How NOT to Win Friends and Influence Doctors | Ignaz Semmelweis

Why were women safer giving birth with midwives than with doctors?In 1840s Vienna, Ignaz Semmelweis uncovered a horrifying answer: doctors themselves were carrying deadly infection from the autopsy room to the maternity ward.His solution was astonishingly simple—wash your hands.But being right wasn’t enough.In Episode 2 of The Greatest Doctors, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman travels to Vienna to trace Semmelweis’s story firsthand, including conversations with medical historian Dr. Bernhard Leitner, Austria guide Marieta Teich, and Johannes Culen of the Semmelweis Foundation.It’s a story of discovery, resistance, institutional politics, passion, and the tragic consequences of having the truth but struggling to persuade others to listen.Plus: what Semmelweis taught me about advocating for my own patients when the healthcare system gets in the way.The science has changed. The human problem hasn’t.Further Reading & SourcesFor listeners interested in exploring the history and legacy of Ignaz Semmelweis further:Paul S, et al. Pioneering Hand Hygiene: Ignaz Semmelweis and the Fight Against Puerperal Fever. Cureus. 2024.A review of Semmelweis’s work in Vienna, puerperal fever, mortality in the maternity clinics, and the introduction of chlorinated-lime hand disinfection.Loudon I. Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis’ Studies of Death in Childbirth. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 2013.A historical review of Semmelweis’s investigation of childbed fever and the striking mortality differences between Vienna’s maternity clinics.Jadraque PP, et al. What Happened at Vienna’s Allgemeines Krankenhaus After Semmelweis’s Contract Was Terminated? Epidemiology and Infection. 2017.An examination of Semmelweis’s departure from the Vienna General Hospital and the historical controversy surrounding what happened afterward.World Health Organization. WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care. 2009.The modern evidence base and international recommendations for hand hygiene and prevention of healthcare-associated infections.Semmelweis Foundation.Information on Semmelweis’s continuing legacy and the Foundation’s modern work in hospital hygiene, infection prevention, education, and awareness.Additional material for this episode came from my trip to Vienna and firsthand interviews and conversations with:• Dr. Bernhard Leitner — medical historian, University of Vienna; interviewed at the Josephinum• Johannes Culen — Secretary General, Semmelweis Foundation• Marieta Teich — Austria Guide, who guided me through the medical history of the Josephinum and University of Viennahttps://see-vienna.com/