Born in Essex in 1827, he received his degree from University College, London. In 1860 he became a Surgeon at Glasow's Royal Infirmary, where he researched the cause of infections. He founded the use of antiseptic medicine, highlighting the importance of bacteria being cleaned from wounds. Lister was appointed as Queen Victoria's personal surgeon, and was given the title as Lord, the first doctor to be elevated to the House of Lords.