In these trying times of COVID-19 and its many threats, one of the most important things to do is to wash your hands.
But do you know, Hungarian physician Dr Ignaz Semmelweis was the first person who discovered the medical benefits of handwashing.
Born in Buda (now Budapest), Hungary on July 1st, 1818, Semmelweis went on to obtain a doctorate from the University of Vienna and master’s degree in midwifery.
On this day (March 20), in 1847, Semmelweis deduced and demonstrated that requiring doctors to disinfect their hands vastly reduced the transmission of disease.
In mid 19th century, when Europe was facing ‘childbed fever’, which was leading to high mortality rates in new mothers in maternity wards, Semmelweis was dedicated to finding the cause.
And after a thorough investigation, he found out that doctors were transmitting infectious material from operations and autopsies to susceptible mothers through their hands.
He then instructed that all medical staff should was their hands in between examinations.
And as a result infection rates in his division began to decline.
But unfortunately, initially his peers viewed his ideas with skepticism.
However, decades later, his hygienic recommendations were validated by the widespread acceptance of the “germ theory of disease.”
Today, Semmelweis is widely remembered as “the father of infection control.”
His contribution to hygiene is now relevant at a time like global coronavirus pandemic.
