What You Can’t See

bacteria

 

You’ve heard the phrase, “What you can’t see can’t hurt you”, right?

But that is not true!

Just think about how many people died in the middle ages from the “Black Plaque” for instance.   It was estimated that between 30-60% of Europe’s population was wiped out.  The causes of plague were not discovered until the late nineteenth century.

We now know that there were three forms of Plagues:

1. The Bubonic Plague was spread by fleas who lived on plague-infected rats that were transported from Asia to Europe on trading ships.
2. The Pneumonic Plague spread rapidly from person to person through sneezing.
3. The Septicemic Plague was spread through contact from open sores.

Through these three methods the Black Death spread from Asia to Italy through the trade routes,  and eventually throughout all of Europe between 1347 to 1351.

No one knew what hit them as they could not “see” their invisible enemies.

Hygiene was poor, and there was no sanitation. Bathing was rare as there was no running water for the majority of the population.  When a family did bath (usually once a year) they would fill a big basin with hot water. The father was privileged to go first, then the sons, then the mother and the daughters down to the youngest. By the time the last was bathed the water was so dirty you couldn’t see anything.  Thus phrase “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”.

Going further back in time we see that the Ancient Israelites (for instance) were protected from many diseases because they were instructed from the Scriptures NOT to do as other nations.  The Ancient Romans, in contrast, suffered many infectious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and certain digestive ailments.  Many died of lead poisoning from the use of lead cups and utensils.  One of their favorite foods was pork, and they didn’t cook it thoroughly. They didn’t know that pigs carry many of the same diseases as humans.

Ever heard of the “swine flu”?

The people of Israel, on the contrary, were not allowed to eat pork (considered unclean).  Do you think they understood why?  No, they just had to trust what God, who they couldn’t see, instructed them to do, knowing it was for their protection.  Even their lifespans were longer than most at 50+, whereas as the Romans on the average only lived to approx. 25 yrs.

Interestingly during in the time of the Black Death in Europe, because the Jews in the area were not infected they were accused of causing the plague. But the reason they were not infected was due to their lifestyle.  With immaculate hygiene practices, and refraining from foods that were harmful they stayed healthy and unaffected.

Thank goodness we now know to cook meat thoroughly to kill any germs, bacteria and parasites.

Did you know that the ratio of deaths by infection during the War of 1812 were 7.5 infectious deaths to 1 combat death?  It would have been similar or worse throughout all ancient battles.

We had no idea of bacteria, germs and virus’ until the late 1800’s.

What about now? Aren’t you glad we live in the modern day, with modern advances in medicine and microbiology?

But even today we still tend to not pay attention to things that we cannot see.

Just because you don’t  see dirt on your sponge doesn’t mean it is clean.  Just smell it after a couple days of use!

Here is a list of some places in your home where bacteria dwell that you may not have thought of:

Besides your kitchen sponge or cloth, how about your children’s toys?   Or the TV remote,  door knobs or handles, your keyboard and mouse, or cell phone, just think of all the things you and your family touch every day.  Those areas should be cleaned regularly to avoid infection.

It’s important to teach children that there are things that they cannot see that can hurt them.  That is why we tell them to “wash your hands before dinner” or “wash your hands when you come in from playing outside”, and “Don’t pick up and eat that cookie that fell on the floor!”

A great solution to keep your home free from bacteria, mold and virus’ is something just about every home has.

It’s vinegar! And the cost is minimal.

It’s good to keep a spray bottle handy with vinegar and water solution for those quick cleanup jobs.  You’ll eventually get used to the smell, it dissipates in an hour or less,  just don’t use it right before guests arrive!  Hydrogen Peroxide also works great to disinfect.  I don’t recommend using bleach, as it’s a very harsh chemical.

If you’ve noticed lately alot of grocery stores offer disinfectant wipes at the door as you enter.  I usually use them to wipe off the grocery cart, and my hands just in case I brought any invisible unwanted guests with me.

How about Asthma sufferers?  Some of the things that can trigger asthma attacks are things that cannot be seen, such as: dust, pollen, perfumes, allergens from pets or cleaning products,  and mold.

So you “see” there are things that cannot be “seen” that CAN hurt you.

It is best to follow an ancient addage, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”.

This phrase is not specifically in the Scriptures, but it is kosher!  🙂