Criteria for identifying wound infection

Last year, 2024, marked the 30th anniversary of the publication Criteria for Identifying Wound Infection¹ that brought about a revolution in the clinical assessment of cutaneous wound infection. Up until this innovative step Celsus’ criteria for inflammation²—redness, swelling, heat and pain—had traditionally been used.

Aulus Cornelius Celsus (circa. 25 BCE–50 CE) was a Roman encyclopaedist who postulated what became known as the four cardinal signs of inflammation in the extensive text De Medicina. These signs were largely ignored at the time and it was not until 1478 and the rediscovery of this work by Pope Nicholas V that De Medicina became accessible following the introduction of the mechanised printing press in the early 15th century.