April 1 2020
I have a true story to tell (Dr. Why: it dates back to 1985, when I arrived to the Central Army Group of the Soviet Army stationed in Czechoslovakia - curiously, neither Soviet Union, no Czechoslovakia exist anymore but this is not my fault!).
The military base where I was stationed had 7 (seven) doctors on staff. Naturally, once I arrived - 22 y.o. and a graduate of the one and only 300-year old military medical academy, I was given a free rein of the 35-beds hospital and outpatient clinic serving approximately 10,000 enlisted men, officers, civilian personnel, and family members residing at military base.
There I met one of the most tireless and dedicated paramedics I ever knew, who was supposedly a “nurse” before he was drafted. He had a real passion for sterilization. He sterilized everything from a syringe (yes, it was before disposable syringes became widely available) to a towel and a bed sheet. He did it like a mad man. He took pride in providing me with fresh, sterile, hot - right out of an autoclave supplies.
He knew back then that masks, towels, beds sheets, etc. can be sterilized under high temperatures. We had an autoclave to do it and it was busy 24x7. The guy, a native of Uzbekistan (one of the 15 republics in the Soviet Union) turned out to be a specialist in sterilization (disinfection, cleaning) of VETERINARY facilities. Upon discovery of this fact he was let go (by my superiors) and transferred to a non-medical regiment. Fortunately for me, I was promoted to a specialist (neurology and psychiatry) position in the army division’s 200-bed hospital at the same time.
So, what is so novel about that magical masks’ sterilization machine? Does it actually require FDA approval, or just a common sense?
Give me a break… Sir!