From Elie Dahan
I wonder if Ron Coffee, the developer of the “healing web” spray
(8 January, p 6)
was inspired by the well-known old remedy for razor cuts: applying a
spider’s web.
Although not very hygienic, spiders’ webs used to be applied to cuts,
particularly from shaving, to stop the bleeding promptly and promote healing.
The remedy is mentioned in 19th-century English and North American children’s
literature.
I also remember an argument, when I was five years old, between my
grandmother and mother. My grannie apparently wanted to apply a spider’s web to
my bleeding knee after I’d had a fall. My horrified mother pushed my grannie
aside and instead used alcohol, which stung, and mercurochrome.
Johannesburg
