Tag: First aid myth

Pouring hydrogen peroxide on a cut and seeing it fizz and bubble has long been a comforting sign of disinfection. However, that familiar bubbling simply means the peroxide is reacting with an enzyme called catalase, present in nearly all living cells, including both healthy tissue and bacteria.

Since ancient times, the debate has raged on: do open wounds heal faster, wet or dry? Contrary to folk wisdom that a wound needs air to heal, modern medical research, pioneered in the 1960s, conclusively shows that keeping a wound moist significantly speeds up the healing process.