In the mid-19th century, the Vienna General Hospital was revered across Europe for its medical expertise and practices. Yet, just, like many of the hospitals across the continent, it was struggling with a grim and disquieting reality: the maternity ward, the very site meant to herald new life, had become synonymous with death.
But within the ward, a striking pattern had emerged. The department was divided into two clinics: one overseen by midwives, the other by doctors and their students. The distinction had profound consequences as mortality rates in the doctors' clinic far exceeded those in the midwives' ward or even home births. And the difference was staggering, about ten to twenty times greater, with death rates of the mother around 15%, depending on the source. Women were so terrified of the doctor's clinic that they begged to deliver elsewhere, with some risking childbirth on the streets.
Few physicians were inclined to explore why this was happening. Medicine at the time was steeped in tradition, rooted more in long-standing customs than empirical evidence. The concept of sterilization or hygiene practices was virtually nonexistent, and surgical instruments were reused without cleaning while blood-stained aprons were worn like badges of honor. And doctors, as figures of high social standing, were reluctant to consider that their actions might harm their patients and even less willing to adopt practices that seemed menial or unnecessary.
These habits, though, were changing. New doctors were being trained to be more analytical and scientific in their approaches. And it was in this shifting culture that Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis studied.
In 1846, Ignaz accepted a position at the Vienna General Hospital. He had hoped to become a surgeon, but prejudice against his Hungarian and Jewish background barred him from that path. Instead, he was offered a role in the less desirable obstetrics department. There, he watched with disbelief about the mortality of the women, wanting to understand why so many were dying when they should have been in a safe environment with doctors. His discovery turned out to be a simple one. The response he received, however, would be anything but.
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