Joseph Lister was born on the 5th April 1827 – 10th February 1912 and came from West Hampton in Essex. He was a son of Joseph Jackson Lister who perfected achromatic object lenses for the compound microscope.
He was renowned for the introduction of carbolic acid that is the substance responsible for the sterilisation of surgical equipment, increasing the safety factor of surgical procedures. He was a pioneer in the art of antiseptic surgery and his findings resulted in a decrease of post operative infections.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Lister,_1st_Baron_Lister
Hard to believe that operations before his work were carried out without much consideration for a clean environment.