His pioneering work ensured that the results of surgery would no longer be left to chance. Henceforth, the ascendancy of knowledge over ignorance, and diligence over negligence, defined the profession’s future. Surgeons became proactive rather than reactive when it came to postoperative infection. No longer lauded for their quick hand with a knife, they were revered for being careful, methodical, and precise. Lister’s methods transformed surgery from a butchering art to a modern science,
