"Ignaz Semmelweis Saved Lives: Wash Your Hands"

Question

by Dr. Howard Markel

On this date in 1850, a prickly Hungarian obstetrician named Ignaz Semmelweis stepped up to the podium of the Vienna Medical Society’s lecture hall. It was a grand and ornately decorated room where some of medicine’s greatest discoveries were first announced. The evening of May 15 would hardly be different — even if those present (and many more who merely read about it) did not acknowledge Semmelweis’s marvelous discovery for several decades.

What, exactly, was the doctor’s advice to his colleagues on that long ago night? It could be summed up in three little words: wash your hands!

At this late date, we all expect our doctors to wash their hands before examining us or performing an operation in order to prevent the spread of infection. Surprisingly, physicians did not begin to acknowledge the lifesaving power of this simple act until 1847

It was then that Dr. Semmelweis began exhorting his fellow physicians at the famed Vienna General Hospital (Allgemeines Krankenhaus) to wash up before examining women about to deliver babies. His plea was far more than aesthetic; it was a matter of life and death and helped to prevent a deadly malady known as “childbed” or puerperal (from the Latin words for child and parent) fever.

A photo shows soapy hands being washed in a sink.

1 of 5
Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

Considering the content of the entire text, what is the author’s purpose in bolding the two scientists’ names, Joseph Lister and Robert Koch?

(1 point)
Responses
which answer is correct and why
to show how different physicians made the same discovery as Semmelweis but at a later time
to show how different physicians made the same discovery as Semmelweis but at a later time

to emphasize the landmark scientists who were more successful than Semmelweis
to emphasize the landmark scientists who were more successful than Semmelweis

to draw attention to the doctors and scientists who expanded on Semmelweis’s breakthroughs
to draw attention to the doctors and scientists who expanded on Semmelweis’s breakthroughs

to indicate that in the digital form of the text there are links to more information about these physicians
to indicate that in the digital form of the text there are links to more information about these physicians
Skip to navigation

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

to draw attention to the doctors and scientists who expanded on Semmelweis’s breakthroughs.

This choice is most in line with the author’s intent, as the mention of Joseph Lister and Robert Koch serves to highlight how subsequent figures built upon Semmelweis’s foundational work on hygiene and infection control. This emphasizes the ongoing evolution of medical practices and acknowledges the broader implication of Semmelweis's findings in the field of medicine. The other responses do not fully capture this purpose.