Lister's oil
| Lister's oil | |
|---|---|
| Type | Drug |
| World of Origin | Roshar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
Lister's oil is a substance on Roshar with antiseptic properties.[1]
Properties and Use[edit]
It is a pungent oil that is spread across the wounded area to prevent infection.[1][2] It is known to scare away rotspren.[1] It is perhaps the most effective antiseptic known in Alethkar, and it is preferred to larmic mucus, knobweed sap, and soap and water.[1][3]
History[edit]
Lister's oil was used in the hospitals in Kharbranth.[2] Vathe, a surgeon who was educated at the Great Concourse of Kharbranth, knew of the effectiveness of lister's oil and trained his apprentice Lirin to use it.[1][3] Lirin used it extensively in his surgery, including when he attended to Sani's injury.[1]
Lirin passed his knowledge of lister's oil on to Kaladin. Kaladin used it to treat wounds when it was available, and he often wished he had more of it.[4][3] It was very expensive on the Shattered Plains, costing two sapphire marks per bottle from an apothecary that Kaladin visited.[3] Kaladin commented that even a bottle of cheaper larmic mucus would cost him ten days pay, and a bottle of lister's oil was around five times more expensive.[3]
Shallan Davar was treated with lister's oil in Kharbranth after cutting herself with a shard of broken glass.[5][2]
Trivia[edit]
- The name likely refers to an out-of-universe historical figure named Joseph Lister.[6] He was an early pioneer of antiseptics and introduced phenol to sterilize wounds and surgical implements.