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Is Mercurochrome Advisable For The Treatment Of Wounds?
as a kid when I fell and scraped my skin, the first thing they gave me was a dash of mercurochrome over the wound and after every shower the wound was redressed again. Everything always healed well. Why is it not used here in America. I have grand kids and they fall numerous times as toddlers, but were never treated with mercurochrome. Does it have dangerous effects?
Mon, 18 Mar 2019
Hello,
This is a question that people from our generation have been asking because mercurochrome was such a staple of our childhoods. The first reason is that it contained mercury.
The second, which I can't prove, so it is my opinion, is that the drug companies that sell topical antibiotics such as Neosporin, pushed it out.
Use of Neosporin is largely unnecessary for simple cuts and scrapes and there is a fair amount of allergy to it as well as it's overuse contributing to bacterial resistance.
My two cents. Here is a non-medical article detailing the history of mercurochrome that you might like: https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2518/what-happened-to-mercurochrome/.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
This is a question that people from our generation have been asking because mercurochrome was such a staple of our childhoods. The first reason is that it contained mercury.
The second, which I can't prove, so it is my opinion, is that the drug companies that sell topical antibiotics such as Neosporin, pushed it out.
Use of Neosporin is largely unnecessary for simple cuts and scrapes and there is a fair amount of allergy to it as well as it's overuse contributing to bacterial resistance.
My two cents. Here is a non-medical article detailing the history of mercurochrome that you might like: https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2518/what-happened-to-mercurochrome/.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
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