In September 1877, Lister slipped quietly away from the Scottish city where he had first fallen in love with the bloodied and butchering art of surgery under the tutelage of his great mentor, James Syme. But just before boarding the train, he made a valedictory check upon his final intake of patients at the Royal Infirmary. As he walked the hallways one last time, he took stock of the institute’s marked transformation. He was confident that it would be safe in the hands of his disciples, who would now be entrusted with implementing his antiseptic system throughout the hospital. Gone were the
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