[Flyin'Dutch']

Paper masks lose their filtering capacity after 20 minutes of use.

[PeteSpencer]

Face masks are useless against infection and street air pollution.

At best they direct your sneeze back over your shoulder .

We gave up using masks in operating theatres years ago.

Peter

[Bert Presley]

We gave up using masks in operating theatres years ago.

Is that right? Blimey.

Nobody seems to have told Holby City.

[Bert Presley]

fashion statement

You could be right. Here's Wacko Jacko:

[Bert Presley]

Took 13 posts before mentioning the B word. Better than normal.

There's probably an addendum to Godwin's Law for that

[stevelup]

We gave up using masks in operating theatres years ago.

Everyone was wearing masks on the three episodes of Operation Live last month. Was that just for the TV cameras?

[PeteSpencer]

Perhaps they brought them back after I retired 13 years ago

Edit : they are of course recommended (with an attached clear plastic screen ) to protect the operators from blood borne infections from splashes)

I have used them thus for HIV positive and hepatitis B patients in the bad old days when HIV (or HTLV3 as it was known in those days )was a guaranteed killer) .

Peter

[Bert Presley]

they are of course recommended (with an attached clear plastic screen ) to protect the operators from blood borne infections from splashes)

Jeepers. Although I've watched the film 'Alien' all the way through, I'm still scared.

Do you really promise that, by replying, nothing will get through my computer and stick to my face?

[Irv Lee]

You retired too soon @PeteSpencer
[Dailymail]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4698416/amp/Surgeons-stop-spread-germs-operating-NAKED.html

In the constant battle to prevent infections in hospitals, scientists have come up with a stark new proposition – surgeons should operate naked.
Physicians found that nude surgeons shed significantly less bacteria than those wearing scrubs.

[/Dailymail]

[flybymike]

Pete would have been young, ripped and nubile in those days.

[Irv Lee]

This might seem to potentially contradict the previous study...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1121900/
And Happy Christmas to all readers

[PeteSpencer]

Many years ago a study was done placing petri (bacterial culture plates) dishes on the floor under female members of staff (doctors and nurses)standing at the operating table wearing theatre dresses . And a parallel study carried out on the same staff wearing theatre pyjamas/ scrubs. As a result a directive was issued that thenceforth scrubs alone should be worn by theatre staff.

Draw your own conclusions

Peter

[Irv Lee]

"A study was done....."
Yes, @PeteSpencer

[spaughty]

Going back to the original post, I have just asked a Japanese person, and learned that:

1) They wear the masks in the belief it will stop them catching other peoples' colds.
2) No, they do not have to take them off in banks. Japanese people do not rob banks!

I appreciate this is a single sample point, but it does seem to be our only one so far!

[Bert Presley]

Thank you Spaughty. Most interesting.

But, I guess, as with most prophylaxis, you never really know whether it's worked or not.