2

In WWII, the military used a sulfur-based powder to promote blood clotting, especially in traumatic internal injuries. The usefulness of such a product is obvious.

My question is whether there is anything like that available for the average consumer. I have found very little online. One product (Pac-Kit) is out there, but it's offered in very small amounts. It's so small, I imagine it would only be useful for external injuries.

Has this technology been superseded by something even more effective? Has this technology been debunked recently? There are a million first-aid products out there. It's surprising there's not much out there for this.

2
  • What do you mean by internal bleeding? Do you mean a medication that could be swallowed or injected and could stop, say, intestinal bleeds or a ruptured spleen? Or do you mean something a surgeon could apply to bleeding tissue once he's opened you up?
    – Carey Gregory
    Feb 23, 2016 at 23:38
  • Out of the two scenarios you listed, I'm actually not sure what the specific differences would be. The scenario I'm thinking of is a traumatic event that left a large wound in the victim, and there are open arteries and veins that have to be closed up.
    – user11077
    Feb 24, 2016 at 5:41

1 Answer 1

1

The "sulfur" based powder you are referring to is sulfonamide which was an antimicrobial, not a clotting agent. It's not sulfur based, but is often called "sulfa", which is where you may be thinking it's sulfur.

It's a white powder that medics used on open wounds, for the antimicrobrial properties. Pretty much every US soldier had sulfa packs and were instructed on how to dust the wounds. While it helped save innumberable lives, penicillin came along and pushed aside the use of sulfa towards the end of WWII.

Sulfa drugs are still used in quite a few different combinations and treatments to this day, however.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.