Joseph Lister (1827-1912) was an English Quaker and was thus debarred from Oxford or Cambridge. However, University College London had been founded in 1826 and he qualified in medicine there and then chose to train with Professor Syme in Edinburgh. He distinguished himself and was appointed Regius Professor of Surgery in Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1860. Statue of Lister in Kelvingrove Park, West End of Glasgow Photo: J.Wilson He chose carbolic acid as his antiseptic. Phenol or carbolic acid had been discovered by Friedlieb Runge, a German chemist, in 1834. Lister started by treating wounds with dilute carbolic acid solutions and went on to operate with instruments washed in carbolic acid, with drapes and skin cleaned with it, and even used a carbolic acid spray to try to remove bacteria in the air. His results were sensational and modern surgery was born after he published his results in The Lancet in 1867. One day, while walking up High Street, Thomas Anderson asked ...
For Europe Day 2021, enjoy one of six walking routes around some places in Glasgow with European links & places in the wider West of Scotland area with interesting links to Europe.