Dr. Jack,
        The reasons no one is using it are numerous. First most people don't
know about it, second I've heard from MDs and Pharmacists is "you can't use
that -- it says right on it not to ingest it" or "that's an old wives
remedy, not "real" medicine, and third, many mothers don't like it bc it is
MESSY, not just messy, MESSY. Ever had to paint yourself while dealing with
a wiggling, often screaming, baby nearby-- ever try to paint a wiggling
screaming baby's bottom end? Baby saliva seems to make the violet transfer
rapidly and permanently to all things in contact.  Many of us have the
clothes, sheets, comforters, rugs and toys all stained a lovely shade of
violet, that would be gentian violet, to show for it. Given the option of a
"fades to nothing" lotion/cream... many opt for the less messy.
        Lesser but I've also heard it, is the embarassment of the mothers at
painting their nipples a shocking shade of purple -- even when few to no one
else sees them -- gotta be that "beauty and the breast" thing again?!
        All the reasons mom's give for not breastfeeding in public, even
those committed to breastfeeding are redoubled when you ask them to take a
purple mouthed infant along...
        A woman I know stopped in to see a new baby and thought the baby,
who was asleep on the bed when she peaked in was dead bc it's mouth was
"blue". Took this poor woman about a half hour to regain her composure.
        Ran into a woman in the grocery with the tell tale purple faced
baby. I smiled and said, I recognize that smile, cooing at her little one as
I did so. She blushed deeply, apologized! and said she was soooo embarassed
to take him anywhere, but she had to pick up a couple of things... I tried
to reassure her that there was nothing to be embarassed about, been there,
done that, etc. but...
        What I"m driving at is the practical day to day living involved in
some solutions isn't worth the solution if the problem is "tolerable" --
most mom's with really out of control painful all the time yeast will do
anything... but until they exhaust the no hassle nystatin/mycelex angle...
        Too bad the wonderfully cheap cost of gentian violet would be lost
in the processing of a NON purple version of the main ingredient...

wishing for gentian "invisible"



`       Call it 'sacrificing comfort on the alter of laziness" if you want...
Anne E. Robb, MAT, LLLL
Off on a Tangent, Oregon, USA
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