When Were Antiseptics First Used?

The year 1865 marked the period when antiseptics were used for the first time ever in the medical history of the world by a surgeon named Joseph Lister in London. He was aided in this newest innovation by the knowledge that he had about the work of Louis Pasteur who was a renowned French doctor. Louis Pasteur had discovered that bacteria were the main cause of putrefaction (the phenomenon of rotting) rather than a chemical process as some people believed it to be.

As well as the knowledge given to Lister by Pasteur's discovery, he furthermore discovered that the bacteria could be destroyed even before they could enter a wound and exacerbated it by poisoning it. The treatment was initially tested on a compound fracture where carbolic acid was applied to the wound in expectation of providing a barrier and protection against the germs that are present in the atmosphere.

The experiment was successful and constituted a great leap in the field of surgery. Later on, many more antiseptics were developed to combat the harmful effects of bacteria.

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