Historical notes about handwashing

Authors

  • Edelis Raimundo Padrón Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana. Facultad de Estomatología “Raúl González Sánchez”
  • Félix Alberto Companioni Landín Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana. Facultad de Estomatología “Raúl González Sánchez”
  • Sol Ángel Rosales Reyes Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana. Facultad de Estomatología “Raúl González Sánchez”

Keywords:

handwashing, hand disinfection, hand hygiene, history.

Abstract

Introduction: handwashing continues to be a problem awaiting solution both in households and in health services worldwide.
Objective: describe the main discoveries in the history of handwashing and the scientists associated with such findings.
Methods: a search was conducted about the history of handwashing in resources available at the Virtual Health Library of Cuba. Three books were consulted from the library at Raúl González Sánchez School of Dentistry, as well as 84 papers from databases like Cumed, Pubmed, Lilacs and Ebsco. Of these only 22 were selected from the year 1981 onwards. The search terms used were lavado (washing), desinfección (disinfection), higienización de las manos (hand hygiene) and historia (history).
Results: the introduction of handwashing as a hygienic measure to eliminate microorganisms from the hands dates back to the first half of the 19th century. Careful observation, analysis and the association of facts by eminent scientists witnessing the death of most hospitalized patients due to infection, led them to realize that the hands of doctors could carry particles that made their patients ill. This is the reason why they became tireless advocates of handwashing.
Conclusions: the studies conducted by Semmelweis are the first clear, documented evidence of the benefits of handwashing for the control of infectious disease. His ideas still enjoy full recognition.

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Published

2015-05-03

How to Cite

1.
Raimundo Padrón E, Companioni Landín FA, Rosales Reyes S Ángel. Historical notes about handwashing. Rev Cubana Estomatol [Internet]. 2015 May 3 [cited 2025 Jun. 19];52(2):78-85. Available from: https://revestomatologia.sld.cu/index.php/est/article/view/237

Issue

Vol. 52 No. 2 (2015): APR- JUN

Section

History and Pedagogy

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