One of the First Chemicals Used by Lister to Prevent

Question

One of the first chemicals used by Lister to prevent surgical infections was
A)alcohol.
B)iodine.
C)carbolic acid.
D)mercury.

Accepted Answer

Lister used carbolic acid (also known as phenol) to prevent surgical infections. He would use this as a spray to sanitize the surgical area and also soak his surgical instruments in a carbolic acid solution. Alcohol and iodine were later developed as antiseptics, but were not used by Lister in his initial experiments. Mercury was used as an antiseptic, but has toxic properties and can cause health issues.