he Baron Has the Flu Again

ometime ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

Every fall season, the Baron caught the flu and every time he got the flu, he asked Professor Hamblin, his chief advisor, to do something about it. This time, the Professor was going to Switzerland to talk to Swiss specialists about the prevention of the flu.

Lady Angela also added that her staff, like the Baron’s, had the flu. Perhaps they gave it to each other, she thought. The Professor was to find out how to prevent the flu from spreading between the castles.

The Baron and Lady Angela were hoping that the Professor could bring back a magic pill that would prevent the flu from spreading around.

When the Professor returned from his two-week meeting in Switzerland, he did not have a magic pill with him that would cure the flu but he had some excellent advice.

The Professor explained what he had learned. “It seems that the flu germ is spread by touching things that the flu carrier has. Therefore, it is very important that everyone in both castles who come in contact with the each other’s staff must wash their hands many times a day.”

The Professor introduced the hand-washing rule to both kitchen staffs and to all food handlers. “All food is to be rinsed carefully before it is cooked and served,” he added.

The Professor went one step further and provided hand soap and towels in every bathroom in both castles. Signs were placed in the bathroom requiring all occupants to wash their hands after using the bathroom.

“If you have the flu, you should be very careful of everything that you touch, like door handles and utensils.”

It took some time for everyone to get in the habit of washing one’s hands but eventually it caught on. Time would prove that the incidents of flu and other easily transmitted diseases would decline with the addition of new sanitary practices.

When the Professor told the Swiss doctors about the progress in the hand-washing policy, they were delighted. “It is such a simple thing to do, but what a big difference it makes.”