Question

Part II – What Works?

In an effort to curtail the deaths in his ward due to childbed fever, Semmelweis instituted a strict handwashing policy amongst his male medical students and physician colleagues in “First clinic” of the ward. Everyone was required to wash their hands with chlorinated lime water prior to attending patients. Mortality rates immediately dropped (see Table 2).

Additional reading: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/01/12/375663920/the-doctor-who-championed-hand-washing-and-saved-women-s-lives

Answer each part in 2-3 sentences.

Homework Questions:

1) What intervention did he propose and why? Did it work?

2) How might Semmelweis revise his original hypothesis or modify his experiments to gain additional information/support his hypothesis?

Table 2. Monthly Mortality Rate from Puerperal Fever

Monthly Mortality Rate from Puerperal Fever Mortality Rate 35% : 30% : handwashing 25% 20% ! 15% i. 10% January 1841 January 1842 January 1843 January 1844 January 1845 January 1846 January 1847 January 1848 January 1849 Month HandwashingBfoe After

Answer 1

1) Semmelweis proposed a strict hand wash, included a hand wash and wash of instruments not just with soap solution,but also with chlorine solution. He proposed this intervention because the mortality rate due to puerperal fever in the maternity ward attended by male medical students and physicians were five times higher than the maternityward that was attended by the midwives. The introduction of the intervention made the mortality rate to drop down to below 5% that were on an average 25% before the introduction of the intervention.

2. Semmelweis didn't had any knowledge of germs,he simply thought that Medical practitioners who did autopsies carried those foul smelling particles to women during the child birth. This made them sick to childbed fever and caused their death. If Semmelweis had conducted the study on the germs which were later discovered by Louis Pastuer then he would have got the acclamation that he deserved.