The opera sponsored by SARAYA at the New York Academy of Medicine recounts Dr. Semmelweis's life, pioneer of hand hygiene.
On December 5, 2023, an opera performance sponsored by SARAYA was held at the New York Academy of Medicine in New York, USA, and the performance was shown on YouTube. The performance, by the Brooklyn-based American Opera Project, unfolded the life of the father of hand hygiene, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865), with spectacular music.
An obstetrician, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis advocated "hand washing" as a method of preventing infectious diseases at a time when microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses were not recognized as causing such diseases. However, he died without being accepted by the medical community of the time. After Semmelweis' death, the validity of his theory was proven, and today hand hygiene is a basic infection control measure.
Dr. Elaine Larson of the New York Academy of Medicine further introduced the importance of public health and the impact Semmelweis's work had on the world, and many healthcare workers and academics were deeply interested in the performance.
If you are interested, you can download the “Passion and Pain, the Story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis” slides by Dr. Elaine Larson here.
You can also see the presentation event, which was published on YouTube here.
