Editing Ignaz Semmelweis (section)

=== Position at Vienna General Hospital ===
Semmelweis was appointed assistant to Professor [[Johann Klein]] in the First Obstetrical Clinic of the [[Vienna General Hospital]] on 1 July 1846.{{sfn|Benedek|1983|p=72}}{{sfnm|1a1=Semmelweis|1y=1983|1p=34|2a1=Schmidt|2y=1850|2p=501}}{{efn-ua|Details: On 1 July 1844 Semmelweis became a trainee physician's assistant at the Vienna maternity clinic (in German, ''Aspirant Assistentarztes an der Wiener Geburtshilflichen Klinik'') and on 1 July 1846 he was appointed an ordinary physician's assistant (in German, ''ordentlicher Assistentarzt''). On 20 October 1846, his predecessor [[Franz Breit (obstetrician)|Franz Breit]] (an obstetrician) returned and Semmelweis was demoted. By 20 March 20 1847, Breit was appointed professor in [[Tübingen]] and Semmelweis resumed the ''Assistentarzt'' position.{{sfn|Benedek|1983|p=72}}}}

Two maternity clinics were at the Viennese hospital. The First Clinic had an average [[Maternal bond|maternal]] [[mortality rate]] of about 10% due to puerperal fever. The Second Clinic's rate averaged less than 4%. Women begged to be admitted to the Second Clinic, due to the reputation of the First Clinic.{{sfn|Semmelweis|1983|p=69}} Semmelweis described desperate women begging on their knees not to be admitted to the First Clinic.{{sfn|Semmelweis|1983|p=70}}

Women began purposefully giving birth in the streets, pretending to have given birth ''en route'' to the hospital so they could avoid being admitted to the clinic where the risk of infection, birth complications and death were substantially higher. 

Semmelweis was puzzled that puerperal fever was rare among women giving street births, prompting his curiosity as to what protected those who delivered outside the clinic.{{sfn|Semmelweis|1983|p=81}}