Masada ancient Judean date palm seed germination

Poor nutrition during a child's first 1,000 days can permanently limit physical and mental development. Food alone is not the whole problem: infections and parasites caused by poor sanitation can also stop the body from absorbing enough nutrients.

In 1847, Ignaz Semmelweis required doctors at a Vienna maternity clinic to clean their hands with a chlorinated solution before examining patients. Deaths from childbed fever fell sharply. But his explanation challenged prevailing medical beliefs, and many colleagues resisted it. A lifesaving practice was rejected before the germ theory of disease became widely accepted.