SEMLIN

town, Croatia and Slavonia on Danube, 4 m. W.N.W. of Belgrade; important transit trade; ruins of castle of Hunyadi Janos; seat of Orthodox archbishop. Town was evacuated by Serbians during second phase of Austrian offensive, 1914; was heavily bombarded by Brit. artillery serving with Serbian army as reprisal for wanton Austrian bombardment of Belgrade; bombardment resulted in belligerents agreeing to refrain from shelling either of the towns. Pop. 15,000. (1818-65), Hungarian physician and obstetrician; discovered cause of ‘puerperal fever’ in maternity hospitals to be septic infection, which he prevented by antiseptic methods, thus anticipating the discoveries of Lister; his discovery was ignored; d. in an asylum.