History of Microbiology Practice Exam

Developments in preventing infection during surgery. Semmelweis showed that hand disinfection could drastically reduce infections in childbirth, proving that microbes matter in medical care. But applying systematic disinfection to the surgical environment—hands, instruments, and even the air around the operating table—was brought into practice by Joseph Lister. He grounded his approach in germ theory and began using antiseptics, notably carbolic acid, to sterilize hands, tools, wounds, and the surrounding air, which led to a dramatic drop in postoperative infections and set the stage for modern aseptic technique in the operating room. Jenner’s contribution was the smallpox vaccine, and van Leeuwenhoek’s work was advancing microscope-based microbial observation; neither specifically established aseptic procedures in surgery.