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Dr . Ignaz Semmelweis stood beside the stone basin in the corridor of Ward One , his hands stinging from the harsh chlorinated lime solution . Across the polished floor , Professor Klein approached the bedside of a young mother whose fever had begun to spike . Klein had just come directly from the autopsy theatre , his dark frock coat still carrying the distinct , heavy odour of mortality . In his bare hands , he held a metal probe . " Herr Professor , you ought to wash before you touch her , " Ignaz said , his voice quiet but resonant enough to halt the attendants . Klein froze , turning slowly with the haughty disbelief of a man unaccustomed to contradiction . " You dare question my preparation , Doctor Semmelweis ? A gentleman of the faculty carries no contamination . You ought not to embarrass yourself with such unscientific superstition . " " The mothers in the second division do not die at this rate , and they are attended by midwives who never enter the dissection rooms , " Ignaz countered , stepping between the professor and the bed . " The connection is unmistakable . We needn't wonder any longer why the fever follows us . It is on our fingers , under our nails , clinging to our instruments . " The junior assistants exchanged uneasy glances . In eighteen forty - seven , to challenge a senior clinician was a perilous breach of hierarchy ; to imply that doctors were killing their own patients was unthinkable . None of them dared utter a single word in support of the young Hungarian , though several of them had seen the grim arithmetic in the hospital registers . " You speak as though we were butchers , " Klein snapped , adjusting his cuffs . " The imperial hospital follows established medical doctrine . Atmospheric miasmas and celestial influences determine the fevers , not particulate matter on a surgeon's coat . You needn't lecture your superiors on hygiene , Ignaz . Nor dare you dictate hospital protocol without the sanction of the board . " " Then the board ought to witness what happens when we do not wash , " Ignaz said , gesturing to the basin . " The basins have stood empty for months while the coffins leave through the rear courtyard every morning . We ought not to allow another mother to perish simply to preserve our pride . It requires twenty seconds in chlorinated water . You needn't purchase elaborate apparatus or overturn every textbook ; you need only cleanse your hands before you examine a living body . " Klein stared at him , his face darkening with indignation . He glanced down at his fingers , immaculate to the naked eye yet carrying invisible devastation , then back at the determined junior physician standing guard by the patient . For five taut seconds , nobody moved . The clock on the ward wall ticked steadily against the stifling quiet . Without washing , Klein thrust the probe into his pocket , turned on his heel , and stalked toward the superintendent's office . Ignaz let out a long breath , picked up the fresh linen towel , and knelt beside the bed to tend to the feverish woman himself .
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