Surgery

Sterilizer (1)

The enforcement of asepsis is closely linked to the name Josef Lister. His principle was to purify the air, the surgeon's hands and the instruments of pathogenic germs before they came into contact with open wounds. LISTER decided to favor the effect of chemical antiseptics on the physical mechanisms (heat, filtration). Who is not familiar with the term carbolic acid, especially in the context of the nickname for nurses derived from it.

The procedure was very successful worldwide, although it was not completely safe for the surgeon and the patient. In Germany, it was the Leipzig surgeon Carl TIERSCH and the Berlin doctor James ISRAEL, who introduced asepsis at the Jewish Hospital in Berlin. It is exciting that the aseptic principle prevailed at a time when one hardly knew the pathogens of the infections to be prevented. Their research was Robert KOCH's task.

In his further research Robert KOCH discovered in the seventies of the penultimate century that some now known pathogens could by no means be completely killed by mere wetting with varying percent carbolic acid. Even other more aggressive disinfectants did not produce the desired result. So he turned to the heat disinfection, which was already used in some hospitals at that time. However, he had recognized by his research that it is not enough to destroy only the living forms of bacteria, but especially their reproductive, the viable spores. However, spores were not destroyed by the simple heat disinfection. The use of heat combined with steam followed after KOCH discovered that anthrax spores did not survive two minutes in boiling water, but needed dry heat for an approximate effect but a time of 3 hours at 140 ° C.

Another well-known physician from Berlin earned the application of the theoretical results - Kurt SCHIMMELBUSCH. In the 1892 for the first time published "instructions for the aseptic wound treatment" he entered definitely for the results of research KOCH's and documented already excellent results. Hospitalbrand was almost completely suppressed under consideration of aseptic wound treatment. Technological progress allowed the design of sterilizers. The surgeon was no longer the sufferer of fate, he could even influence the positive course of wound healing. To this date, the basic features of Schimmelbusch's aseptic have not changed much. Added to this was only the use of surgical gowns and gloves and the disinfection of the surgical field by iodine.

We present a small table unit by the Parisian company THENOT, collapsible. Firing with gasoline resp. Spirit. Such devices allowed a reasonably reliable kill of the living forms of common bacteria - often in the presence of the patient, in the apartment. Thus, they had, if not a real disinfection effect at least an educational, that is advertising effect on the clientele ...