This is an intriguing look at the life of Joseph Lister, born near London in 1827, and his dedicated work to discover germs and implement practices that ultimately saved countless lives throughout the world. By integrating a fascinating, sometimes gruesome history of doctors, surgeons, and hospitals of the time, the author gives a lively account of Lister’s childhood education and his decision to become a surgeon. Upon starting work at a hospital, he became obsessed with the alarming death rate of his patients (nearly 50%!) in spite of fully successful operations and started researching the problem on his own. Eventually, by combining his own experiments guided by the scientific method, and utilizing information gleaned from other contemporary medical publications, he came to the conclusion that germs were causing infections in the patients who were dying. His recommendations for sanitizing surgeries, including simple activities that we take for granted today such as handwashing and instrument cleaning, took a long time to become widely accepted. Lister’s tenacity should serve as an inspiration to budding scientists and doctors.

This book is recommended for 8-12 year-olds and includes a timeline, glossary, notes, bibliography, index, and color illustrations throughout. It is a biography I would suggest to readers interested in medicine, the scientific method, and the history of 19th Century medical practices.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, University of Southern Maine, Gorham Campus Library