Atheism, Faith, Scientist, and The Obstetrician that Died In an Insane Asylum, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis
70Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis was born on the first day of July in 1818 somewhere in Budapest, Hungary. His family was wealthy from the grocery business, and he was the fifth of ten children. Ignaz grew up, and went on to law school in the year of 1837 at the University of Vienna. For reasons unknown to any but him, and to the benefit of all - Ignaz switched to the study of medicine the following year. He was awarded the earned degree of Medical Doctor in 1844.
Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis had sought an appointment in internal medicine, but decided to become an obstetrician instead. On his twenty eighth birthday he was appointed a position akin to the modern chief resident at the First Obstetrical Clinic of the Vienna General Hospital.
During this time there was a huge problem of infanticide rampant throughout Europe, and to combat this free maternity clinics were abundant.
Ignaz Phillipp Semmelweis
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The Savior Of Mothers.
Puerperal fever was the scourge of 19th century birth clinics, and Doctor Ignaz Semmelweis became obsessed with determining just exactly WHY the infection rates for puerperal fever were higher at some clinics than at others. Most women at the time delivered at home, but those who had to take to the hospitals, due to poverty, illegitimacy, or birth complications, suffered a mortality of 25-30 percent; Semmelweis was so distraught by this, and his seeming inability as a medical professional to combat it effectively, that he'd stated, that because of it - his life seemed to be not worth the living.
Some physicians believed the infection to be caused by crowdedness, poor ventilation, beginning lactation, or misma. Despite strong resistance from his superior, who had accepted the disease as non-preventable, Semmelweis commenced his work on finding the causes of the misery. He didn't know it then, but his pursuit would have him persecuted by nearly the entire scientific community - and though he would offend many medical doctors with his thoughts and findings, he would later become known as the Savior Of Mothers.
What happened was that Semmelweis used statistical analysis to discover the etiology and preventative measures that should be taken to prevent the spreading of puerperal fever in new mothers. His brilliant fact finding, and keen inductive reasoning led him to KNOW that prophylactic hand washing and antisepsis were the answers to the unseen problems leading to a horrific mortality rate in new mothers. He'd instituted measures of prevention in his hospitals and clinics DESPITE the deliberate opposition and uninformed resistance of nearly all medical professionals and modern scientist. He knew that he was right, and he WAS right. He did not need to prove what he could not prove - his measures proved themselves right.
Ignaz Phillipp Semmelweis - "A Gentleman ALWAYS Washes His Hands!"
Science Persecutes Humanity with That Which Is UNPROVEN.
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Using childish openness to imprinting to impart superstitions is wrong, to use this innocence and vulnerability to instil fear and guilt goes beyond wrong and becomes, in my mind, evil.
The Persecution of Semmelweis
Ignaz Semmelweis was persecuted by the scientific community of his day for believing in things that he could not see and could not prove to their satisfaction. Despite reducing the mortality rate of new mothers so dramatically that he became known throughout modern history as The Savior of Mothers, he died alone and beaten - persecuted for his beliefs.
In 1861, he published a book, but the community rejected his doctrine. In 1865 he suffered a nervous breakdown and was taken to a mental hospital, where he was beaten by asylum personnel and died. It took another 14 years for the discovery to be accepted, after Louis Pasteur, in 1879, showed the presence of Streptococcus in the blood of women with child fever. Semmelweis is now recognized as a pioneer of antiseptic policy.
Semmelweis was a true martyr of science. Martyred for his faith in that which he could not prove. Today, we live in a world where science has become corrupted by business interests, and political agendas. People are coerced everywhere into accepting things that science can not prove. There are so many examples of this that it's startling. Ignoramus Richard Dawkins wants to make it child abuse to teach theism to children. I'll quote Richards superior, Sir Carl Sagan
¨Absence of proof is not proof of absence."
The persecution of the religious is the new fascism. The Dawkins hordes march across America screaming that they are persecuted. But The Savior Of Mothers was beaten to death for faith in what he'd been unable to prove - but the lesson here is clear.
"ABSENCE OF PROOF IS NOT PROOF OF ABSENCE."
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Interesting biography of a remarkable man. Just unsure why his scientific fact being proven after his death has any bearing on the debate between religious faith and non-believers. Theism can never be proven, so the debate will always be there.
Wesman, there exist many folks that deny the being of our creation, line them up and start dropping napalm at their feet you'll meet many a new found batch of folks crying out for relief, your statement,
"ABSENCE OF PROOF IS NOT PROOF OF ABSENCE."
Theism, proves it's self, if you don't hear, feel or see it, you just might be Evil!
tells the story all might ought to study on, peace, dusty
Cool story - But I have read it before.
i am a member of the semmelweiss society for doctors who have been persecuted for sticking up for patients. yes, it still goes on today.
i don't see what semmelweiss has to do with theism.
