Hand-washing op-ed draws response
My recent op-ed in the Kingston Whig-Standard drew this response from a thoughtful correspondent who is a teacher in Toronto. The column, available under “constructive journalism” on the website, was titled “Old adage for a new century: be sure to wash your hands,” and it ran on June 29.
My correspondent suggested that there can be too much of a good thing:
“We had a mother with too much time on her hands last year and a pathetic, but deep attachment to our principal. She did a most hilarious presentation to each division in the school. She started with an overhead where, using a slice of white bread, she attempted to demonstrated the exponential reproduction of bacteria. Having worked herself into a veritable physical frenzy, she then produced a special light which would reveal all of the nasty germs which were insidiously multiplying on the hands of a number of small volunteers.
“We were then told to SCRUB with LOTS of soap (good luck–our bathroom dispensers are most always empty because kids drain them onto the floor during recess) UNDER each nail and ALSO on the top of the hands. It was a disturbing presentation to say the least but mostly because she had encased herself in tight white spandex and that was overwhelming the impact of her presentation….
“…the terror didn’t stop. She convinced the Parent Council to install Purell dispensers in every room of the school and then spend $3000 on huge containers of “product”. Tell me she didn’t have a pharmaceutical kickback somewhere….
“…our grade eights delighted in burning the stuff in the change rooms. It makes a nice blue flame. In view of the fire chief’s subsequent directive, the Purell bags were hauled off to an Out of the Cold program…
“don’t start me on hand sanitation…”
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Very interesting, and points well taken. But given the presence of superbugs in most prisons and hospitals, and god knows, schools and day-care centres, one must still wash hands.
The point here–wash your hands, and don’t fall for all the pharma crap about “anti-bacterial soap” and the like. Simple soap and simple, good washing will do just fine…..