JOSEPH LISTER, WILLIAM CROOKES, SIDNEY LEE and TOM PURVIS. Signatures: "William Crookes.", "Sidney Lee.", "Lister/26 June 1904" on front and "Tom Purvis" on verso, 5x4. Display is windowed to show verso, on which Purvis has incorporated his signature into a drawing. JOSEPH LISTER (1827-1912), called the "Founder of Antiseptic Surgery", signed this album leaf the year that he became weakened by a serious illness from which he would never fully recover. Over the next several years, the famed British surgeon collaborated with his friends and colleagues to complete The Collected Papers of Joseph, Baron Lister (1909), a two-volume set of almost 1,000 pages. In the 1860s, Lister had implemented the practice of antiseptic surgery by using carbolic acid sprays to kill airborne germs. He later realized that germs were present elsewhere, making it necessary for doctors and nurses to wash their hands and to disinfect instruments and dressings used in the operating room. This procedure saved nearly 50 percent of his patients, who otherwise would have died from infection without the antiseptic conditions. Because of Lister, the surgical death rate dropped to about three percent. In 1880, be began using catgut sutures, instead of hemp, on his patients. The new sutures proved beneficial because they dissolved in the body after a period of time. Lister also served as President of the Royal Society (1895-1900), a position that Sir WILLIAM CROOKES (1832-1919) also held (1913-1915). In 1861, the brilliant scientist had discovered thallium. Although the metal does not have any commercial use, compounds and oxidized forms of the element have been utilized for a wide variety of products, ranging from optical lenses to insecticides. In 1854, Crookes served on the staff at Oxford, from which Sir SIDNEY LEE (1859-1926) graduated in 1882. The prolific scholar became well known for his Shakespearean works, especially the Life of William Shakespeare (1898). Lee's greatest achievement was editing the Dictionary of National Biography (1891-1917). From 1920-1950, the illustrations TOM PURVIS (1889-1959) covered billboards throughout England. The celebrated graphic designer, who served as an Official War Artist during WWII, is credited with boosting wartime morale. Front is lightly soiled, stray ink mark at upper right blank corner. Verso is lightly soiled, glue stain at blank right edge (no show through). Overall, fine condition. Framed in the Gallery of History style: 31½x21½.