Thanks Tom!!!!!!!!!! I thought it made the point about the invalidity and unacceptability of the militant atheist supposition. I don't know how anyone could have missed it.
Tallgardener - the point is that atheism can't be proven either.
Thank you for your comment!
But semmelweiss's theory could be proven with the development of science...so is your point that God will be proven as time goes on? If so, how?
LOL! Tallgardener - science won't be needed.
Your question "HOW?" Is ridiculous - there was no "HOW?" for Semmelweiss, or the scientist of his time either!
Hey Dusty - I do not believe that atheist even exist - I believe it's merely a willful state of denial, caused by some sort of "sin."
But his theory WAS proven eventually, your hub stated that.
I am a happy atheist, I think I exist because I am typing this now. I'm not in denial about the magical Jew who died for our sins. He was just a man, a man with an idea. It's a shame so many of you try to justify everything with the spoutings of a crackpot.
I think your hub about this interesting man was a good one, until you decided to translate it to the battle between the god fearing and those that have the intelligence to see through organised religion.
Religion is a man made construct - higher powers than humanity are NOT.
Of course his theory was proven - but he didn't know it, and you nor I know what the future will prove true that isn't believed at all today - is the heart of the issue.
Brilliant analogy and presentation, thanks.
John
voted up and all that!
Thanks Sir!!!! I kinda lucked onto the trail of the Semmelweis story - I'm sad to say that I'd not heard of him until the other day, the anniversary of his death.
"I kinda lucked onto the trail of the Semmelweis story - I'm sad to say that I'd not heard of him until the other day, the anniversary of his death."
Well that sounds like a mite bit of divine inspiration!
I agree to that! I got all excited, and instantly knew what I was going to do with it when I read the particulars.
Of course I know that I'll get . . ..cussed up and down, left and right for "my" analogy here - but whatever.
I'm always . . .seemingly, included into every philosophy debate group on Facebook, or whatever the going social network is; and it's generally there where I get argued left and right, rather than here.
Some folks will always refuse to see anything but what they want to see - and I might be one of them, but I don't guess that I even can be any other way.
Thanks for that Wesman. Great people, like that doctor, deserve to be remembered. It's idiots, like the people who persecuted him, who deserve only to have rotten eggs, and parts from the dead bodies of the people they let die, stuffed down their throats.
Richard Dawkins probably knows that what he preaches is rubbish, but it has given him fame and wealth, and that will remain enough for him for now.
"Richard Dawkins probably knows that what he preaches is rubbish" and of course he is not alone there, as plenty of preachers of Churchianity know the same thing, and also collect their 'rewards' here on earth, leaving them bankrupt in eternity.
Dawkin's stands out for his blindness to any eternal accounting to face up to.
Still unsure as to how Semmelweis's brilliance can be translated to an affirmation of how God may exist.
Best of luck to all you believers, but I'll take my chances with what I can see with my own eyes, rather than what western culture deems the good and proper way.
Maybe there is an eastern hubber who will use this remarkable man as an allegory to explain and justify Islam, and to counteract the 'Evil West.' I'll just use him to tell me how men who have ideas before their time can be persecuted.
"Still unsure as to how Semmelweis's brilliance can be translated to an affirmation of how God may exist."
Errrr.... not being too complicated, but basically the concept is that the guy got castigated by the 'scientists' (who obviously knew better) because what he proposed was contrary to their 'scientific' beliefs.
We still see that today, scientists (and rationalists)declaring that because THEY cannot prove what believers have experienced, THEY (the scientists and rationalists) MUST be correct in assuming that what believer know is incorrect.
Amazing arrogance!
Of course non believers are staking their lives on their beliefs, just as the scientists were staking the mothers lives on their disbelief about Semmelweis's pronouncements.
Is that any clearer?
John
Errr....semmelweis was a scientist not a Christian prophet, he was merely a medic ahead of his time.
A scientist being proved right after his death, and by science itself, does not correlate to a 2000 year old man with outlandish spiritual beliefs being proved right by science. It's been a while and still no evidence. Another 2000 years and there will still be no scientific evidence.
Errrr, any clearer?
I remember the story of this man. I read it when I was a young girl. I was appalled at something that seemed a simple matter of common sense - washing your hands - could be met such opposition. But you know what? What happened to Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis has happened to others. It's called ignorance.
Errr, yes very clear, you have never experienced a Christ relationship and you cannot envisage one.
By your reckoning TV and Radio waves never existed until we invented a receiver, shucks I can hear you now 200 years ago denying any possibility of those waves which surround us could be anything more than a mirage.... yes I understand.
Oh dear, you seem to be struggling now. Using scientific breakthroughs by free thinkers is hardly something in the Church's favour.
