On This Day: August 31, 1985
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On This Day: August 25, 1939
On This Day: August 25, 1835
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The First Anti-Rape Activists Were African American
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Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis
In 19th-century Europe, many women died of childbed fever. It was common practice for doctors to deliver babies right after performing autopsies, without first sterilizing their hands. Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis introduced hand washing into medical practice, the result being mortality rates went from over 18% to under 1%.
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