Hacker News Reader

Comment by fasdhaflkhj | Hacker News Reader

I'm confused.

> That done, the antiseptic was pumped into every one of the innumerable tooth wounds until my arm was so full of the liquid that an injection in one drove it out of another

Isn't antiseptic applied topically not systemically, as they seem to be doing here by injection, and didn't antibiotics get developed later than this? I can't understand what they were injecting him with. Can anyone fill in my gaps, please.

View on HN

Antiseptic would just mean something like alcohol or iodine. Antiseptics became commonplace before antibiotics were discovered. (IOW, widespread acceptance of the germ theory of disease preceded discovery of antibiotics.)

I assume "injection" here is referring to something like a bulb syringe or pipette, neither of which pierce the skin but simply a way to extract and apply a liquid, e.g. antiseptic solution. Because presumably the tooth wounds were so deep, inserting the tip of the syringe into the open wound when applying could be described as injecting, especially in more florid prose.

Antiseptics and antibiotics are both classes of antibacterials, but yes, antiseptics can be delivered intravenously. At that time, they may have used something like iodine, penicillin or even carbolic acid.

Penicillin wouldn't have been a thing in the 20s, but I believe the others would have been around.

I think it's poetic license + humour. I doubt they were literally pumping/injecting, just dousing his arm generously.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com