Home » Themes » People » Foreigners
Ignaz SemmelweisPrint Page 
The portrait bust commemorates Ignaz Semmelweis (1818 - 1865), a German-Hungarian physician who discovered the cause of puerperal (childbed) fever and introduced antisepsis into medical practice.
Educated at the universities of Pest and Vienna, Semmelweis received his doctor’s degree from Vienna in 1844 and was appointed assistant at the obstetric clinic in Vienna. He soon became involved in the problem of puerperal infection, the scourge of maternity hospitals throughout Europe. Although most women delivered at home, those who had to seek hospitalization because of poverty, illegitimacy, or obstetrical complications faced mortality rates ranging as high as 25–30 percent.
Some thought that the infection was induced by overcrowding, poor ventilation, the onset of lactation, or miasma. Semmelweis proceeded to investigate its cause over the strong objections of his chief, who, like other continental physicians, had reconciled himself to the idea that the disease was unpreventable.
Location
| Address: | Ginninderra Drive & Allawoona Street, Building 28, Univeristy of Canberra, Bruce, 2617 |
|---|---|
| State: | ACT |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.23486 Long: 149.08762 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Foreigners |
| Artist: | Sándor Györfi |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2019 |
|---|
Semmelweis
1818 - 1865
Famous Hungarian doctor of medicine
The saviour of mothers
May this statue symbolise the triumph of dedication and science over denial and disbelief.
Ignaz Semmelweis the "Savior of Mothers" who discovered the cause of childbirth fever and introduced a reliable prevention to avoid it
Donated by the Hungarian State
Initiated by His Excellency Dr Istvan Mikola
Artist
Adam Gyorfi
2019
