Person Lister; Joseph (1827 - 1912); 1st Baron Lister of Lyme Regis; surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery Lister Joseph surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery 1827 - 1912 British Male Upton House, Upton, Essex, England 05 April 1827 18270405 Park House, Walmer, Kent, England 10 February 1912 19120210 Funeral: Westminster Abbey, London, England (16 February 1912) Burial: West Hampstead Cemetery, London, England

11 Rutland Street, Edinburgh (1859)

Surgeon Bacteriology Comparative anatomy Pathology Medicine Surgery Education: Home schooled until 1838; local school in Hitchin; Grove House School, Tottenham (1840); BA; MB (Lond) Career: During his studies he was present at the first operation under ether in Great Britain, performed by Robert Liston in the theatre of University College Hospital (1846); struck by a mild bout of smallpox, followed by a mental breakdown, recuperating in Ireland, not resuming his medical studies until 1849; went to Edinburgh and became acquainted with James Syme, the greatest surgical teacher of his day (1853); became an assistant to Syme at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary; appointed surgeon at the infirmary (1856); professor of surgery at the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow (1860); conducted his own experiments which confirmed the findings of Louis Pasteur, motivating him to develop antiseptic techniques for wounds; experimented with carbolic acid, developing a technique of treating surgical instruments with it, successfully applying a solution of carbolic acid to a serious wound on the leg of a seven year old boy whose wound fully healed within six weeks, without infection (1865); following his success he instructed other surgeons to wash their hands and instruments prior to and following surgery with a carbolic acid solution, which resulted in a considerably lower risk of infection and mortality; returned to Edinburgh as a successor to Syme as Professor of Surgery at the University of Edinburgh (1869) where he continued to work on developing improved methods of antisepsis and asepsis; moved from Scotland to King’s College Hospital, London, and was elected President of the Clinical Society of London. Awards/Medals: Albert Medal 1894 Honours: Bt 1883; Baron 1897; OM 1902 Memberships: FRCS; FRCSE Parents: Joseph Jackson Lister (FRS 1832) (1786–1869), wine merchant and microscopist, and Isabella, née Harris (1794?–1864), daughter of Anthony Harris of Maryport, Cumberland. Siblings: Arthur Lister, botanist (FRS 1898) Spouse: Agnes Syme (1834–1893) (23 April 1856) Pioneer of antiseptic surgical methods which became more prominent following the publication of his paper, ‘Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery’ in 1867. Introduced carbolic acid as steriliser for surgical instruments, patients' skins & surgeons' hands, sutures, and wards. Listerine mouthwash was named after him for his work in antisepsis in 1879. Royal Society roles: PRS 1895-1900; For Sec 1893-1895; VP 1882-1883, 1900-1901 Medals and prizes: Royal Medal 1880; Copley Medal 1902 Lectures: Croonian 1863 Fellow 07/06/1860 33 Ronald Edmond Grant; James Paget; Thomas Snow Beck; Alexander Tweedie; William Benjamin Carpenter; Alfred Baring Garrod; Francis Sibson; James Clark James Moncrieff Arnott; Joseph Toynbee; Edward William Brayley; Joseph Jackson Lister; John Goodsir; Allen Thomson; George Johnston Allman Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc Series B 1912-1913 vol 86 pp i-xxi, two plates, signed by W W C References: A Gibson and W V Farrar, 'Robert Angus Smith, FRS, and "Sanitary Science"' in NR 1973-4 vol 28 pp 241-262 H G L, 'A Fragment of History' in NR 1938 vol 1 pp 28-31 Lister P0081.jpg ©The Royal Society International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.1913.0048 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Lister%2C+Joseph RCN 49527 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH5230 5 Apr 1827 - 10 Feb 1912 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 03/04/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8069 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/40170542 b1206262-1e6b-46a4-9d6e-b12e092bd408