Dr. Semmelweis - The Discovery of Handwashing
Description
This repository contains data and analysis related to the groundbreaking discovery of handwashing by Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis.
Background
During the 19th century, Dr. Semmelweis noticed a significant difference in mortality rates between two clinics at the Vienna General Hospital. He observed that women giving birth in Clinic 1, where medical students conducted autopsies and then assisted in childbirth, had a much higher risk of developing childbed fever compared to women in Clinic 2, where midwives attended the births.
Key Findings
Dr. Semmelweis suspected that something on the hands of the medical students was responsible for the higher mortality rates. In a pioneering move, he implemented handwashing as a mandatory practice for the medical staff in Clinic 1. The results were astonishing.
An analysis of the data collected by Dr. Semmelweis shows that the proportion of deaths due to childbed fever decreased significantly after the implementation of handwashing. The average reduction in mortality was estimated to be between 6.7 and 10 percentage points, with a 95% confidence interval.
Data and Analysis
This repository includes the datasets used by Dr. Semmelweis, as well as Python code for performing data analysis and generating visualizations. The analysis showcases the impact of handwashing on reducing mortality rates.
Usage
To reproduce the analysis or explore the data further, follow the instructions below:
Environment
- Python 3
- Pandas
- Matplotlib
- Jupyter Notebook
Installation
- Clone this repository: `git clone https://github.com/elfeenah/repo-name.git`
- Navigate to the repository: `cd repo-name`
- Install the required dependencies: `pip install -r requirements.txt`
Run the Analysis
- Open the Jupyter Notebook: `jupyter notebook`
- Open the notebook file `analysis.ipynb`
- Run the cells in the notebook to reproduce the analysis and generate the visualizations
Contributing
Contributions to this repository are welcome. If you would like to contribute, please follow the guidelines outlined in the CONTRIBUTING.md file.
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.