{"product_id":"genius-belabored-theodore-g-obenchain-9780817360337","title":"Genius Belabored: Childbed Fever and the Tragic Life of Ignaz Semmelweis","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe fascinating story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a nineteenth-century obstetrician ostracized for his strident advocacy of disinfection as a way to prevent childbed fever\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eGenius Belabored: Childbed Fever and the Tragic Life of Ignaz Semmelweis\u003c\/i\u003e, Theodore G. Obenchain traces the life story of a nineteenth-century Hungarian obstetrician who was shunned and marginalized by the medical establishment for advancing a far-sighted but unorthodox solution to the appalling mortality rates that plagued new mothers of the day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In engrossing detail, Obenchain recreates for readers the sights, smells, and activities within a hospital of that day. In an era before the acceptance of modern germ science, physicians saw little need for cleanliness or hygiene. As a consequence, antiseptic measures were lax and rudimentary. Especially vulnerable to contamination were new mothers, who frequently contracted and died from childbed fever (puerperal fever). \u003ci\u003eGenius Belabored \u003c\/i\u003efollows Semmelweis's awakening to the insight that many of these deaths could be avoided with basic antiseptic measures like hand washing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The medical establishment, intellectually unprepared for Semmelweis's prescient hypothesis, rejected it for a number of reasons. It was unorthodox and went against the lingering Christian tradition that the dangers of childbirth were inherent to the lives of women. Complicating matters, colleagues did not consider Semmelweis an easy physician to work with. His peers described him as strange and eccentric. Obenchain offers an empathetic and insightful argument that Semmelweis suffered from bipolar disorder and illuminates how his colleagues, however dedicated to empirical science they might have been, misjudged Semmelweis's methods based upon ignorance and their emotional discomfort with him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eGenius Belabored\u003c\/i\u003e, Obenchain identifies Semmelweis's rightful place in the pantheon of scientists and physicians whose discoveries have saved the lives of millions. Obenchain's biography of Semmelweis offers unique insights into the practice of medicine and the mindsets of physicians working in the premodern era. This fascinating study offers much of interest to general readers as well as those interested in germ theory, the history of medicine and obstetrics, or anyone wishing to better understand the trajectory of modern medicine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Theodore G. Obenchain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0817360336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780817360337\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Alabama Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/09\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.88lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.90d","brand":"Theodore G. Obenchain","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43994669875455,"sku":"9780817360337","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_14c094b0-65b7-4766-9ac3-4f326fe9852d.jpg?v=1683331504","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/genius-belabored-theodore-g-obenchain-9780817360337","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}