Can Cleanliness Be Injurious To Health

Abstract

Dear Editor, I would like to bring to your notice an unusual question. If excess of anything is abnormal, does this mean an excess of cleanliness can lead to harmful effects? It is a general notion that one has to be clean in order to remain healthy and that poor hygiene leads to diseases and ill health. This is universally accepted and is true in most circumstances. However an excess of anything can be considered abnormal. Similarly undue importance to cleanliness can deprive an individual from the protective properties associated with it. It is the balance between cleanliness and untidiness that requires to be understood in order to derive benefits from both.