The Straight Dope 07/23/2004

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 07/23/2004

Dear Cecil:

I had skin surgery recently and was told to apply
Mercurochrome to aid in scarless healing. The product, once
widely available, is sold by only one vendor in Boise, and
I'm told they manufacture their own. Another pharmacist told
me they were not allowed to handle or sell it. What happened
to this antiseptic that I grew up with? --David Young,
Boise, Idaho

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Cecil replies:

You're dating yourself, pops. Few under age 30 have ever
heard of this stuff. In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration declared that Mercurochrome, generically
known as merbromin, was "not generally recognized as safe
and effective" as an over-the-counter antiseptic and forbade
its sale across state lines. A few traditionalists
complained: Whaddya mean, not generally recognized as safe?
Moms have been daubing it on their kids' owies since the
Harding administration! But the more reasonable reaction
was: It's about time.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040723.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

I remember back in grade school that one of my teachers told
us that fanning yourself with your hand or a crude fan made
from a piece of paper would only make you hotter. The theory
was that the energy you expended moving your arm would
override any cooling effect from the air movement you
created. Does this have any basis, or was my teacher just
trying to get a roomful of kids to sit still after recess on
a hot day?--Dane E. Coffey

SDSTAFF Una replies:

Isn't it sad how some of the simplest-sounding questions in
life are the most difficult to answer? Such as "Why do we
die?" "What is time?" and "If it's a '2-minute warning,'
why is there still half an hour left in the game?" Well,
this question falls into that category.

What makes things difficult is the large number of variables
and assumptions in what is otherwise a basic energy balance
problem. In theory, all we need to do is find two things . . .

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfancool.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 01/17/1986

Dear Cecil: 

As I sit here watching Saturday-morning cartoons with my
kids, an old, nagging question resurfaces, to wit: how are
the harmonious, perfectly pitched voices of Alvin and the
Chipmunks created? Eunuchs? The Mandrell sisters on helium?
I breathlessly await your reply. --T. Earl Brandt, Acton,
Texas

Cecil replies:  

Obviously, Earl, you never spent much time horsing 
around with the speed control on your tape recorder
to make goofy high-pitched voices. As kids my
brothers and I found this to be a source of endless
amusement, and if we'd been smarter and about 20 years
older, we'd be millionaires today.   

Unfortunately, we were beaten to the punch by California
songwriter Ross Bagdasarian. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_019b.html
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