ericth wrote:I dont get the reference in the Haven panel to a Brass Bedstead and childbrith mortality. Google wasnt too helpful either.
Brass kills germs just as handwashing does.
Frequently touched surfaces have been found to serve as reservoirs for the spread of pathogenic microbes. This is especially true in healthcare facilities, where harmful viruses, bacteria, and fungi colonize and persist on doorknobs, push plates, railings, tray tables, faucet handles, IV poles, HVAC systems, and other equipment. These microbes can often survive on touch surfaces not made with antimicrobial materials for surprisingly long periods of time (e.g., for more than 30 days on some popular materials).
The surfaces of copper and its alloys, such as brass and bronze, are antimicrobial. They have an inherent ability to kill a wide range of harmful microbes relatively rapidly – often within two hours or less – and with a high degree of efficacy.[1] These antimicrobial properties have been demonstrated by an extensive body of research. The research also suggests that if touch surfaces are made with copper alloys, the reduced transmission of disease-causing organisms can reduce patient infections in hospital intensive care units (ICU) by as much as 58%.[2][3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrob ... h_surfacesIn the old days 10% of all women giving birth died within 3 days from Childbirth Fever. Having a brass bed reduced the amount of germs near the prospective mother and made it less likely that she would get infected. Handwashing though is the biggest factor in dropping the death rate from what it was in the 1800's.
............................................................................
"I'd like to think that someone in the Navy somewhere has at least the IQ of a gerbil!" Rear Admiral Rozsak on the officers in the SLN
