a series of papers, the first to describe his new technique of antiseptics. His experimental basis included a success on 12 August 1865, when he used crude oily full-strength carbolic acid to disinfect a compound fracture for the first time.
Publication Details. The article was published in The Lancet in five instalments. The first part appeared on 10 March 1867, and the final part on abscesses was added in July 1867. The title was On a New Method of treating Compound Fracture, Abscess, Etc., with Observations on the Conditions of Suppuration.
People involved
- Joseph Lister · Author
- James Young Simpson · Published editorial attacking Lister in the Edinburgh Daily Review under pen name Chirurgicus, 21 September 1867
Sources
- Joseph Lister Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30
- The Lancet Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-30
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.