Who hasn't gotten a paper cut and immediately put the injured digit in the mouth?
If we have a choice, we really shouldn't do that. Running tap water or sterile solution is much better for minor cuts and lessens the risk of infection. In fact, saliva is full of bacteria and it isn't the best way to bathe a wound, according to Robert Glatter, MD, emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
If camping, try to avoid washing a wound in rivers or streams, where you risk a chance of, not only bacterial infection, but parasitic infection, too.
Best practice: Irrigate the wound with clean water. Use pressure to stop bleeding.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
