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To: CJ Wolf
The surfactants in the soaps do most of the killing, though I fear I agree with you regarding the anti-biotics being put into soaps. Regular hand scrubbing with a good all purpose soap(not reusable bar soap), will kill most live bacteria due to the disruptions in their cell membranes caused by the surfactant action of the soap.

How do I know this? I'm an RN in an American ICU.

I doubt that even the most anti-biotic resistant bug(they tend to be less hardy out side of the hospital enviroments than their less anti-biotic resistant cousins) will ever become resistant to a good soap scrubbing and clean water rinsing. Fresh bar soap is good for cleansing out septic wounds as the continued control of bacterial counts is one of the main keys to effective wound healing.













37 posted on 01/02/2003 6:53:45 AM PST by mdmathis6
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To: mdmathis6
Fresh bar soap is good for cleansing out septic wounds as the continued control of bacterial counts is one of the main keys to effective wound healing.

Amen and amen!

A grizzled old carpenter who helped build our house was the de facto first aid man for the crew. I handed him things and listened as he worked. He told me his SOP was to grab warm water and soap and scrub the heck out of any wound received on the job, and deliver 'em to the hospital still all sudsed up. Said he never lost a patient (g).

It seemed sensible to me and I have followed his prescription with my family with good results - no infections or swelling and good clean healing. My son is "all boy" and fairly accident prone, so he presents frequently with cuts, abrasions, etc. The few times I have had to haul him in to the pediatrician to get stitched up, our first aid wound care has met with Doc's entire approval. (We deliver 'em clean and decent!)

The only time we have had to resort to antibiotics is when a cat bit him in the hand (he tried to break up a three-way cat-and-dog rumble without resort to a beach towel or pail of water) and he didn't TELL me about it until red streaks were running up his arm . . . on the usual principle of hoping nobody would find out about it . . . (sigh . . . little boys!)

38 posted on 01/02/2003 7:07:06 AM PST by AnAmericanMother
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