Summary Of Doctor's Plague

The Doctor’s Plague is a fascinating biography of a failed hero, Ignac Semmelweis. With a hint of mystery, it’s a story that set place in the mid-nineteenth century Vienna. Where the field of obstetric was newly introduced, and medical science had yet to discover germ theory and the concept of antisepsis. Mothers and children all over Europe were falling victim to this mysterious disease known as puerperal fever. It’s until this failed hero who discovers the truth of puerperal fever, and his trials and tribulation to persuade others of his findings but was let down by his own character flaws. The Doctor’s Plague offers a glimpse of what the medical society looked like in the mid- nineteenth century. Sherwin B. Nunland shows his readers the evolution of Obstetric & Gynecology, the first glimpse of germ theory, how politics and pride can short cut medical progress and dedication of one man and his mission to find the truth about puerperal fever.
In 1847, one of every six mothers who were delivered by medical students and supervising physicians at Allgemeine Krankenhause were falling victims to this mysterious disease that was ravaging all over Europe in the
While a few physicians such as Alexander Gordon and Oliver Wendell Holmes realized that puerperal fever was contagious they didn’t understand where the source of contagion was coming from. That is until Ignac Semmelweis found the nature of the problem, he realized the problem itself was stemming from the very people who were caring for the mothers in labor. It was due to the lack of sterility by physician’s and students after doing autopsies and surgeries. Therefore Semmelweis mandated all medical personnel’s to wash their hand with disinfectant, and practice sterility. There was a dramatic drop of maternal death in the unit Semmelweis was looking