Joseph Lister (medicine) and worst(1) (iou)

Joseph Lister (medicine)

Joseph Lister -->
Lister, Joseph
<person> Lister's surgical achievements certainly place him as the figurehead of English medicine. Born into a studious Quaker family in Upton, England, where his father was a wealthy Wine merchant and also a maker of optical instruments, Joseph was influenced into scientific problems.

While a medical student, he was encouraged in research, and later published two articles, the first on the dilator and sphincter muscles of the iris (enlarge and diminish the size of the pupil) and the second, describing the involuntary muscles (erector pillores) of the skin which elevated the hairs (and cause "goose bumps").

After graduating from the non-sectarian University of London Medical School, (called the Godless College) he became interested in microscopic anatomy, physiology, the mechanism of inflammation, and intravascular clotting.

Lister migrated to Edinburgh, to visit the famous Syme's Clinic, married Agnes, the daughter of James Syme, Professor of Surgery, and six years later became Chief of Surgery at Glasgow. He experienced friends and dissenters throughout his life. Deeply impressed by the high incidence of mortality after amputations (45%), he insisted on rigid cleanliness.

These were the times that "laudable pus" was necessary to heal wounds. Lister was firmly convinced that pus (purulency) was not necessary, but was actually detrimental to healing. He tried various antiseptic solutions (zinc chloride, bichloride of mercury, sulfites) to sterilise wounds and finally settled on carbolic acid spray (1865).

His patients' mortality dropped dramatically. Lister soaked his silk and catgut sutures in carbolic acid, and used the same solution when he cleansed and dressed wounds frequently. Joseph Lister was called to Edinburgh to follow his father-in-law, Syme as professor. He was the first physician to sit in the House of Lords (1897).

Upon his death this peer of the surgical world was buried in Westminster Abbey alongside his wife, and the entire guild of surgeons realised that the British island had laid to rest her greatest surgeon.

Lived: 1827-1912.

worst(1) (iou)

worst adjective, adverb, & noun.
[Old English wierresta, wyrresta = Old Frisian wersta, Old Saxon wirsista, Old High German wirsisto, Old Norse verstr, from Germanic: see WORSE adjective, -EST1.]
A. adjective. Superl. of the adjectives bad, evil, ill.
Most reprehensible, wicked, or cruel. OE.
Lytton The worst passions are softened by triumph. Cornhill Magazine Editors..often quoted what was worst and most Prussian in Carlyle. W. J. Burley Nicky is a born worrier..he's his own worst enemy.
Least advantageous or desirable, as (a) most harmful, painful, damaging, or unpleasant; (b) most unfavourable or unlucky. OE.
Defoe We thought they ought to be..put to the worst of Deaths. G. Greene Wormold's worst fears about the new model had been justified.
b. Hardest, most difficult to deal with. LME.
Least good; of the lowest quality, value, or importance; most lacking in the required or expected good qualities. ME.
Henry Fielding To charge the same for the very worst provisions, as if they were the best. Lytton That class.., with the best intentions, have made the worst citizens.
pred. Most unfortunate or badly off. rare (Shakes.). Only in E17.
b. adverb.
In the worst manner; to the worst degree; least well or usefully. (With (ppl) adjectives & in comb. freq. with hyphen.) OE.
R. Burns A miller us'd him worst of all, For he crush'd him between two stones. J. S. Le Fanu We are the worst-governed and the worst-managed people on earth.
With a verb of liking, allowing, pleasing, etc.: least well, least. arch. OE.
Shakespeare Pericles Of all the faults beneath the heavens the gods Do like this worst.
C. absol. as noun.
The person or (usu.) persons most objectionable or least estimable in character, behaviour, etc. ME.
Yeats The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.
The worst or most objectionable thing, circumstance, event, behaviour, etc. LME.
H. Macmillan I went through all the emergency plans so as to be prepared for the worst.
b. spec. The worst aspect or part of a thing, a person's character, etc. E17.
L. P. Hartley That's the worst of being a novelistwe never answer letters.
the worst, one's worst, the utmost evil or harm possible. LME.
Shakespeare Henry V To our best mercy give yourselves Or, like to men proud of destruction, Defy us to our worst. W. Morris I did the worst to him I loved the most. J. Wain I decided to have her up here..and let the gossips do their worst.
(Usu. with the.) Defeat in a contest. LME.
W. Godwin In these wars, the Peris generally came off with the worst.
The harshest view or judgement (of a person or thing). LME.
J. Ruskin The worst he can venture to say is, that it is ridiculous.
Phrases, special collocations, & comb.: at its worst, at one's worst (when) in its or one's worst state or mode. at the worst, at worst (a) even on the least favourable view, estimate, etc.; (b) in the worst possible state or case. do your worst: expr. defiance (cf. sense C.3 above). get the worst of it, have the worst of it be defeated. go by the worst: see GO verb. have the worst of it: see get the worst of it above. if it comes to the worst, if the worst comes to the worst if things turn out as badly as possible or conceivable. make the worst of regard or represent in the most unfavourable light. the worst kind US colloq. most thoroughly or severely. worst-case adjective designating or pertaining to the worst of the possible foreseeable outcomes, scenarios, etc. worst-seller (the author of) a book having a very small sale. the worst of both worlds: see WORLD noun.

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