Specialist In Emergency Medicine
Let's answer some questions from Ramot in Jerusalem. What
about washing with soap and water?
We must give some background information. It is true that
many diseases, including influenza, are spread through five
or less organisms. These can often be found on the hands of
individuals who cough in their hands or, for example, who
have diarrhea and do not wash adequately afterwards. Bacteria
are best dealt with by being dislodged through the vigorous
action of scrubbing with soap and washing with water.
Antibacterial soaps actually contribute little. Indeed, a
recent article said that running water from the tap is as
good an antiseptic as iodine. This should not be new news.
Dentists knew this for years by recommending brushing all the
time, and many surgeons knew this since particularly dirty
wounds are best dealt with using a water-pic water device.
We were also asked about DNA testing. This is a relatively
new technology. We all have genes, which are strands of
substances called nucleic acids, which consist of four
different compounds. That's it. What separates our bodies
from turtles and parsnips is how these four compounds are
arranged. In each species, for example, the difference
between people is minor changes in the order of these
acids.
Genes are being mapped all the time, and there have been
found many genes that go down in families for things such as
alcoholism, cancer and even ingrown toenails. The technology
is used to see which offspring are at danger to receive
dangerous genes and in criminal law to identify criminals on
the basis of blood that may have spilled or to trace lineage
in cases where there is a doubt as to who inherits.
The technology remains expensive. The sequence can be played
with and there was some thought about engineering a pig that
chews its cud. A fully red heifer can also be designed at
this point, from what I have heard.
Someone asks about the differences between antibiotics. This
is a long discussion that we will look more fully into next
week.
Antibiotics are not comparable, and 1 mg. of one may be
stronger than 500 mg of another. Antibiotics differ, with
many different families, but they were designed to deal with
the family of bacteria that are attacking a given patient.
More next week. Write me in care of the Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Tums is calcium and can be taken to safely settle
a queasy stomach, without causing diarrhea. It can also be
taken as a calcium supplement for those who are in need. It
is mild and has no side effects. Glaxo makes it and it does
not require a prescription.
