Answer
Joseph Lister was a British surgeon who is credited with inventing antiseptic surgery. He was influenced by the work of Ignaz Semmelweis, who had discovered that handwashing could prevent the spread of infection, and by the research of Louis Pasteur, who had shown that microorganisms could cause disease. Lister used carbolic acid to sterilize surgical instruments and the operating room, and he also introduced the use of gauze dressings.