Reconstruction marked not only the end of the Civil War and Reuniting America, but it lead to the beginning of modern medicine. In 1867, Joseph Lister publishes “Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery”(pictured below), which ended up being one of the most important developments in American medicine.
Lister enforced the idea of the need for cleanliness in the operating room. At this time, the thought of germs was unheard of, and it was a revolutionary idea. He developed antiseptic surgical methods, using carbolic acid (pictured above) to clean wounds and surgical instruments. Before this, wounds would have been cleaned with dirty water and dirty rags, which could have been used for a previous patient. Also, surgical tools were disinfected between procedures, because medical professionals didn’t know any better. The success of his methods leads to general adoption everywhere in America. For example, In one hospital that adopted his methods, deaths from infection decreased from nearly 60% to just 4%.