Germs and governance : the past, present and future of hospital infection, prevention and control

This book addresses global concerns about microbial resistance. Combining historical case studies and first-hand practitioner accounts, it offers insights beyond current literature. Contributions from leading scholars, practitioners and policy makers explore outbreaks of MRSA and compare infection control measures in different case-study contexts. -- . Front matter 2 Contents 6 List of figures 8 List of tables 10 Notes on contributors 11 Foreword 17 Acknowledgements 19 List of abbreviations 21 Introduction 24 Part I Policy and infection control 48 Hospital infections and the role of the community before MRSA, 1930–1960 50 Cleanliness costs: the evolving relationship between infection and length of stay in antibiotic-era hospitals 74 Part II Infection control: Nurses and medical students 102 Pus, pedagogy and practice: how ‘dirt’ shaped surgical nurse training and hierarchies of practice, 1900–1935 104 Septic subjects: infection and occupational illness in British hospitals, c. 1870–1970 127 Learning the art and science of infection prevention and control: a practical application 151 Part III Practice and infection control: Focus on gloves 172 Wax paste and vaccination: alternatives to surgical gloves for infection control, 1880–1945 174 The evolving role of gloves in healthcare 195 Part IV Practice and infection control: In the laboratory 214 Constructing the ‘Sanitary Officer’: the Pathologist’s role in infection prevention and control at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, 1892–1939 216 Infection control from the laboratory to the clinic: John H. Bowie and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, c. 1945–1970 242 Part V Into the future 268 Infection prevention and control in the twenty-first century: the era of patient safety 270 Infection control and antimicrobial resistance: the past, the present and the future 280 Conclusion: using the past 293 Index 314