Semmelweiss discovered that washing his hands in a "chlorinated lime" solution (calcium hypochlorite, closely related to bleach) between examining his post-partum obstetrical patients drastically cut the "childbed fever" death rate. "Childbed fever" killed so many mothers in that day that women were afraid to have their babies in the hospital. "Childbed fever" was rare in home births, but common in hospitals.
For this, Semmelweiss was hounded, cursed, and ostracized. He ended up in an insane asylum, where he was beaten to death by a guard.
Because, as everyone knew, "childbed fever" was caused by bad air, or was simply a curse women had to live (or die) with. That was the "settled science" of Semmelweiss' day.
Sound familiar?
I smell another attempt to build up another culture by claiming they “invented” something prior to some other. When it turns out INNOVATION is the real important part.
Sounds like this Hungarian (Austrian ethnic?) may have found out something but for whatever reason wasn’t able to “innovate” so that it became common practice. Lister did. Or at least, his British peers allowed it, whereas perhaps Hungarians failed to be so open.
(re-post from the older thread, which I accidentally focused on)