Joseph Lister (1827-1912, centre), British surgeon, and his family in Canada in 1897. Lister qualified as a surgeon in London in 1852. At that time surgery was usually followed by infection and high mortality rates. Lister, having read Pasteur's work on fermentation, realised that micro-organisms causing this could be killed with chemical compounds. Lister mainly used phenol solution (carbolic acid) and steam as his preferred antiseptics. Lister's antiseptic procedures produced immediate improvements and were quickly adopted. Lister was made a baronet (1883), baron (1897) and a member of the Order of Merit (1902).