Isabella’s wound healed without suppuration due to Lister’s careful application of carbolic acid during and after her procedure. Because of his efforts, Isabella lived another three years before the cancer returned, this time in her liver. Unlike before, there was nothing Lister could do for her. His antiseptic system, however, brought about a new hope for the future of breast surgery. One day soon, the surgeon would be able to base his decisions to perform mastectomies on prognosis alone—not on whether a patient was at risk of developing postoperative sepsis.
