"Ever notice that the good doctor washes his/her hands before and after they examine you? "

Oh Matt26, you naive Amish Boy. If it were only true!

http://www.hygenius.com/history.htm

"It seems reasonable to assume that hospitals have come closest to responding to this problem. Modern surgery, after all, has long since solved many of the early problems of infection. However, fundamental problems of hygiene still exist. In 1992, The New England Journal of Medicine reported on a hand-washing study in an intensive-care unit. Despite special education and monitored observation, hand-washing rates were as low as 30% and never went above 48%!"