Interesting Facts about Hygiene

1.  “Hygiene” comes from Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and the moon.

2.  The human body is home to some 1,000 species of bacteria. There are more germs on your body than people in the United States.

3.  Antibacterial soap is no more effective at preventing infection than regular soap.

4.  Monks of the Jain Dharma (a minority religion in India) are forbidden to bathe any part of their bodies besides the hands and feet, believing the act of bathing might put in danger the lives of millions of microorganisms.

5.  Ancient Egyptians and Aztecs rubbed urine on their skin to treat cuts and burns. Urea is known to kill bacteria.

6.  In a small victory for cleanliness, England’s medieval King Henry IV required his knights to bathe at least once in their lives – during their ritual knighthood ceremonies.

7.  A seventh grader in Florida recently won her school science fair by proving there are more bacteria in ice machines at fast-food restaurants than in toilet bowl water.

8.  When you drop food on the ground, bacteria need no time at all to contaminate food.

9.  The first true toothbrush, consisting of Siberian pig hair bristles wired into carved cattle-bone handles, was invented in China in 1498.

10.  Up to a quarter of all women giving birth in European and American hospitals in the 17th through 19th centuries died of an infection spread by unhygienic nurses and doctors.

11.  TV kills! University of Arizona researchers determined that television remotes are the worst carriers of bacteria in hospital rooms, worse even than toilet handles.

12.  It is now believed President James Garfield died not from the bullet fired by Charles Guiteau but because the medical team treated the president with dirty hands, causing a severe infection that killed him three months later.

I. Fill in the blanks with a necessary word:

1. Good personal hygiene is one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves and others from …

2. Most infections are caught when we put our unwashed hands, which have … on them, to our mouth.

3. You should always … … … after using the toilet; before making or eating food; after handling dogs or other animals etc.

4. Most people have bad … in the morning.

5. You should … … … twice a day - after breakfast and before you go to bed.

6. Mouth washes, mouth sprays and flavoured chewing gum can make your breath smell better for a while, but if you have a health problem in your mouth, you need to see your … .

7. You should … … … regularly with shampoo to keep it clean.

8. With a clean body, clean hair, clean clothes and shoes, you will feel … and your friends will be … to be near you.

II. Find the ending of each sentence:

1. Personal hygiene is the basic concept of………………………………...

2. Some infections are caught when other people’s dirty hands …………...

3. Wash your hands regularly, especially …………………………………...

4. Some foods that can cause bad breath include …………………………...

5. Brush teeth twice a day and ……………………………………………....

6. Wash your hair at least once a week using ………………………………...

7. In many Indian houses it is necessary to wash feet ………………………...

1. ………………… rinse them well after every meal.

2. ………………… touch the food we eat.

3. ………………… as you enter the house.

4. ………………… garlic and onion.

5. ………………… before preparing or eating food and after going to the toilet.

6. ………………… soap or mild shampoo.

7. ………………… cleaning, grooming and caring for our bodies.

Topic 63. Healthy Food