In a review of a book about Kozma Prutkov, professor of Russian at Vassar College, Richard Gregg, notes it has been claimed that "Frère Jacques" was derived from a Russian seminary song about a "Father Theofil". Marie Delrieu suggest that "Frère Jacques" might have been created to mock the Dominican friars, known in France as the Jacobin order, for their sloth and comfortable lifestyles. Carson without finding any evidence for a connection.įrancesca Draughon and Raymond Knapp argue that "Frère Jacques" was originally a song to taunt Jews or Protestants or Martin Luther (see Frère Jacques in popular culture). The name Jacques, instead, corresponds to the English names James or Jacob, which derive from the Latin Iacobus and the Greek Ἰακώβος ( Septuagintal Greek Ἰακώβ), referring to the Biblical Patriarch Jacob and the apostles known in English as James.Ī possible connection between "Frère Jacques" and the 17th century lithotomist Frère Jacques Beaulieu (also known as Frère Jacques Baulot ), as claimed by Irvine Loudon and many others, was explored by J. The French name Jacques would not ordinarily be translated to "John", which is "Jean" in French. The French word frère in turn comes from the Latin word frater (which also means "brother"). In English, the word friar is derived from the Old French word frere (Modern French frère "brother" in English), as French was still widely used in official circles in England during the 13th century when the four great orders of Friars started. The traditional English translation preserves the scansion, but alters the meaning such that Brother John is being awakened by the bells. Frère Jacques has apparently overslept, it is time to ring the bells for matins, and someone wakes him up with this song. The song concerns a monk's duty to ring the bell for matines. Involving schoolchildren in the design of actions and choice of song was also key to the technique’s effectiveness, she added.The result of all four parts runs together into the same two measures: an authentic cadence. To be effective, the technique should ideally be implemented early in life, used regularly and embedded into the national curriculum in schools, said Nicky Milner, director of medical education at the School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, in Chelmsford, UK. She said her daughter also taught the song and technique to Thampi’s 4-year-old son.
“This song is a fun way to teach children how to wash their hands and has the potential to decrease the burden of germs on hands, a very common way of catching an infection,” Thampi told Reuters Health. After the routine, there was a significant reduction in the markings, according to a report in The BMJ. To test whether the routine would be effective in removing germs, the researchers applied fluorescent markings on the hands of the children, who were between 6 and 9 years old, before they washed with soap and water while singing the song. She demonstrated it to her friends and classmates,” Thampi said. “She heard the first version of the song and helped revise it to have better flow.
“To get my own children to wash their hands with the proper technique, I played with each step until it fell into a song pattern that flowed nicely to the tune of Brother John,” Thampi said.
They wrote the lyrics with the help of schoolchildren. “While there have been public health campaigns about when to wash our hands, that is, the right moments, there has been relatively little focus on how to wash our hands, the right technique, particularly among children.”īecause there didn’t seem to be an existing musical video targeted at children showing the six-step technique using the recommended handwash duration of 20 to 30 seconds, Thampi and colleagues decided to develop their own musical mnemonic. “People may be surprised there’s an issue with how we wash our hands,” Thampi said in an email. “As a mother of two school-going children, I think a lot about germs at work and home,” said Thampi, medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control Program at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, in Ottawa.
Nisha Thampi and colleagues adapted the tune of the song Brother John, also known as Frere Jacques, replacing its lyrics with a six-step handwash practice prescribed by World Health Organization. (Reuters Health) - Singing the steps of good handwashing technique to the tune of a popular nursery rhyme may help young children learn the process and fend off common infections picked up in school, a small Canadian study suggests.ĭr.