Who Taught Doctors to Wash Their Hands? The History of Asepsis and Antisepsis

11/20/23 • 8 min

1 Listener

“First, wash your hands, and then you may eat.” Sometimes this rule can be really annoying, but we have it for a reason. We wash our hands to minimize contact with pathogenic microorganisms. But imagine how people lived when they had no clue that microbes existed! And that was only a century and a half ago.

Story told by Garrett Tucker.

You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!

Story told by Garrett Tucker.

You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!

Previous Episode

Natural-born manipulators

For decades, science fiction has captured our imaginations with terrifying plots of mind control and human subjugation. But who would have thought that the fungi that turned people into zombies in a popular game-turned-TV-series could be somewhat realistic? Parasitism and the manipulation of hosts are mechanisms not invented by science fiction writers but rather by... nature itself. There are numerous examples of one organism taking over the body and will of another. In this episode of the OYLA podcast, we will cover nature’s most terrifying manipulators.

Story told by Garrett Tucker. You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!

Next Episode

How to Invent a Language: The Story of Princess Caraboo

Have you heard of the young woman who managed to trick all of England? Two centuries ago, the daughter of a simple shoemaker became a sensation among local aristocrats and visiting travelers alike all thanks to her ingenuity, acting skills, and innate talent for linguistics.

Story told by Garrett Tucker.

You can discover even more about science and the world around us in our magazine, so head over to oyla.us to check it out!