Joseph Lister's method, based on the use of
antiseptics, is no longer employed, his principle
that bacteria must never gain entry into an
operation wound, remains the basis of surgery to
this day.Having observed the
marked difference in morbidity and mortality
between simple and compound fractures, he
postulated that infection came from exposure to
the air in compound fractures without the
protection of the skin.He began his antiseptic
method with compound fracture wounds because
the standard treatment of amputation was always
available should his method fail.Lister made many alterations to his method of
wound care, and the iconic carbolic acid spray
was only 1 part of the evolution of antisepsis.