ABSTRACT
Hands have long been recognized as one of the major vectors for the spread of disease. In the mid-1800s, Ignaz Semmelweis was able to reduce the death rate from puerperal fever from <18% to 2.5% by the simple act of having attendants wash their hands in chlorine water.1 Gloves were fi rst used to protect the wearer during postmortem examinations in 1847, but they were not used in surgery until 1879, when they were donned to protect the hands of the scrub nurse from the harsh eff ects of disinfectants.
