Ignaz Semmelweis

Hello. My name is Ignaz Semmelweis, and I was a doctor a long time ago, in the 1800s. My job was to help mothers and their new babies stay healthy. I loved seeing the happy families. But I noticed something that made me very sad. In my hospital, many of the mothers were getting sick, and I did not understand why. It was a very big problem, and I knew I had to find an answer to my question. I had to find out what was making the mothers sick so I could help them.

I looked all around the hospital for clues. I watched the other doctors and I watched the nurses to see if I could find any answers. Then, I had a bright idea. What if there were tiny, invisible things on the doctors' hands? We call them germs. You cannot see them, but I thought maybe these germs were making the mothers sick. So, I decided to try something new. I asked all the doctors to wash their hands with a special, super-clean soap before they helped any of the mothers and their babies. It was a very simple idea.

And guess what happened? It worked. It was a wonderful day. When the doctors started washing their hands, the mothers stopped getting sick. My simple idea helped keep so many families safe and healthy. I lived a long time ago, but people remember me for this important discovery. My work is why everyone today knows how important it is to wash their hands to stay healthy.