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Originally Posted by Slice of Life
Umm ... what? Never heard of that explanation. "Gesundheit" means "health" as in "I wish you good health." because that's an appropriate wish for somebody who's not 100 percent healthy. Just like "bon appetite" is an appropriate wish for somebody sitting in front of a plate full of food. That's all I think.
Googling the all-knowing trash heap tells me that the idea that the soul leaves the body through the nose(!) is an ancient Greek notion. So if this was ever believed here then this belief probably arrived with Christianity. Occam's Razor speaks against this theory though.
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Ja, ich weiss die Bedeutung des Wortes (weil ich die Deutsche Sprache fuer zwei Jahren gelernt). However there should be a certain reason to say the word only in the case of sneezing; zum Beispiel, not when coughing. I read the article on the origin of the custom 10 years ago so my memory is not sure enough. Sorry if I was incorrect.
As for the bloomers... It was once a symbol of feminism and women liberation (my mother's theory, not mine). In the Tokyo Olympic, female players wearing short pants impressed Japanese girls how active and free women could be. Leg-binding long skirts and kimonos were regarded as obstacles to gender equality. Thence every school adopted bloomers as sportswares. However, in the 80's, schoolgirls began to expose themselves to media as sex symbols. Everything concerning school (sailor-fuku, bloomers, etc.) became the targets of sexual feticism. Therefore most schools ceased to employ bloomers in gym classes in the 90's.