Why Doctors Refused to Wash Their Hands | The Semmelweis Reflex

In 1840s Vienna, doctors were unknowingly carrying deadly infections from autopsy rooms into maternity wards. One doctor, Ignaz Semmelweis, discovered something shocking: simply washing their hands could dramatically reduce the number of women dying after childbirth. But instead of being celebrated, Semmelweis was rejected and ridiculed by many of his colleagues. His story eventually became associated with what we now call the *Semmelweis Reflex* — the tendency to reject new evidence when it challenges deeply held beliefs. This is the incredible true story of Ignaz Semmelweis, the discovery of hand hygiene, childbed fever, and one of the most fascinating examples of resistance to new ideas in medical history. From the Vienna General Hospital to the rise of germ theory, discover how one overlooked doctor helped change modern medicine. #semmelweis #medicalhistory #history #handwashing #historyexplained #sciencehistory #doodle