Life and legacy of Lister at King's
Posted on 21/03/2012
Joseph Lister
A conference celebrating the life of pioneering surgeon, and King’s Professor, Joseph Lister is taking place at King’s this week.
‘Learning from Lister’ (22-24 March) explores Lister’s life, methods and ideas and looks at his lasting impact on medicine and surgical practice.
Organised by Professor Brian Hurwitz, Director of the Centre for the Humanities and Health, the programme includes keynote speeches, panel sessions, an exhibition of Lister’s instruments and a guided walk entitled ‘Guts, Germs and Glory: Joseph Lister’s London’ on Sunday morning.
The conference will be opened by Professor Sir Rick Trainor, Principal of King’s, on Thursday evening. The following two days will see debate and discussion by medical professionals and academics from around the world.
Speakers include Dr Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, President of the Royal Society, Professor Norman Williams, and former Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson.
Lister was Professor of Clinical Surgery at King’s from 1877 to 1893, where he led the advancement to apply science to antisepsis and ensure it became part of surgical procedure.
One of Lister’s most significant impacts on medicine was the development of antiseptic surgery. He advocated the importance of keeping instruments clean before, during and after operations to avoid infection, a process he professionalised and ensured it became the standard for future physicians.
His career later saw him appointed President of the Royal Society in 1905.
The ‘Learning from Lister’ exhibition, which conference delegates will visit on Friday evening, has been on show in the Weston Room at the Maughan Library since January. Items on display include Lister’s surgical instrument case, a surgical casebook and a carbolic spray dispenser.
For further information on the conference, please see: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/cultural/lister2012/index.aspx
For further information on the exhibition, please see: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/archivespec/exhibitions/SpecialCollPhysical.aspx
For further media information contact Anna Mitchell on 0207 848 3092 or at anna.i.mitchell@kcl.ac.uk.
For more details about King’s see our ‘King’s in Brief’ page.