"Despite various publications of results where hand-washing reduced mortality to below 1%, Semmelweis's observations conflicted with the established scientific and medical opinions of the time and his ideas were rejected by the medical community. Some doctors were offended at the suggestion that they should wash their hands and Semmelweis could offer no acceptable scientific explanation for his findings." - Clare Dibble

I was just thinking about this a few days ago. When you leave the cemetary after a Jewish funeral and go to the house where they're sitting shiva, there's always a pitcher of water or something so that people returning from the cemetary can wash their hands before entering the house. It seems that Jews figured out thousands of years ago that you have to wash your hands after touching dead bodies. - Gabe

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki..., a Jew should wash his hands after coming within 4 cubits of a corpse. - Gabe

I'm not surprised that Jews figured it out a long time ago, but I think that as a group they have also been punished for knowledge before it's time. Ignaz died in an insane asylum for his belief in hand washing. I was thinking about people who claim to be disruptive, but probably are not compared to people who are actually disruptive. Being actually disruptive to the status quo actually sucks most of the time, even if you are right. - Clare Dibble

It's hard to believe that after dropping the death rate 90% just by washing hands, nobody was willing to wash their hands! - Gabe