Why was Ignaz Semmelweiss so important?

Answer 1

Semmelweiss (also spelled Semmelweis) is considered a pioneer in the use of handwashing with an antiseptic agent -- in his case, a solution that now would be called a bleach solution. He is also called the "savior of women" in that, when his antiseptic solution technique was used, the mortality rate among women giving birth drastically dropped. Pueperal fever, or "childbed fever", was rampant in hospitals where doctors attending laboring women did not wash their hands with the antiseptic solution. However, despite the drastic reduction in deaths among postpartum women (women who had given birth), Dr. Semmelweiss was ridiculed among his peers, and was vilely mistreated in medical circles. Eventually, he was deemed "insane" and coaxed into visiting an asylum, where he was held against his will, and, when he tried to leave, was severely beaten by guards. He died after only about two weeks of incarceration there, ironically, of septicemia (blood poisoning) -- the very thing he was a pioneer against.