Vinegar

[Black Hand]

Bottled water can be a challenge in other countries, as it can be ordered from the establishment (at a higher price) but may actually be a bottle that has been refilled from the tap. Always ask for the bottle to be opened at your table. The ice is usually made with tap water, but people often forget this detail. Brushing ones teeth is another time the local water can be a problem...

You really only need to make the mistake of drinking contaminated water once - the consequences are so unpleasant that people rarely wish to repeat the experience. The rapid and violent dehydration the ensues can actually be fatal if not addressed with medication and fluid & electrolyte replacement.

 

[Nativearizonan]

Eating raw vegetables, such as salads, is another source, because they are generally washed under the tap.

 

[satx78247]

Also TRUE. = I was once stationed in a nation where we NEVER drank the water, used ice or brushed our teeth with water, that we had NOT boiled for at least 5 minutes.

In that country & away from our own kaserne/quarters, we drank (and brushed our teeth with) BEER or the "steam process" coffee, as the local bottled water was also "untrustworthy".

yours, satx

 

[Gene L]

Vinegar has some germ-killing qualities, be they ever so humble. But back in the day, medics didn't know about germs. So anything that might have an effect was likely to be tried, especially if it had a tradition (which it had) and didn't cost much (which vinegar didn't.)

This was the day when people used mustard poultices to treat chest colds. Who is to say they didn't have some favorable effect? I doubt either vinegar or mustard poultices had any detrimental effect and you did what you could back in the day with what you had before chemical antibiotics. It wasn't until WW 2 that infection was understood, and not nearly like today.

Didn't one of the Roosevelts lose a kid to septicism brought on by a blister from playing tennis.

We do, and have always done things that don't have a solid reason because they just might have an effect and they generally don't cause any ancillary harm. Often cures are often associated with things that either don't taste good or smell bad.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

you had to mention a mustard poultice (plaster) In our area they were called "plaster" and I can all to well recall how the darn things stung the skin when applied. I would pretend to be well rather then let my mother put one of those on my chest. They talk about "leaving a mark." I still hurt when I think on them, the mark was not just on the skin but in the brain as well.