The Surprising Origin Of Some Timely Advice: Wash Your Hands

Short Wave

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🗓️ 31 January 2020

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Today we know that one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to protect yourself from the cold, flu, and other respiratory illnesses (including those like the novel coronavirus) is to wash your hands. But there was a time when that wasn't so obvious. Dana Tulodziecki, a professor at Purdue University, tells the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, the scientist who's credited with discovering the importance of handwashing. We'll hear how he figured it out and why there's more to the story. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the show at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from MPR.
0:06.7	If you've been paying attention to the news this week, you've heard a lot about viruses.
0:11.0	Let's get right to our top story, the expanding outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
0:15.2	Look at the virus.
0:16.2	There's the coronavirus that's come out of China, and it's clear the pathogen is nowhere near
0:20.9	contain.
0:21.9	And let's not forget that other, more familiar respiratory virus, the flu.
0:25.6	The flu is now widespread in almost every single state and nearly 10 people have become
0:30.2	a flu.
0:31.2	But guess what?
0:32.2	Whether it's the coronavirus or the flu, public health officials say there's a simple
0:34.7	thing you can do to protect yourself.
0:37.4	Wash your hands.
0:39.2	In fact, the CDC says it's the number one step people in the US can take to avoid coronavirus
0:44.9	besides, you know, never coming in contact with it in the first place.
0:48.8	We take it for granted now that handwashing helps keep us healthy, but somebody had to figure
0:53.7	that out.
0:54.9	And most of the credit goes to one guy, a Hungarian doctor named Ignat's Semmelvice.
0:59.7	All right, Donna, are you comfortable?
1:01.4	Or do they have you all set up?
1:03.8	Let me just drink some water.
1:05.0	Purdue University professor Donna Tulitsicki has been digging a little deeper into his story.
	...

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