Burns

Every day people get burned. I’m not referring to the burns we suffer from scam artists of finance or those irresistible deals. I’m referring to the burn we might get when cooking dinner, pouring coffee. or getting too near a fire. I have burned myself a few times and remember how painful burns are. So I read the how-to-treat-burns advisory that is presently cruising the internet with great interest.

It described vividly a neighbor running screaming from her house. Her frying pan had burst into flame while she was bending over it. Her hair and face were on fire. Another neighbor, who had heard her, grabbed the water hose and gently watered down her head and face, while he shouted to bystanders, “get some egg whites!”

After the water had cooled the affected layers of her skin, he gently covered the burned area with slightly beaten egg white. Miraculously, after a few weeks her face was like new again. The egg white, rich in collagen and vitamins from the hen’s placenta, had regenerated the burned area. Best of all, within an hour she had been free of pain.
It sounded good indeed, especially the last paragraph that stated that this is now the standard procedure that our firefighters are being taught.

After reading it I felt the remedy was too important not to pass on.

Out of habit, I double-checked the data, and called the local fire department. A delightful lady, Gail Porto in charge of training, answered my questions: “Well yes,” she said, “we did use egg whites about ten years ago, but we found that egg white carries too many germs. We don’t use it anymore. Today we use plain cold water if the burn covers less than 10% of the body, and a moist dressing (cold water). If the burn covers more than 10% of the body we use a dry and sterile dressing. Nothing else.”

Do you suppose the egg white advisory has been cruising the internet for the last ten years?  No more egg whites today, simply cold water.

I’m off to Australia. Until I return,
Be well,
Rosi