On Tue, 12 Nov 1996, Aaron Morris wrote:
 
> I'm looking for references to honey as a wound dressing.  It was a common
> wound dressing in the US Civil War, but has been usurped by modern
> medicine.  I have the reference to manuka honey to treat ulcers (thanks
> Nick!), but I'd like to find reference to honey as a topical salve for
> cuts, scrapes, burns, etc.  Surprizingly, there is nothing in
> _The_Hive_and_the_Honeybee_.  Suggestions anyone?
 
> Thanks in advance,
> Aaron Morris
 
Hi,
 
Just a few days ago there was an item in a UK medical show,
featuring the use of sugar pastes and honeys as wound treatments.
 
Not only is this treatment alive and well, but it seems
it's on the increase, because sugar pastes (whether honey or
manufactured) avoid the problems of antibiotic resistance.
 
It also seems that Medicines sans Frontier, the French trouble-spot
Doctors, have been using them for years in third-world war zones
and now rate them more highly than many modern alternatives. The
view of the program was that they're not widely used, partially
because of the view that it's an old wives tale and partly
because the drugs companies can't patent sugar or honey.
 
Regards, Gordon.
--
Gordon Scott   [log in to unmask]      [log in to unmask] (work)
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Beekeeper; Kendo 3rd Dan; Sometime sailor.  Hampshire, England.