Everything you need to know about sanitary hygiene

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Written by Maria del Carmen Pastoriza
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If this Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it has been the importance of hygiene in maintaining health and has made us establish habits such as handwashing that are highly effective in avoiding infections.

Today we know that hygiene and health go hand in hand, but that has not been the case throughout history. In this post we will see the evolution of hygiene over the centuries and the importance of hygiene in the healthcare field.

If we analyze the definition of hygiene, we can see the close relationship it has with health: On the one hand, hygiene is all the techniques we apply for personal care and that have a positive impact on health, preventing diseases and infections. On the other hand, it is the part of medicine that tries to prolong life, preserving uae phone data people's health. Furthermore, if we look for its etymology, the word hygiene comes from the Greek term "Hygieia", who was the Greek goddess of health. All in all, we can affirm that hygiene is essential for a healthy life.

Evolution of hygiene throughout history
The first civilizations in which we can observe good hygiene practices are the Egyptians and ancient Greece. The Egyptians took great care of everything related to hygiene and public health. The Greeks found that hygiene, diet and correct habits contributed to maintaining an adequate level of health.
But it was Roman culture that gave great impetus to hygiene, with great engineering works that benefited public health, such as sewers, hot water baths, tombs, etc. In addition, houses included a room with water for washing, and even noble houses had a room with a bathtub.


In the Middle Ages, baths in private homes were reserved for the nobility and wealthy. For the rest, there were numerous public baths that were used from time to time. Although they did not bathe daily, it must be said that they did clean themselves by washing their hands and face, and sometimes with a damp cloth in other areas. However, public baths were frowned upon, especially by the Church, and, over the years, they were closed.
In the Renaissance , illness was not fought with hygiene. The use of perfumes and dry scrubs replaced water, which was only used on visible parts (hands and face). Parts of the body that remained covered did not need to be cleaned.
In the 18th century, people washed little and did so dry, avoiding the use of water. It was believed that water was unhealthy, especially hot water, so people could spend their whole lives without taking a bath. It was believed that staying soaked facilitated the introduction of diseases, so people avoided bathing. When they did bathe, well into the 19th century, they did so wearing a kind of shirt or their own underwear.