In 1865, a British surgeon named Joseph Lister made a discovery that revolutionized medicine. For years he had been disturbed over the high rate of infection and death in hospitals, which were known as "houses of death." After studying the work of Louis Pasteur, Lister became convinced that germs caused infection. He began using antiseptics in the operating room -- and the results were dramatic. This book chronicles the life of Joseph Lister, the man who became known as the "Father of Antiseptics."