Editorial: Poor Quality Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizers: The Pitfall in Infection Control

Abstract

Ever since the serendipitous discovery of alcohol through fermentation c. 10000 BC, the substance has attracted utility and abuse in equal measure. The initial use of alcohol as beverage in social functions, later diversified to medicinal and spiritual applications. Alcohol discovery however, cannot be traced to a single source but diverse geographical sites, although its use for beverage purposes seems universal. Distillation of fermented liquors to produce spirits dates back to c. 2000 BC in China, Egypt, and Mesopotamia for medicinal, cosmetic and spiritual purposes. The invention of the alembic as a distillation apparatus has several claims towards Arabic, Jewish, Egyptian and European origins with accompanying nomenclature.