# Gesundheit **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 1999, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gesundheit/2363 "1999-08-06T05:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Man\_from\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Man\_from\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_from_Mars)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 1999, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gesundheit/2363/1 "1999-08-06T05:36:00Z")
Earlier, after I happened to sneeze, a Chinese man I was talking to told me, “God bless you.” Curiously I asked him if there is any such response in his native language to this physical reaction and indeed there are a few. Of course the German “Gesundheit” is a well known response that means “health,” and I know the Italian equivalent is “Salute.” Well, I just got to wondering what it is about sneezing that engenders any response at all, and from people all over the world (apparently). Why isn’t there a similar response to someone who coughs or yawns? ---
**Author:** ![mr\_john](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@mr\_john](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_john)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 1999, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gesundheit/2363/2 "1999-08-06T05:43:00Z")
Superstition was that your soul could escape during a sneeze. A sneeze is pretty much involuntary but you are supposed to be able to control a cough (unless your really sick) or a yawn especially since a yawn can be a sign of bordom. So it is the cougher or the yawner who should ask for pardon, not a blessing by the…Yani or the coffee. ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 1999, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gesundheit/2363/3 "1999-08-06T06:15:00Z")
Well, there are other bodily sounds you we inquire as to the proper response to, but I guess we’ll pass them (so to speak). Ray (blowin’ in the wind) ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 1999, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gesundheit/2363/4 "1999-08-06T23:10:00Z")
I heard it that when you sneezed you were expelling evil spirits and the “bless you” was to prevent them from regaining entrance to your bod.