Birth

Historical Notes

A First Revolution in Childbirth
Until well into the 19th century many women died in childbirth or shortly therafter. Even in hospitals under the care of physicians the mortality of young mothers was very high. It was not until 1847 that an Austrian physician, Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-65), discovered that the source of the feared "childbed fever" was the lack of hygiene inside the maternity wards, where doctors examined the mothers without washing and disinfacting their hands first. He therefore instructed his students to wash their hands every time before touching the patients, and thus he was able to reduce the number of maternal death in his ward.

In spite of this, he found little support and much disbelief. His students and colleagues soon forgot his advice, and he was even fired from his university position. Thereafter, he practiced at the university of Pest (today part of Budapest), still without much recognition. He died in an insane asylum at the age of 47. In the long run, however, his discovery was confirmed and generally accepted. Thus, this medical pioneer became known as the "savior of mothers".