Contaminated Hands
During the mid 1800s, one of Vienna General Hospital’s maternity wards
became notorious for the deaths of mothers. One in ten of the mothers in
that ward became ill and died. In the other maternity ward of the same
hospital, only one in 50 mothers died. The only apparent difference
between the wards was that in the ward with the high mortality rate
doctors attended mothers, but in the other ward midwives cared for them.
Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis became obsessed with finding the cause. Reasoning
that the care provided by doctors in his ward could not be the cause of
the deaths, he attempted to match every other aspect of care in his ward
with the care given in the other ward, but the terrible mortality
continued. Then something changed. He took a four-month leave, and when
he returned, he found that the mortality rate had dropped significantly
in his absence.
After much questioning, he found that the only difference between his
practices and those of the doctors who had worked in his absence was
that
he spent much more time doing research on cadavers. He theorized that
disease-carrying “particles” from cadavers were being transmitted on the
hands of doctors to patients, and he instituted the practice of washing
hands in a chlorine-and-lime solution. Immediately the mortality rate
dropped to 1 in 100.
We also struggle to save lives with contaminated hands when we insist
that our children behave appropriately so we can feel like good parents,
when we hold evangelistic meetings so we can report church growth, or
even at times when we engage in missions in order to start successful
church-planting movements. Whenever self-interest replaces unselfish
concern for the lost, our hands stop healing and start contaminating.
The only cleansing agent is the blood of Christ. When applied, it
destroys self and inspires love for our God and fellow man. Washed in
His blood, we become effective healers. Please pray that the saving
power of the Gospel will work mightily through us among the Ama
people.—John Lello
