The hand washing ritual which is being emphasized since the corona virus is nothing new.

As little children our parents insisted we was our hands before and after eating, touching dirty things and so forth.

Washing hands is also prevalent in many cultures all over the world, even in religious circles.

The relationship between washing of hands and mental health was made barely 200 hundred year ago, by a Hungarian doctor called Ignas Sommelweis in 1846.

As a doctor he observed pregnant women who were being operated by doctors died of infections, while those who were delivered by midwifes in another maternity ward in the hospital didn't have this problem.

Dr Ignaz was curious to know why, and in the course if his research discovered both at the doctors who performed surgeries on the pregnant women during deliver y did not wash their hands.

After performing surgical operations on one patient, they d move on to another one with dirty hands and instruments thus spreading diseases and causing death.

Dr Ignaz proposed a hand washing protocol for the doctors and hospitals across Europe at that time, this was however resisted by his colleagues who thought he was blaming them for the deaths in pregnant women.

It would take the likes of Florence Nightingale to promote hand washing during the Chimera plague.

Even then hand washing was resisted by the medical profession, this carried out till after the 2nd world war where it became a mandated protocol adopted in the health profession.

Its amazing how a simple ritual like hand washing is still saving lives even after several centuries.

Always endeavour to wash your hands, they work a lot, visit hand washing.org for additional information.

Stay Safe.!