Contributor: Chris Holmes, MD

Educational Pearls:

Through world history, there have been various interesting approaches to wound care
Ancient Egyptians applied honey, lint, and grease which provided antimicrobial, absorptive and moisturizing properties, respectively
Ancient Greeks irrigated wounds with clean water and applied wine and vinegar which may have been antimicrobial
One of the first synthetic topical antimicrobials was a dye researched by scientist Gerhard Domagk and later produced by Bayer under the name Prontosil
Some current wound care methods include wet-to-dry dressings, Dankin's Solution (sodium hypochlorite) and the use of maggots

References

Fleck CA. Why "wet to dry"?. J Am Col Certif Wound Spec. 2009;1(4):109-113. Published 2009 Oct 6. doi:10.1016/j.jcws.2009.09.003

Shah JB. The history of wound care. J Am Col Certif Wound Spec. 2011;3(3):65-66. doi:10.1016/j.jcws.2012.04.002

Ueno CM, Mullens CL, Luh JH, Wooden WA. Historical review of Dakin's solution applications. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2018;71(9):e49-e55. doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2018.05.023

Summarized by Kirsten Hughes, MS4 | Edited by John Spartz, MD, & Erik Verzemnieks, MD

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Wound Healing