Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister
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The Right Honourable The Lord Lister OM PC PRS |
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Photograph of Lister in 1902
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| President of the Royal Society | |
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In office 1895–1900 |
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| Preceded by | The Lord Kelvin |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Huggins |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 April 1827 Upton House, West Ham, England |
| Died | 10 February 1912 (aged 84) Walmer, Kent, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Agnes Lister (nee Syme) |
| Signature |  |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine |
| Institutions |
King's College London University of Glasgow University of Edinburgh University College, London |
| Alma mater | University College, London |
| Known for | Surgical sterile techniques |
| Notable awards |
Royal Medal (1880) Albert Medal (1894) Copley Medal (1902) |
Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, OM PC PRS (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912), known between 1883 and 1897 as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery. By applying Louis Pasteur's advances in microbiology, he promoted the idea of sterile portable ports while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Lister successfully introduced carbolic acid (now known as phenol) to sterilise surgical instruments and to clean wounds, which led to a reduction in post-operative infections and made surgery safer for patients, distinguishing himself as the "father of modern surgery".
Lister came from a prosperous Quaker home in West Ham, Essex, England, a son of Joseph Jackson Lister, a pioneer of achromatic object lenses for the compound microscope.
At school, he became a fluent reader of French and German. A young Joseph Lister attended Benjamin Abbott's Isaac Brown Academy, a Quaker school in Hitchin (since converted into the "Lord Lister" public house). As a teenager, Lister attended Grove House School Tottenham, studying mathematics, natural science, and languages.
He attended University College, London, one of only a few institutions which accepted Quakers at that time. He initially studied botany and obtained a bachelor of Arts degree in 1847. He registered as a medical student and graduated with honours as Bachelor of Medicine, subsequently entering the Royal College of Surgeons at the age of 26. In 1854, Lister became both first assistant to and friend of surgeon James Syme at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in Scotland.
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