Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 01:31:47 -0500

From: Leo Horishny Leo_Horishny[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]POL.COM

Subject: Re: Gesundheit!



To me it doesn't make sense to say any-

thing else; after all, why not Health! rather than Bless You! I don't want

to be blessed by anyone without my permission, thank you



Not that I'm trying to teach your grandmother to suck eggs or anything, but

the Bless You warning is more apropos than the encouragement Health when it

comes to the real concern with sneezing--that is, the poss-

ibility your soul may exit when you forcibly exhale. I was under the

impression that the concern as to one's soul possibly slipping out was a

European staple, did the Germans have less of a concern as to this meta-

physical weakness?



leo_horishny[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pol.com