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An antiseptic (Greek: ἀντί, romanized: anti, lit. 'against' [ 1 ] and σηπτικός , sēptikos , 'putrefactive' [ 2 ] ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis , infection , or putrefaction .
Alcohol has been used as an antiseptic as early as 1363, with evidence to support its use becoming available in the late 1800s. [ 32 ] At times and places of poor public sanitation (such as medieval Europe ), the consumption of alcoholic drinks was a way of avoiding water-borne diseases such as cholera .
A seminal work of traditional Chinese medicine was the Huangdi neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) compiled between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC (i.e. originating in the Warring States period), which viewed the human body, its organs and tissues through the lens of the metaphysical five phases and yin and yang, and stated a belief in two ...
He had halted his experiments on coagulation to work on two chapters, "Amputation" and "On Æsthetics" (On anaesthetics) for the medical reference work System of Surgery by Timothy Holmes, published in four volumes in 1862. [229] Chloroform was Lister's preferred anaesthetic. [230] He wrote three papers for Holmes in 1861, 1870 and 1882.
Product labels for rubbing alcohol include a number of warnings about the chemical, including the flammability hazards and its intended use only as a topical antiseptic and not for internal wounds or consumption. It should be used in a well-ventilated area due to inhalation hazards.
The earliest antibacterial soap was carbolic soap, which used up to 5% phenols (carbolic acid). Fears about the safety of carbolic soaps chemical components on the skin brought about a ban on some of these chemical components. [4]
Antimicrobial use has been common practice for at least 2000 years. Ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks used specific molds and plant extracts to treat infection. [5]In the 19th century, microbiologists such as Louis Pasteur and Jules Francois Joubert observed antagonism between some bacteria and discussed the merits of controlling these interactions in medicine. [6]
[56] [57] [58] His work was groundbreaking and laid the foundations for a rapid advance in infection control that saw modern antiseptic operating theatres widely used within 50 years. Lister continued to develop improved methods of antisepsis and asepsis when he realised that infection could be better avoided by preventing bacteria from getting ...