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Permalink Reply by hbw60 on September 8, 2020 at 11:44pm

"Joseph L" might refer to Joseph Lister, one of the most important medical figures in history. Joseph was learning to become a doctor right around the time that Louis Pasteur revolutionized the concept of Germ Theory. Lister was reaching the same conclusions as Pasteur, and he was the first doctor to practice antiseptic surgery. Though controversial at the time, he was later proven correct, and his work became the foundation of modern medicine.  And in the same generation, Robert Liston revolutionized surgical anesthesia. Before their time, surgery was often more life-threatening than the illness that necessitated it. "Surgery" was really just another word for "amputation", because anything more invasive would almost certainly be fatal. No patient could handle the pain of complex surgery, let alone sit still through it. And even if they could, the resulting infections (and the filthy, crowded conditions of hospitals at the time) would almost certainly be fatal. Going to a surgeon was only an option if death was imminent, because you were more likely to die in a hospital than to walk away from one. The Lister/Liston duo was such a merciful gift to humanity. Their work ended more suffering than any other event in history. Incidentally, that's why the germ-killing mouthwash was named "Listerine".

So this could be a letter from a prominent surgeon, agreeing to attend a lecture by Joseph Lister. And if that's the case, it's a very, very special piece of history.

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Permalink Reply by EJ on September 9, 2020 at 5:23am

Thanks Joseph, very interesting! It doesn’t look too much like “Lister” to me, but fascinating history lesson in any event. 
Best,
EJ

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