Semmelweis reflex
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The Semmelweis reflex or "Semmelweis effect" is a metaphor for the reflex-like tendency to reject new evidence or new knowledge because it contradicts established norms, beliefs or paradigms.[1]
The term originated from Ignaz Semmelweis, who discovered that childbed fever mortality rates could be reduced ten-fold if doctors would wash their hands (we would now say disinfect) with a chlorine solution between having contact with infected patients and non-infected patients. His hand-washing suggestions were rejected by his contemporaries (see Contemporary reaction to Ignaz Semmelweis).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Edwards, W. (1968). "Conservatism in human information processing". In Kleinmutz, B.. Formal Representation of Human Judgment. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 17–52.
