Trained in medicine at University College, London, Lister received his degree in 1852 and took a position with the teacher of surgery, James Syme, in Edinburgh. In 1856, he became a surgeon with the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. In 1859, he became a professor of surgery at Glasgow University and in 1861 was appointed surgeon to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Having worked for some time in the area of asepsis, Lister was stimulated by the work of Louis Pasteur in 1865, and began his own work with carbolic acid as an antiseptic in surgery. In 1869, he became the professor of clinical surgery at the University of Edinburgh. In 1877, he was appointed to the same position at King's College, London. A pioneer in the field of antiseptics, Lister published numerous scientific papers, many of which appeared in The Lancet. Lister was knighted and became the 1st Baron Lister, of Lyme Regis. |
