2. Contribution to Global Health
Peurperal fever was a hospital based
being 60x more common in hospital.
It was caused by a bacteria, streptococcus
pyogenes.
It was found that diseases can be passed
person to person.
3. Infections can be transmitted between people
INFECTION 60X MORE COMMON IN
HOSPITAL THAN AT HOMES.
DR. GORDON NOTED THAT THE DISEASE
FOLLOWED HIM AROUND ENGLAND.
IT WAS MORE COMMON ON DOCTORS DAY
WARDS THAT NURSES NIGHT WARDS.
4. Handwashing Procedures
SEMMELWEIS STUDIED PEURPERAL FEVER IN
UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA HOSPITAL.
HE FOUND THAT DOCTORS WERE GOING
FROM AUTOPSIES DIRECTLY TO THE WARDS
WITHOUT HANDWASHING, WHICH LEAD TO
SPREAD OF ILLNESS.
PROPER HANDWASHING LED TO A
IN INFECTION BY 90%.
5. Epidemic/Endemic tracking
IT WAS BY TRACKING HIS MOVEMENTS ACROSS
ENGLAND THAT DR. GORDON DISCOVERED
TRANSMISSIBLE NATURE OF THE INFECTION.
THIS WAS A BREAKTHROUGH FOR MODERN
GLOBAL MEDICINE, AND HAS GIVEN RISE TO
CONTACT TRACING AND VIRUS MAPPING.
INFLUENZA IS CONTINUALLY MONITORED IN
THIS WAY BY THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANISATION.
