The Scientific Revolution was a period of discovery that saw illuminating work from Bacon, Newton, Lavoisier, Lyell, and others in their respective fields. Despite this era of scientific progress, the field of medicine remained stagnant and resistant to revolutionary concepts on disease causation and transmission as late as the end of the nineteenth century. In the 1840s, Ignaz Semmelweis was one of a select few physicians using scientific principles to research deadly diseases. He devoted himself to the study of puerperal fever (a.k.a. childbed fever), a condition that had been devastating the female population throughout the Western world for over a century. Years before Pasteur introduced the germ theory, Semmelweis’ groundbreaking work in disease causation solved the mystery of contagion, established the foundation for wound antisepsis, and provided a solution to a disease that continued to decimate masses of young women.

Unfortunately, Semmelweis’ efforts and discoveries were met with antagonism and stubborn disregard rather than embraced as a revolutionary breakthrough by the obstetrics scientific community. Prone to volatile mood swings, Semmelweis suffered worsening anxiety, fits of temper, and rapid aging as a result of the negative reaction to his life’s work. He possessed an unhealthy preoccupation with his theory and raged against fellow physicians who refused to embrace his findings on contagion, going so far as to call them murderers in his scientific publications. Semmelweis’ biographers and even his own wife painted a picture of an extremely troubled man suffering from chronic mental illness, “nervous complaints,” inexplicable tearful outbursts, bouts of depression, increasing apathy, and fits of anger. Theories on the nature of his mental decline range from neurosyphilis to progressive paralysis to psychopathic personality. Obenchain, however, makes a strong argument that Semmelweis suffered from bipolar depression and toxic encephalopathy.

In this insightfully thorough study, Obenchain seamlessly blends history, philosophy, mythology, and medical theory to provide a detailed analysis of the history of medicine and paint a picture of a troubled yet brilliant historical figure whose contributions to modern medicine have been grossly undervalued. The book opens and closes with a poignant comparison of Semmelweis to the heroine Cassandra from ancient Greek mythology, who was blessed with foresight but cursed with incredulity. Despite the academic nature of the subject matter, the author’s use of a narrative writing style makes for an entertaining tale. Readers will be captivated by Obenchain’s starkly contrasting depiction of Semmelweis as a joyous, energetic young boy afraid of confrontation versus a mercurial, eccentric scientific genius given to bouts of anger and aggression.

In the final chapters, Obenchain infuses intrigue into the storyline, detailing the mysterious circumstances surrounding the last two weeks of Semmelweis’ life. The author delivers a captivating breakdown of the conspiracy theory of Semmelweis’ death and the key players thought to have been involved. This section of the book has the wonderfully scintillating feel of a true crime series, like a historical Dateline. Obenchain employs an impressive list of references to deliver a well-written, highly engaging, and emotionally evocative biographical depiction of the tragic life and medical brilliance of Ignaz Semmelweis.

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