In article , Cub Driver
wrote:

Using an alcohol swab, ostensibly to prevent infection, on someone
who will be dead in an hour seems to speak for itself

Well, perhaps it's for the sake of the doctor, either to reassure him
that what he's doing is a normal medical procedure, or perhaps only so
he won't get out of the habit of disinfecting when he's dealing with
people he's trying to save!

Thank you, Howard, for a sane and reasoned take on a difficult
subject.

The subject gets truly weird at times. One anti-lethal-injection legal
campaign, rejected by the courts, pointed out that thiopental sodium,
pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride had not been given an FDA
"safe and effective" approval for the indication of execution.

It turns out that the FDA does, in fact, approve drugs for the specific
purpose of veterinary euthanasia, and, in keeping with the regulations
on drug approvals, designates them "safe and effective" for the marketed
purpose.

Think about that one for a while. Moderate consumption of ethanol, in
your choice of flavor, is usually safe and effective for the resulting
brain tilt.