LISTER JOSEPH: (1827-1912) English Surgeon.

A.L.S., Lister, one page, 8vo, Park Crescent, Portland Place, 25th January 1900, to Dr. [Donald] MacAlister. Lister announces that he feels very honoured by the request of the Special Board of Medicine, and gladly accedes, concluding 'I hope, however, that I may never have to exercise the function'. VGSir Donald MacAlister (1854-1934) Scottish Physician, elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1886. MacAlister played an important part in the work of the General Medical Council (GMC) and served as its President from 1904-31.A pioneer of antiseptic surgery, Lister applied Louis Pasteur's advances in microbiology to promote the idea of sterile portable ports. He introduced carbolic acid (phenol) to sterilise surgical instruments and clean wounds, which led to a reduction in post-operative infections and made surgery safer for parents. Distinguished as 'the father of modern surgery', Listerine mouthwash was named in honour of Lister in 1879