Hygene

Hygene is an alternative or historical spelling of hygiene. In modern English, the standard term is hygiene, which refers to the practices and conditions that promote health by preventing illness and injury. The spelling hygene appears in older texts and in some transliterations, but contemporary usage favors hygiene. The concept derives from Greek hygieinē meaning health, via Latin hygieina and French hygiène.

Hygiene covers three broad domains: personal hygiene, environmental hygiene, and occupational hygiene. Personal hygiene includes practices such as handwashing, bathing, dental care, grooming, and safe food handling at the household level. Environmental hygiene focuses on maintaining clean living and work spaces, safe water supply, sanitation, waste disposal, pest control, and prevention of environmental contamination. Occupational hygiene aims to minimize exposure to chemical, physical, and biological hazards in workplaces through engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and monitoring.

Public health relies on hygiene as a foundational measure to prevent disease transmission and injury. Throughout history, improvements in sanitation, clean water, and antiseptic procedures reduced mortality and morbidity. Pioneers such as Ignaz Semmelweis, John Snow, and Florence Nightingale highlighted the health benefits of cleanliness and infection control. Today, hygiene remains integral to healthcare, food safety, and outbreak response, complemented by vaccination, hygiene education, and environmental health policies.

See also: hygiene, public health, infection control.