These themes are interspersed with short, elegant essays tracing the history of anaesthesia, antisepsis, asepsis, nursing, war surgery, medical education and organisation.
Adherence to the principles of asepsis is the foundation of surgical site infection prevention, and it should never be circumvented to save time or money.
The quality of the hospital is quantified by its adherence to standards of asepsis, cleanliness, awareness of care protocols and personnel commitment to protection of patients from nosocomial infections.
In the 19th century, asepsis improved surgical hygiene and as the survival statistics went up, surgical removal of the tumor became the primary treatment for cancer.