> Semmelweis was not very tactful. He publicly berated people who disagreed with him and made some influential enemies. Eventually the doctors gave up the chlorine hand-washing

Something Matthew Benjamin wrote stuck with me: "It is way more important to preserve trust, goodwill and respect than to get what you want, no matter how good what you want seems."

It seems like this can't be true - some things are surely more important than trust, goodwill and respect. What could be more important than saving lives? But this is an example of that being more true than I'd naively think.