‘Semmelweis’

Raven Ruëll, Bruno Vanden Broecke and Jos Verbist – three big names from the world of Flemish theatre – present the tragic life of Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis. This Hungarian doctor insists that his colleagues wash their hands before delivering a baby and as a result achieves a dramatic reduction in the mortality rate: from 32.5% to 1.5%. When the surgeons return to their old ways, Semmelweis enters a downward spiral of conflict, paranoia and hysteria. He dies in 1865, notably from an infection he contracted during a simple surgical procedure.