2016-04-19 Tue

150th death anniversary of Ignác Fülöp Semmelweis was observed with a new coin release by the National Bank of Hungary in November 2015.

It belongs to the “The World’s Smallest Gold Coins” series and the reverse bears inscriptions ‘5000 FORINT’, along with the year of issue. The obverse features an image of Dr. Semmelweis facing right, with the text ‘SEMMELWEIS’ and the commemorative years ‘1818 – 1865’ inscribed.

He was a respected doctor recognized worldwide in the field of obstetrics. Semmelweis started studying law, but switched his major to medicine, against the wishes of his father.

Semmelweis began his training as an obstetrician at the University of Vienna in 1837. He received his degree in medicine in 1844. He was certified as a surgeon in 1845 and became an assistant instructor at the obstetrics department of the Vienna public hospital in 1846. He worked for finding cure for the deadly childbed fever or puerperal sepsis in the mid-19th century. He ensured that strict hygiene is maintained and saw to it that that hands are disinfected between examining individual patients.

With his discovery, he was the man behind the theory of surgical antisepsis, creating aseptic gynecological and obstetric practices.

He became the head of the obstetrics department at the Szent Rókus Hospital in 1851. Since he was not acknowledged for his teachings, he started aging rapidly and died due to mental train on 31st August 1865.