More Freakonomics

Whatever

The best regular series in the New York Times Magazine is the not regular enough Freakonomics series. The most recent installment looks into why doctors don't wash their hands.

Leon Bender is a 68-year-old urologist in Los Angeles. Last year, during a South Seas cruise with his wife, Bender noticed something interesting: passengers who went ashore weren’t allowed to reboard the ship until they had some Purell squirted on their hands. The crew even dispensed Purell to passengers lined up at the buffet tables. Was it possible, Bender wondered, that a cruise ship was more diligent about killing germs than his own hospital?

This isn't the best article they've ever done, but this type of analysis is, to me, extremely interesting. Enjoy.