Which theory influenced the adoption of antiseptic methods in surgery?

• A. Cell Theory
• B. Theory of Spontaneous Generation
• C. Germ Theory
• D. Theory of Evolution

Answer: (C)

Germ theory linked disease to microorganisms, giving surgeons a scientific basis for preventing infection in wounds. If microbes cause infection, then eliminating or reducing them in the operating field should prevent disease after surgery. This shift let Joseph Lister apply antiseptics—most famously carbolic acid—to sterilize instruments, dressing materials, and wounds, which dramatically cut infection and mortality rates. The work of Pasteur and later Koch reinforced the idea that microbes cause disease, making antiseptic methods a logical and evidence-based practice in the operating room.

Other ideas don’t directly explain why antisepsis was adopted. Cell Theory explains that all living things are made of cells, a foundational biology concept but not about preventing wound infection. Spontaneous Generation argued life could arise spontaneously from non-living matter, a notion disproven and not a driver of surgical practice. Evolution describes how species change over time, not the prevention of infections in surgery.