直到19世纪的30年代,外科手术的死亡率仍然相当高,几乎每2位接受手术治疗的病人中就有1个死亡。特别是复杂骨折的病人,这类病人一般皮肤迸裂,骨骼暴露于空气中,形成开放性骨折,几乎无法避免血液中毒。外科医生所能做的仅仅是为病人截肢,就是这样也还有一半人死亡。居高不下的死亡率迫使一些医院准备关闭外科病房。这样的事实使英国医生李斯特(图1)感到极端困惑和内疚。他常常在思考,到底是什么夺去了这些病人的生命? Until the 1930s, surgical mortality was still high, with almost one out of every two patients undergoing surgery. Especially complex fractures of patients, such patients generally skin rupture, bone exposure to the air, the formation of open fractures, almost impossible to avoid blood poisoning. Surgeons can do just amputation of the patient, so there are still half the deaths. High mortality has forced some hospitals to prepare to close surgical wards. This fact makes the British doctor Liszt (Figure 1) extremely confused and guilty. He often pondered, in the end what took the lives of these patients?