The Foundation of Hygiene
By S. Notermans, E. Hoornstra  (The Netherlands), S.C. Powel (U.K.)

In Greek mythology, Asclepius, son of Apollo and referred to as the god of medicine or healing, was a healer who became a Green demigod, and was a famous physician. Actually he was the most important among the Green gods and heroes who were associated with health and curing disease. Shrines and temples of healing, known as Asclepieia, were erected throughout Greece where the sick came to worship and sought cures for their ills. Among the children of Aclepius the best known are his daughters Hygeia and Panacea. Hygeia became the goddess of healing and she focuses on the healing power of cleanliness. She introduced and promoted the idea of washing patients with soap and water. She had lots of hospital shrines and played an important role in the cult of Asclepius as a giver of health. At the beginning she was the goddess of corporal well-being. Later she was also connected to mental health; the aphorism ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ applies to this, ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body.’ Her sister was faced, like her father, for healing by medicines.

Public health concern with foodborne diseases emerged around the 1880s. This was after micro-organisms were recovered as infectious agents and Kock and his assistants devised the techniques for culturing bacteria outside the body, and formulated the rules for showing whether or not a bacterium is the cause of a disease (Kock, 1883).

Identification of agents involved in food-borne diseases and the etiological research of foodborne diseases began at the end of the nineteenth century when the work of Van Ermengem served to clarify the aetiology of botulism in man (Van Ermengem, 1897). Later, milestones in this category included the recognition of Clostridium perfringens as a foodborne pathogen in 1943 (McClane, 1979) and Bacillus cereus in the 1950s (Kramer and Gilbert, 1989). Human infections with Listeria monocytogenes were well known by the 1940s and foodborne transmission was suspected (Rocourt and Cossart, 1997), but it was not until the occurrence of an outbreak in Canada in 1981 that proper evidence was obtained. In this case, illness followed the consumption of contaminated coleslaw (Farber and Peterkin, 2000).

In ancient times, it was clear that diseases could be overcome, either by actively curing (Asclepius) or through the power of cleanliness (Hygeia). Curing diseases with the use of medicines was traditionally the role of the physician. Preventing diseases, on the other hand, became the domain of the hygienist. The first definitions of “hygiene” are derived from the work of the Goddess Hygeia:

  -    ‘healing through cleanliness’;
  -    ‘the science dealing with the preservation and promotion of health’.

Following the recognition of germs as the principal causes of disease at the end of the 19th century, hygiene measures rapidly became established. By the beginning of the 20th century, it had become clear that preventative measures were the only way to produce safe food, and the discipline of food hygiene was born.

Personal hygiene is of great importance for the maintenance of health in general. Human beings are natural carriers of many micro-organisms and sources include the hair, skin, mucous membranes, digestive tract, wounds, infections and clothing. Good personal hygiene is primarily directed towards preventing both disease and discomfort. Hand-washing, dental care, avoidance of spitting, daily showering, etc., as well as clean living, play an important part. Disposal of waste is also important. All these measures are preventive in character and are readily carried out.

Hygiene in food processing started with the introduction of general measures, including cleaning and disinfection, prevention of re-contamination and treatment of food products to kill any microbial pathogens present.

The HACCP concept is a systematic approach to the identification, assessment and control of hazards in a particular food operation. It aims to identify problems before they occur and establish measures for their control at stages in production that are critical to ensuring the safety of food. Control is based on scientific knowledge and is proactive, since remedial action is taken in advance of problems occurring.

(Excerpts from the publication “Improving Hygiene in Food Processing – The Foundation of Hygiene” by Notermans, Hoornstra and Powell).