German surgeons meticulously executing operations (antiseptically under
anesthesia) was soon to replace the archaic practice of speed and dazzling
dexterity.^44 It was the most salubrious insurrection ever staged, and it was
based on Lister’s hunch that Pasteur (and others) were right about germs.
The founders of the germ theory paved the way for antiseptic surgery,
first facilitating lifesaving trauma and abdominal operations, and fifty
years later (with the advent of antimicrobials), enabling elective surgery
with incorporation of implants. The pioneering germ hunters, therefore,
provided a fastidiously clean and antiseptic environment that made the
implant revolution a possibility.