Cuticura soap
Encyclopedia
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
, in use since 1865 manufactured by Potter Drug and Chemical Company, George Robert White
George Robert White
George Robert White was an American philanthropist. He was a citizen of Boston, Massachusetts for most of his life. As a boy he began working for the Weeks and Potter Drug Company. Over time White's responsibilities grew and he eventually became the president and owner of the firm. White changed...
owner. It contains triclocarban
Triclocarban
Triclocarban , or 3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide, is a substance with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that is used in disinfectants, soaps and other household products....
instead of the more usual triclosan
Triclosan
Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent. It is a polychloro phenoxy phenol. Despite being used in many consumer products, beyond its use in toothpaste to prevent gingivitis, there is no evidence according to the American Food and Drug Administration that triclosan provides an extra...
. These two antibacterial agents have very similar molecularity. By themselves they kill 99.99% of bacteria and microbes (like fungus spores) on contact. Cuticura soap has been in use, and is relatively unchanged, since 1865.
In 1908 the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
investigated the advertising of nostrums for the treatment of skin diseases. As reported by the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
it was implied that Cuticura soap could be effective in the treatment of syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
when prepared as an internal remedy known as Cuticura Resolvent. The medical community considered the proposed remedy to contain insufficient potassium iodide
Potassium iodide
Potassium iodide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula KI. This white salt is the most commercially significant iodide compound, with approximately 37,000 tons produced in 1985. It is less hygroscopic than sodium iodide, making it easier to work with...
to be effective in the treatment of the disease.
In 1914 the Good Housekeeping Magazine ran an analysis of a large number of household products including Cuticura soap. They concluded that Cuticura was,
- "A good grade of soap containing a small quantity of prussian bluePrussian bluePrussian blue is a dark blue pigment with the idealized formula Fe718. Another name for the color Prussian blue is Berlin blue or, in painting, Parisian blue. Turnbull's blue is the same substance but is made from different reagents....
and probably a little phenolPhenolPhenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
. Prussian blue has been recommended for skin diseases. Excessive claims made for Cuticura as to the prevention and treatment of skin eruptions, are not warranted by its composition."