Must get off now, I am hoping for a visit from the tooth fairy tonight, and I have an early meeting in the morning with some leprechauns.
Best wishes.
Hey Chris - I'm rather sure that the Rockefeller push for secular humanist government has endowed the Dawkins Foundation quite handsomely!!!!
I sometimes hope that someone will just nuke Dallas/Ft. Worth - so as I don't have to see how much more awful this world will get.
I like to think that I've sealed my deals as it is - Luckily I don't call many of the shots, none of them, really. . . .
Hi mib56789 !!!! I know the feeling, but the idea of bacteria and blood born illness . . .didn't exist! They had not reason to believe in communicable diseases at all - mind blowing these days.
I suppose (or hope) that hand washing was at least employed after having to take care of business in the rest rooms! OH MY!
Hey Wes! - To you readers aquasilver and Tallgarderner.
I'm not trying to get all up in their grill but my comment is kinda sandwiched in between the two of them. I was just going to point out that God had instructed the Jews to wash their hands under running water a long time before the doctor came up with that idea. In fact many of their sanctification laws (i.e. set apart to be holy laws) incorporated sanitation practices that promoted cleanliness and controlled the spread of disease.
I'm just saying.
mib56789!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AWESOME AND OUTSTANDING COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TWENTY AMAZING HUB TOPICS ALL IN THAT ONE COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Wes
You stirred things up with this one!
I didn't see this as an article to do with religious faith or atheism.
I don't think everything has to be scientifically proven.
Just like I don't think it has to be proven whether there is a God. You either believe or don't believe.
LOL! Sueswan -SSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! (don't let my game out!)
No, not everything needs to be proven - but there are millions of people right now who think otherwise, and their ranks are growing.
LOL! Wes. Your game is safe with me.
:=[D>
Hey Todd! Thanks back at ya. I agree with Sueswan. I thought it was a historical bio and health-related because you said you were going to start writing on health topics. When I saw this HUB I thought, great idea! (NO RSVP. I'm done.)
LOL!!!! What's going to be a challenge for me, mib56789, is writing about ANYTHING without turning it into some sort of political semi philosophical rant.
When scientist like Richard Dawkins start making political commentary, I sort of get ill!
Hi Wes,
Another awesome hub! I'm ashamed to say that even although I'm a nurse I hadn't heard of this wonderful man! But I often wonder why our species are so bloody stupid! Time and time again throughout our history brave people have had to brave abuse just because they have tried to improve things? In many cases I think it was sheer jealousy! Some in the Scientific community are no better than the witchfinder generals of previous centuries!
I agree as well about science/money/organisations. A few years ago in the UK one brave scientist was going to go on TV for an interview with the late Graham Birdsall of UFO Magazine (UK)but the scientist guy told Graham that he was pulling out. Why? Because he had received threatening phone calls both from his boss and two others unknown saying they would pull all funding from his research if he went on TV. The guy had a wife and kids to support and he backed down. Just goes to show what slime balls are out there!
YEP!!!!
Thank you - Seeker7!!!
You've also sort of hit on why I can get away with saying everything I think up - I don't have much in the way of people to worry about offending!
Scientist Like Dawkins - ARE high priest witch hunters, and the new atheist hordes are just ITCHING to burn people at the stake. I can see it coming.
I don't think the atheist majority have any vendetta against religious groups, we're not all grouping up to cause pain to the believers, we just feel that children should be schooled in the facts.
An earlier comment of yours referred to an American city being 'nuked'. Slightly aggressive. You'd struggle to find a non believer wanting bad things to happen to millions of innocent people. We just don't believe what you believe and want to get on with life.
You think it's not feasible or possible or valid to think that with all the corporate fueled aggression and military spending and war mongering against innocents in the name of greed -that isn't enough to warrant some fear of "us" being nuked?
Hey, I'm just saying that I hope to go out in a spontaneous combustion sort of way. I can't think of any reason why I'd want to die of radiation poisoning.
DaVince, Einstein, Newton, Aristotle, and many other great minds have generally suffered for their contributions to society.
Being intelligent sucks. Applying that intelligence sucks even more. Being extraordinarily intelligent can cost you your life.
You've got that right, Willie!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's not what's going to be on my gravestone though - it's probably going to be something more like
"Totally unfit for global government slavery."
I understand what your hub was saying. People need to relax and not get so uptight on every issue.
Atheist are sometimes very jumpy - because all they know or think that they even understand - came from Richard Dawkins, and he don't know dick!
I liked the summary very much and appreciated the work in this piece.
Sir Miles - YOU are a scholar and a gentleman! It's just a fact that hookers and strippers like my penis more than yours though :-\
justom Level 4 Commenter 9 months ago
Damn Todd, you knocked this one out of the park dude! A perfect way to make your point. Never heard of this guy til now. Nice work man!!!