As global health topics go, you wouldn't think hand washing was a particularly complicated or controversial issue. And generally speaking, it isn't: Everybody agrees it's important to wash your hands thoroughly to reduce transmission of germs.

But how, exactly? Soap and warm water are simple enough, but when it comes to using alcohol-based products, it turns out that the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have different thoughts on the subject. The WHO has a recommended six-step hand-washing process; the CDC has a three-step process.

A recent randomized controlled trial by Scottish epidemiologists concluded that WHO knows best. The researchers found that the WHO process, which takes 43 seconds to complete, more completely rid hands of microbes than the 35-second CDC process.

But fingers must still be pointed: The researchers also found that only 65 percent of doctors and nurses in the study completed a whole hand-washing routine, regardless of which method they used.

Body of Knowledge

For every pound of fat or muscle gained, your body creates seven miles of new blood vessels

Number Cruncher

A single fruit crepe with strawberry topping from the International House of Pancakes contains 460 calories, 189 from fat. It has 21 grams of total fat or 32 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet.

It also contains 90 milligrams of cholesterol (30 percent); 250 mg of sodium (10 percent); 65 grams of total carbohydrates (22 percent); 3 grams of sugar and 6 g of protein.

Counts

2.7: Estimated number of years by which serving as a head of state reduces a person's life expectancy

Source: Anupam Jena, Harvard Medical School

Stories For the Waiting Room

Short in stature isn't a medical condition, but there is a medical treatment for it. It's called distraction osteogenesis, first introduced in 1905 but notably pioneered in the 1950s by the Soviet physician Gavriil Llizarov.

Here's the basic idea: The outer shell of the long bones in the legs were fractured, then artificially stretched by metal braces attached at both ends. New bone would grow from the fractured ends to fill in the cavity, with the braces adjusted continuously to stretch the fracture further apart. Soft tissues would also expand to fill the added space.

The process was lengthy, painful and fraught with complications. It was typically used to correct birth defects, though some patients used it to add up to an inch in height. There are modern variations of Llizarov's idea which significantly improve upon effect and side effects.

The approach is most often used these days to repair other bones, such as facial deformities or damage to the jaw.

Doc Talk

Pulsatile: beating, as in a pulsatile mass

Phobia of the Week

Anablephobia: fear of looking up. Go ahead, look it up.

Never say diet

The Major League Eating record for cow brains is 17.7 pounds in 15 minutes, held by Takeru Kobayashi. That works out to 57 cows who don't think much of Kobayashi's feat.

Observation

"My doctor gave me two weeks to live. I hope they're in August."

Comedian Ronnie Shakes

Medical History

This week in 1944, the first eye bank in the United States opened at New York Hospital, a joint effort with Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Today, roughly three dozen eye banks collect and store eyes for more than 46,000 cornea transplants annually, plus research.

Self-Exam

Q: What is geographic tongue?

A: In approximately 2-3 percent of the general population, parts of the tongue (or other areas of the mouth) are missing papillae (popularly associated with "taste buds"), resulting in areas of smoothness, rather than the tongue's more typical bumpiness. These smooth patches form map-like patterns — hence the name — that change daily as papillae heal.

The condition is harmless, with few or no symptoms. (Some people may have sensitivity to spicy foods.) The cause is probably genetic, though diseases like diabetes have been linked to the condition.

Medical Myths

Natural supplements are always a safer choice.

Well, first off, nature isn't always benign. Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance. More to the point, some supplements can interact with certain medications, reducing the latter's effectiveness or resulting in adverse side effects. You should always consult your doctor or pharmacist about which supplements to use and when.

Plus, with supplements you can't always be sure what exactly you're taking. Regulations on supplement manufacturers are not as strict as those governing pharmaceuticals so the amount of each ingredient can vary between products and potential side effects may not be mentioned on the label. Again, talk with your doc.

Curtain Calls

Robert Williams, a worker at a Ford Motor Co. plant, became the first known human to be killed by a robot when, in 1979, he was struck in the head by a swinging arm of a one-ton factory robot.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Ian Muttoo