Historical Data

Introduction

Hygiene - a set of preventive measures for good health - has become an essential part of our lives. Today it seems natural to wash our hands, vaccinate our children or drink safe water, but it hasn't always been so. The concept of hygiene, closely linked to popular beliefs and to customs as well as to scientific and medical knowledge, has evolved. The history of hygiene can be divided into two main phases separated by the biological revolution, when micro-organisms and their role in diseases were discovered. Beyond this dividing line, hygiene became a scientific discipline supported by irrefutable observations. Many misconceptions were swept aside to make way for practices which play a large part in extending our life expectancy.