Hygiene and sanitation are interrelated but not identical concepts. How were their principles formed and what are they?
Historical excursion
As we recall from school lessons, in ancient Greece and Rome there literally existed a cult of purity of the body. Public baths and a developed water supply system contributed to the fact that people regularly engaged in their hygiene. Moreover, in Latin, the word sanitas means "health." Obviously, for the Romans, these concepts were closely interrelated.
With the advent of the Middle Ages, the habit of caring for your body was lost. Impurities poured right out of the window onto the streets, even the royal people were proud of how rarely they take a bath. It is not surprising that it was during this period that the most deadly epidemics occurred, which claimed many lives.
Later it became clear that cleanliness is necessary. Scientists have discovered microorganisms that are the causative agents of many diseases. The basics of sanitation began to take shape, which gave a serious impetus to the development of medicine and especially surgery. Postoperative, as well as maternal and child mortality began to decline. People again came to the conclusion that it was necessary to keep their body clean, because this was at least some kind of prevention of many diseases. Also, one of the most serious achievements in this area was the invention of a modern toilet, which allowed people to maximize their distance from contact with products of their own life.
Mythology
The idea of the need to keep the body clean in order to maintain health was reflected in the ancient Greek culture. Among the other inhabitants of Olympus, a certain Asclepius was listed, who was responsible for the art of healing. And he had a daughter named Hygiea, whose name was translated as "healthy." In Rome, Salute corresponded to her, also responsible for maintaining physical well-being and prosperity. From the Greek name of the goddess, apparently, the name of science came to be, today known to us as hygiene.
The basics
The rules of sanitation in everyday life are quite simple:
- daily shower / bath;
- regular washing of hands, including after coming from the street, before eating, after using the toilet, etc.
- use of individual towels, combs, etc .;
- brushing 2 times a day;
- regular change of underwear and clothes, timely washing;
- preference must be given to natural fabrics;
- You should dress according to the weather, the same applies to shoes.
There are separate, more specialized sections of hygiene devoted to cooking, keeping a house clean, good nutrition and sleep, etc. But in general, they come down to the fact that you need to wash all products and heat treat some of them, as well as ventilate the house and clean it regularly. The basics of sanitation and hygiene are familiar to every person, because they are vaccinated to us from childhood. But this is more about individual self-care, but what about the workplace?
Industrial sanitation
Cleanliness is important not only in everyday life, but also at work. But here we are talking not only about the lack of contact with dangerous microorganisms, but also about some other important things. According to the laws of the Russian Federation, the employer is obliged to provide his employee with decent working conditions. This may mean different things, but if we talk, for example, about the office, then the room should be maintained at normal temperature and humidity, ventilation and lighting should work well. There should be no noise pollution, otherwise it is necessary to take appropriate measures, for example, work in protective headphones. If it comes to production, employees are required to wear special clothing, and in some cases also gloves, helmets, respirators and other personal protective equipment.
Sanitation is obviously important. Therefore, exported and imported food products in any country are subject to rigorous verification of their compliance with individual standards. In Russia, Rospotrebnadzor deals with this, and labor sanitation is the area of interest for specialized inspections. So if the rules are not respected, you can go there.
Hygiene and sanitation
Obviously, these two concepts are closely interrelated. But still they have slightly different meanings. If hygiene is mostly a theorized science, then sanitation is its practical application. But in everyday life and these concepts can often replace each other without a serious loss of meaning. Although sometimes sanitation means measures taken by organizations and the state, and hygiene means rituals of individual care of a person for his body and home.
The development of the science of the need to maintain cleanliness has significantly reduced the incidence of a number of ailments: dysentery, salmonellosis, helminth infections, cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, acute respiratory viral infections, intestinal infections, etc. All these are so-called dirty hands diseases. Many more infections are transmitted through water. And if in civilized countries this is hardly worth worrying about, then in our regions life-giving moisture in some regions is better to drink only from bottles bought in stores. At the moment, according to WHO estimates, about 1 billion people do not have access to clean water at all, not to mention drinking.
Modern rules
Despite the increased pace of life in megacities, people do not neglect personal hygiene. Now this concept covers a much wider range of measures than before. This is not only regular washing of the body and hair, as well as brushing and washing, but also hair removal, the use of deodorant or antiperspirant, timely manicure and pedicure. A neat appearance is not only a guarantee of one’s own health, but also a manifestation of respect for society, because in megacities people have to deal with each other much more often and interact more closely.
Modern medicine also does not lag behind: here, sanitation is actually a synonym for sterility, because after treating some diseases, you cannot transfer others to the patient. This is especially important when it comes to surgery, because during operations the human body is extremely vulnerable and is deprived of almost all of its protective mechanisms.
Criticism
Probably, the rules of sanitation and hygiene will be supplemented in the future. After all, there are still cases of contact infection, and with due regard to their purity, they should not be. On the other hand, some doctors criticize the excessive desire to get rid of the slightest threat of interaction with dirt and dust, believing that too developed sanitation is a possible reason for the increase in the incidence of allergies. This is due to the fact that the immune system, not encountering natural hazards in the form of microbes and dirt, begins to pathologically respond to harmless factors. It’s hard to say who is right, because this is only a theory.