When President James Garfield was shot in 1881, his doctors probed the wounds with unsterilized fingers and instruments. Most U.S. medical professionals had not yet adopted antiseptic procedures.

Lajos Koltai's period drama tells the story of Hungarian doctor Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures known as "the savior of mothers." By Scott Roxborough Europe ...

While a mature, intact epidermis is an effective barrier to infection, surgery and other invasive procedures break the skin’s barrier, allowing the migration of skin-dwelling and environmental ...

Antiseptic is a chemical often used to clean and clear up ... you may have noticed doctors rubbing their hands with an orange-tinted liquid before going for a surgical procedure. This is antiseptic.