[2] Agnes Syme met Joseph Lister in Glasgow, whilst he was studying to be a surgeon and working as her father's assistant.

The couple began their honeymoon at Lister's childhood home in Upton, Essex and they then embarked on a three month tour of Europe.

During this tour, it is thought that Agnes began to work as his assistant, writing his notes and findings in his case book whilst they travelled around Europe.

They would both test different levels of chloroform (an early form of anaesthesia) on each other in order to find the correct dosage for his patients.

Spaces would be left blank amongst the reams of her handwriting for small diagrams, that her husband would create using the camera lucida technique and Lister would later paste in.

[12] Although in good health, whilst holidaying in Rapallo in Italy and collecting botanical specimens, Lister contracted acute pneumonia.