Ignaz Semmelweis was a physician of obstetrics and is considered the pioneer of the antiseptic technique, which he discovered in 1847. Through critical thinking, he surmised that women were getting sick with the deadly childbed fever after childbirth because the physicians who treated them were not washing their hands adequately.

Channel some Ignaz into your life by purchasing this printable figure of the man. Our Ignaz was created for Storied Gifts Shop by our resident artist, David Borzo. You can print and create your own standup guy of germ warfare!

Ignaz’s hypothesis came a couple decades before the discovery of germ theory. Ignaz identified a problem, conducted research, considered prevailing biases from sources, and connected probable outcomes from scenarios.

It’s hard to imagine today, and yet there were naysayers who led Ignaz to his end in a mental asylum years later. To this day, there are those who want to stay stuck in their biased thinking. Celebrate the power of critical thinking with this history hero cut-out!

In addition to the history hero cutout template, there is also a robust lesson plan appropriate for education of children in grades 2 through 5.