Ties That Are A Bind

‘THERE were plenty of the famous ‘egg and bacon’ ties on display at Lord’s yesterday as MCC members watched England beat New Zealand in the first Test of the summer.

‘And the scarf’s an absolute killer, Doctor’

We dare say that some of these ties were to be found round the necks of certain members of the medical profession.

But we hope that none of them were called immediately from this cricketing stage to the operating theatre, not only because they would have missed a fine finale but also for their patients’ safety.

A report in this morning’s Times says that egg and bacon is the least of the problems on doctors’ ties – in fact, they have been identified as a breeding ground for potentially lethal infections.

In a study in New York, it was found that almost half of the ties worn by medical staff carried bacteria – and doctors were eight times more likely to have disease-causing pathogens on their ties than non-medical workers.

The British Medical Association agrees.

‘Ties are a hygiene concern because they hang down and can touch patients and they are infrequently washed,’ it says. ‘We feel that doctors should not be obliged to wear ties.’

Or maybe we should insist doctors wear bowties – or maybe a fetching cravat – instead…’

Posted: 25th, May 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink