David Feld (Coughs, sneezes and the great unwashed, Letters, 30 July) laments our poor hygiene standards in general and our frequent failure to wash our hands after going to the toilet. He is undoubtedly right in general terms but I often recall some unsolicited expert advice I received on this subject many years ago.
I found myself standing at a urinal in a London teaching hospital next to a distinguished professor of microbiology. We finished more or less at the same time; I headed for the sink and he headed for the door. He paused, rather theatrically, and asked me what I was doing.
Puzzled, I replied that I was washing my hands, of course. He shook his head as if in despair and said: “My urine is sterile, my penis is clean – have you any idea how many faecal organisms there are on that tap?”
He might usefully have added: “… and on this door handle?”
In case any of my colleagues or patients should read this, I would like to say that I do still wash my hands!
Peter Dawson
Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire
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