Pulse-Project.org
Podcasting, University Lectures and Science Education
Benedek Varga studied history, archivist studies and philosophy at the ELTE University, Budapest. He was an honorary visiting fellow at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London, in 1991-92; and a visiting researcher at King’s College Cambridge in 1994 (2 months) as well as at the Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, in 2000.
Ignaz Semmelweis (1818 – 1865) was a Hungarian physician who, in 1847, discovered that the incidence of puerperal fever could be drastically cut by improving on hand washing standards. As head of Vienna General Hospital's First Obstetrical Clinic, he reduced puerperal fever’s mortality rate to 1-3%. Although his achievements were welcomed by some, he also encountered serious criticism. Dismissed from his post in 1850, Semmelweis returned to Budapest where he worked as a university professor in obstetrics. But by the time of his death aged 47 in 1865, Semmelweis’ mental balance had collapsed, he had been deserted by his family and friends, and was soon forgotten.
© 2008. All content, Pulse-Project.org
