Ignaz Semmelweis — Questions and answers

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What was the big difference between the First and Second Obstetrics Clinics that puzzled Semmelweis?

Choices

  1. The First Clinic had many more deaths than the Second Clinic. ✓
  2. The First Clinic served richer patients.
  3. The Second Clinic was much larger.
  4. The First Clinic had brighter lights.

Answer: The First Clinic had many more deaths than the Second Clinic.

From page 3

What happened to Semmelweis's colleague, Jakob Kolletschka, that gave Semmelweis a new idea?

Choices

  1. He found a new medicine for fever.
  2. He got a new job in a different city.
  3. He died after getting hurt during an autopsy. ✓
  4. He wrote a book about his research.

Answer: He died after getting hurt during an autopsy.

From page 4

What happened to the number of mothers dying in the First Clinic after handwashing started?

Choices

  1. It stayed exactly the same.
  2. It went up a little bit.
  3. It dropped very quickly and dramatically. ✓
  4. It doubled within a week.

Answer: It dropped very quickly and dramatically.

From page 7

How did other doctors generally react to Semmelweis's new ideas about handwashing?

Choices

  1. They immediately celebrated him as a hero.
  2. They built a statue in his honor right away.
  3. They largely dismissed and even made fun of his ideas. ✓
  4. They all started washing their hands every day.

Answer: They largely dismissed and even made fun of his ideas.

From page 8

What scientific idea, which came many years later, finally proved Semmelweis's theory was correct?

Choices

  1. The theory of dinosaurs
  2. The germ theory ✓
  3. The theory of gravity
  4. The theory of colors

Answer: The germ theory

From page 9

What is Ignaz Semmelweis often remembered as today?

Choices

  1. The king of doctors
  2. The 'savior of mothers' ✓
  3. The best scientist in Vienna
  4. The inventor of hospitals

Answer: The 'savior of mothers'

From page 10