Lister was born to a prosperous, educated Quaker family in the village of Upton, then near but now in London, England. He was the fourth child and second son of four sons and three daughters born to gentleman scientist and … See more

As a child, Lister had a stammer and this was possibly the reason why he was educated at home until he was eleven. Lister then attended Isaac Brown and Benjamin Abbott's Academy, a private Quaker sch… See more

Before Lister's studies of surgery, many people believed that chemical damage from exposure to "bad air", or miasma, was responsible for infections in wounds. Hospital wards were occasionally aired out at midday a… See more

Syme was a well-established clinical lecturer at Edinburgh University for more than two decades before he met Lister and was considered the boldest and most original surgeon then living in Great Britain. He becam… See more