But when it has been shown by the researches of Pasteur that the septic property of the atmosphere depended not on the oxygen, or any gaseous constituent, but on minute organisms suspended in it, which owed their energy to their vitality, it occurred to me that decomposition in the injured part might be avoided without excluding the air, by applying as a dressing some material capable of destroying the life of the floating particles. Upon this principle I have based a practice.
Interpretation
The quote explains Joseph Lister's realization that preventing infection requires addressing microorganisms rather than merely avoiding air exposure.
Joseph Lister's quote reflects his groundbreaking discovery that infections were not solely caused by air but rather by tiny organisms present in the atmosphere. This understanding led him to develop antiseptic practices in surgery, emphasizing the importance of eliminating harmful microorganisms to promote healing while still allowing air to reach the wound. Lister's insights revolutionized medical practices and significantly reduced surgical mortality rates.
In practice
In a medical conference discussing the history of surgical practices.
The nuclear approach I'm involved in is called a traveling-wave reactor, which uses waste uranium for fuel. There's a lot of things that have to go right for that dream to come true - many decades of building demo plants, proving the economics are right. But if it does, you could have cheaper energy with no CO2 emissions.
The incredible diversity oflife on this planet, most of which is microbial, can only beunderstood in an evolutionary framework
Crash programs fail because they are based on theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby in a month.
Some experts say we are moving back to the pre-antibiotic era. No. This will be a post-antibiotic era. In terms of new replacement antibiotics, the pipeline is virtually dry. A post-antibiotic era means, in effect, an end to modern medicine as we know it. Things as common as strep throat or a child's scratched knee could once again kill.
A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.
Statistical science is indispensable to modern statesmanship. In legislation as in physical science it is beginning to be understood that we can control terrestrial forces only by obeying their laws. The legislator must formulate in his statutes not only the national will, but also those great laws of social life revealed by statistics.
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