Semmelweis reflex

The Semmelweis reflex is described as the idea that the scientific establishment quasi “reflexively” rejects a new discovery without adequate verification and fights rather than supports the originator if it contradicts widespread norms or beliefs.

etymology

The name for this term is derived from the discovery of the meaning of hygiene by the Hungarian surgeon and obstetrician Ignaz Semmelweis .

cases

Another example is the theory of continental drift by Alfred Wegener .

In some cases, innovations in science resulted in a punishment rather than a corresponding reward because those innovations contradicted established paradigms and behavioral patterns. The concept was coined by the American author Robert Anton Wilson (1932–2007) and named after the Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis (1818–1865).

Semmelweis attributed the increased incidence of puerperal fever , one of the main causes of high maternal mortality after childbirth, to poor hygiene among doctors and hospital staff and tried to introduce hygiene regulations. His study from 1847/48 is today considered the first practical case of evidence-based medicine in Austria. During his lifetime, however, his findings were not recognized and rejected by many colleagues, but especially by superiors, as “speculative nonsense”. Only after the work of Joseph Lister (1827–1912) in the field of antiseptic medicine did the connections between the lack of disinfection measures , bacterial infections and puerperal fever become clear.

See also

• Paradigm shift
• mobbing

literature

• RN Braun: Where applied medicine stands today or the Semmelweis effect. In: The general practitioner. 1984, issue 8.
• Gerhard Medicus : Semmelweis Effect . In: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau. 64th year (2011), issue 9, pp. 501–502, and in ISBN 978-3-86135-583-0 , pages 60–64.
• Robert Anton Wilson: The Game of Life. New Falcon Publications. 1991 ISBN 1561840505 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Heinrich Zankl, 2010: Gamecocks of Science: Controversies and Enmities . John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 3527325794 , ISBN 9783527325795 , p. 138.
2. ^ Cliff, Do you suffer from Semmelweis reflex?
3. ↑ F. Mann: How to improve your information . 1993.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Who named it? The Semmelweis' reflex .