Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2009.28 |
Object Name |
Medallion |
Title |
Medallion with Portrait of Joseph Lister |
Artist |
Jacobs, N. C. |
Date |
1926 |
Description |
Plaster medallion cast from clay mold, appears to have shellac-covered surface. Wire-hanging loop. Inscribed "N. C. Jacobs 1926." |
Label |
Joseph, 1st Baron Lister of Lyme Regis, was a surgeon and founder of a system of antiseptic surgery. He was elected to the APS in 1905. The son of microscopist Joseph Jackson Lister, Baron Lister was greatly indebted to his father for imparting to him an early interest in science. After studying at University College, London, Lister settled in Edinburgh and pursued microscopical and physiological experiments in his spare time, outside his work as surgeon to the Royal Infirmary. He later became a fellow of the Royal Society, chair of surgery at Glasgow University, and professor of clinical surgery at the University of Edinburgh. Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, scientists and those in the medical profession debated the causes of the spread of disease. Lister’s development of antiseptic surgery was inspired by Louis Pasteur’s argument that “germs,” suspended in the atmosphere, led to disease. Lister devised a chemical barrier between the wound and the air to prevent germs, using carbolic acid, in 1865. While others were experimenting with similar methods, the revolution in surgery in the 19th century was largely perceived to be Lister’s achievement. He was given a baronage for that reason in 1883. Perhaps Lister’s most lasting fame was the use of his name in Listerine, the antiseptic mouthwash. |
Medium |
Plaster |
Dimensions |
H-7.25 W-5.5 D-0.5 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
19th century nineteenth century twentieth century 20th century sculpture physician scientist |