ABSTRACT

Puerperal fever was common in mid-19th-century hospitals and often fatal, with mortality at 10%-35%. Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis was a Hungarian gynecologist who is known as a pioneer of antiseptic procedures. Semmelweis discovered that the incidence of puerperal fever could be drastically cut by the use of hand disinfection in obstetrical clinics. He is also described as the “savior of mothers” and “father of infection control”. This paper provides an overview on the process of preventing puerperal fever and the life story of the physician behind this attempt, Ignaz Semmelweis, through philately.

Keywords: Ignaz Semmelweis, puerperal fever, infection, history, philately