When doctors didn't wash their hands
Once upon a time, giving birth in a hospital was less safe than giving birth at home. The role of bacteria in infectious diseases was still unknown, so doctors didn't even wash their hands.
Ignaz Semmelweiss understood the correlation and persuaded the doctors in his department to wash their hands before touching the mother in labor. The mortality rate dropped dramatically, but his ideas were rejected, he was marginalized, and...
Discover his story and his fate in the related video.