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A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis by Sherwin B. Nuland
4.0
Will the real Dr Semmelweis please stand up?
I first became aware of Dr Ignac Semmelweis through reading ‘The Cry and the Covenant’ back in the early 1970s. Microbiology, theories of germ transfer and other sciences of medicine became more familiar to me later, but I’d not critically revisited the role of Dr Semmelweis until recently.
Dr Nuland’s book is valuable on two fronts.
Firstly, it provides background and insight into Dr Semmelweis himself which goes some way to explaining why his theory was not universally embraced even though it appeared to be proven in practice. Secondly, it is a reminder that scientific understanding of causation does not always accompany insight.
Dr Semmelweis proved that taking precautions to prevent cadaveric contamination of recently delivered women led to a reduction in puerperal sepsis, but not ‘why’ or ‘how’. Unfortunately, Dr Semmelweis’s abrupt and abrasive personality alienated many of the medical establishment including some of his earlier supporters. This, combined with the fact that it took him 14 years to publish his findings made it easy for many to ignore his findings.
At various times Dr Semmelweis has been ignored or condemned, or subjected to hero worship and hagiography. Surely, the truth rests between the extremes. Dr Nuland has written a book which, while it will be accessible to interested non-medical readers also provides an historic insight into the life and times of Dr Semmelweis. It should also provide a timely reminder, too, that some of the best solutions to iatrogenic illness are the simplest ones: effective handwashing remains a front line defence.
I first became aware of Dr Ignac Semmelweis through reading ‘The Cry and the Covenant’ back in the early 1970s. Microbiology, theories of germ transfer and other sciences of medicine became more familiar to me later, but I’d not critically revisited the role of Dr Semmelweis until recently.
Dr Nuland’s book is valuable on two fronts.
Firstly, it provides background and insight into Dr Semmelweis himself which goes some way to explaining why his theory was not universally embraced even though it appeared to be proven in practice. Secondly, it is a reminder that scientific understanding of causation does not always accompany insight.
Dr Semmelweis proved that taking precautions to prevent cadaveric contamination of recently delivered women led to a reduction in puerperal sepsis, but not ‘why’ or ‘how’. Unfortunately, Dr Semmelweis’s abrupt and abrasive personality alienated many of the medical establishment including some of his earlier supporters. This, combined with the fact that it took him 14 years to publish his findings made it easy for many to ignore his findings.
At various times Dr Semmelweis has been ignored or condemned, or subjected to hero worship and hagiography. Surely, the truth rests between the extremes. Dr Nuland has written a book which, while it will be accessible to interested non-medical readers also provides an historic insight into the life and times of Dr Semmelweis. It should also provide a timely reminder, too, that some of the best solutions to iatrogenic illness are the simplest ones: effective handwashing remains a front line defence.