Lister personally accompanied the more serious cases back to the ward after an operation and insisted on helping to transfer the patient from the stretcher to the bed. To ensure the patient’s comfort, he would arrange an assortment of small pillows and hot-water bottles, warning his attendees that the latter should be covered with flannel so the anesthetized person would not inadvertently burn him- or herself during recovery. He even helped dress the sick after surgery. One of Lister’s house surgeons described how “with almost womanly care he would replace the bedclothes” of the patient,
...more
