The History of Handwashing
Hand washing may be an essential part of modern medicine, but that was not always the case. In fact, the first record of washing hands in a medical facility came less than 200 years ago.
Before the Discovery Was Made
In 1846, a Hungarian doctor by the name of Ignaz Semmelweis was working at Vienna General Hospital, which had two maternity clinics. The first clinic’s average maternal mortality rate was about 10% due to childbed fever (an infection that causes long-lasting fever within the first 10 days after childbirth). The second clinic’s rate, however, was considerably lower, with an average of less than 4%. The general public knew this, and women would beg to be admitted to the second clinic due to the first clinic’s bad reputation.
How the Discovery Was Made
Germ theory had not yet been widely accepted, and most people believed bad odours spread diseases. But when a doctor contracted childbed fever after accidentally cutting himself with a scalpel, Semmelweis developed a theory. He believed the doctors who performed autopsies in the first clinic would carry those particles to their patients in the maternity. This explained why the second clinic, which performed no autopsies, had such a significantly lower mortality rate.
Semmelweis instituted a policy that required doctors to wash their hands with chlorinated lime between autopsies and patient examinations. He chose chlorinated lime because the solution was the most effective at removing the smell of infected tissue, which made him believe they could offer some protection against infection. A month after the policy was instituted, the first clinic’s maternal mortality rate dropped from 10% to 2%.
How the Discovery Changed the World
More than a decade after Semmelweis’ observation, doctors started experimenting with hand washing practices. In 1857, French biologist Louis Pasteur would go on to expand on Semmelweis’ hypothesis, laying the foundation for what would become germ theory. While Pasteur did not come up with germ theory, his experiments convinced most of Europe that it was true. By the early 1900s, hand washing changed from something doctors were expected to practice to a habit that was encouraged among the general public.
It’s easy to take the germ protection offered by healthy hand hygiene habits for granted. It’s a message that the average person has heard a countless number of times since they were a child. But when you realise how many germs lurk in places you never imagined, the simple act of washing your hands regularly becomes even more urgent. Although viruses are on almost every surface you can think of, Semmelweis’ discovery has put some power in your hands. Washing your hands with soap and water before you touch your mouth, nose or eyes is a simple yet effective way to drastically reduce the odds of contracting a virus. So, the next time you wash your hands, you know who to thank for the discovery.
