Can BRANDY (Liquor) be used to cleanse a wound? ?

Question

During the Victorian era, or any era in the past, was this drink used to cleanse a wound??

Answer 1

Yes, brandy can be used to disinfect a wound, the alcohol it contains would do an adequate job. Alcohol was the original disinfectant, although isopropyl was prefered because it was easier to produce at a predictable strength. In the Victorian era, they did not tend to disinfect anything, washing with soap was considered radical enough. It was more common for the doctor to go from one patient to the next without washing his own hands, spreading infection from patient to patient. President Garfield would have likely survived the assassins bullet if his doctors had kept their nasty fingers to themselves instead on constantly probing the wound to locate the bullet. When disinfection first began being used, they tended to use a diluted form of carbolic acid more than alcohol. Distilled spirits such as brandy were favored more for the anesthetic capabilities than the disinfectant ability.

Answer 2

Of course Brandy, Whiskey, Vodka, etc can be used to cleanse the wound; but this os going to hurt like &%$#!

Instead of using alcohol to cleanse a wound; I would recommend a bottle of bactene, or some other disinfectant without the alcohol in your medicine cabinet or first aid kit.

If I were outside, and I injure my skin in some way; I would chew a leaf of plantain (plantago major) and slap that over the injury.

Plantain is high in natural sulphur, and will disinfect the wound until I could get home to care for it properly.

Answer 3

The alcohol in brandy will help kill the bacteria but I think it was swallowed first to numb the effects of putting alcohol on an open wound. I can't imagine anything more painful on an open cut except maybe salt.

Answer 4

Any type of hard liquor can clean wounds....brandy, bourbon, whiskey, vodka....It is the alcohol content in the liquor that cleans to wounds.

Answer 5

Theoretically yes, due to the alcohol, but there are much better and less expensive things to use today.