The Victorian era not only founded problems, but also helped create medical breakthroughs that will last forever or be improved upon. Joseph Lister, a well-known surgeon of the time, had revolutionized the sanitization of post-operative wounds. “Not until Joseph Lister demonstrated in 1860 that hospital infections could be prevented by the abundant use of carbolic acid as an antiseptic did hospitals gradually become safer.” (Health, Medicine, and Society in Victorian England p. 25-26) Lister wanted a safer and more sterile environment for performing surgery and for his patients to recover from procedures. So, unlike the doctors of his time, he used carbolic acid as an antiseptic on wounds. Dr. Lister first experimented with carbolic acid as an antiseptic, but eventually worked with other things such as zinc chloride on some wounds. “After reading Pasteur's work, published in 1861, Lister had devolved the process of antisepsis. He started with carbolic acid as an antiseptic agent, but continued to test other agents as well.” (Health, Medicine, and Society in Victorian England p. 30) It became very famous for its antiseptic process, which is still partly used in modern medicine. Carbolic acid, however, was Lister's favorite or most used antiseptic on wounds. Dr. Joseph Lister used carbolic acid even more after Pasteur published another study. “Also in 1860, surgeon Joseph Lister applied Pasteur's theory to the problem of wound infections, using the disinfectant carbolic acid to kill germs and prevent wound infection.” (Health, Medicine, and Society in Victorian England p. 65) He thought that the use of this specific substance would give his patients not only the best outcomes but would also prevent the terrifying “hospital gangrene.” Many p......half article......, Dr. John Snow, a very famous anesthetist, was well known for his administration of ether and chloroform, which he strongly preferred over any other anesthetic. In 1895 Wilhelm Roentgen made an absolutely astonishing medical discovery that would change medicine significantly. “X-rays were discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Roentgen (1845-1923), a professor at the University of Würzburg in Germany.” (NDE/NDT Resource Center) The X-ray machine is so uniquely irreplaceable that if Wilhelm had not discovered X-rays, medicine would have completely changed, even though another person would probably discover it later. However, X-rays have helped doctors correctly diagnose people and learn more about the body to help improve medicine. The entire nineteenth century was known for its worst problems, but it also created a completely new perspective of public health and medicine.