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hand washing these days it's just a habit, anywhere you go you grab a squirt of hand sanitizer* or turn on the sink, but head back to the 1840’s and things were different.
In the 1840’s doctors and their students went from zone, to zone, carrying “germs” from place, to place, the germ idea was still being developed, but a dude named Ignaz Semmelweis thought they could be getting a free ride from the doctors. so, he made handwashing (just like masks) mandatory and the death rate plummeted. He gave speeches about how handwashing (wearing masks) is safer, but this was rejected by the medical community. there were (probably) complaints like: it takes too much time! Or: it probably doesn't work! Even: it makes my hands smell too good! So, Semmelweis had to go to Belgium, and he saved a bunch of lives there.
By the 1890’s doctors were regularly washing their hands thanks to a new dude who helped develop the germ theory and helped convince people to wash their hands.
People have always had complaints for stuff, but safety has been defied for many reasons. maybe people don’t like being told what to do, (who does) or maybe staying sanitary and safe is just so obvious that people won’t stay safe, but most times it’s a combo of both, and it Shure is fun to see the similarity's through time on...TIME LINK.