Our modern knowledge of how infectious diseases spread did not enter popular knowledge until the late 1800’s with the work of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. Sanitation in medical and aseptic surgical techniques did not begin until the 1870’s with Joseph Lister. Viruses were not discovered until the 1890’s. Proper sanitation was an enormous breakthrough in medicine and meant better patient outcomes.
Before germ theory came to be widely accepted, people had other ideas of how infection and disease spread. It was widely believed that bad air was responsible for the spread of diseases such as plagues and cholera. This idea of “bad air” also existed in China with the diagnosis of “wind.” Wind, in Chinese medicine was responsible for many illnesses from the common cold to epidemics. Even today practitioners of Chinese medicine treat the common cold as either a wind heat or wind cold condition depending on if the patient has accompanying chills or fever. The Chinese observed, like the Romans and many other cultures, that there was some invisible force that carried illness. The invisible force was called air/wind.
Now that we understand that it is bacteria and viruses that make us sick, there is no better way to prevent illness and infection than proper hand washing. Many people forget how simple and effective this is.
The CDC advises: “Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.”
Hand washing is the number one way to prevent spread of infection! The Global Hygiene Council suggests that washing your hands more than six times a day with soap and water is basic hygiene. Remember to wash your hands after going to toilette and before you eat.
Hand Sanitizer should be reserved ONLY for situations when soap and water are not available. Children should only use plain soap and water.
