CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

Do you remember having hydrogen peroxide put on a sore or cut? I was fascinated by the bubbling that occurred when it was applied to my skin. It looked like it was boiling but there was no sensation of heat. Neither Mum nor Dad ever gave me a satisfactory explanation about what was happening and why it was used. However, it did work to sterilise the wound.

In our house, cod liver oil was administered to each child once a week. Mum would get the bottle out of the pantry and then line the three of us up to take a tablespoonful each. The smell put you off before it became your turn but Mum made sure we swallowed it all.

If you had a cold or a sniffle then Vick's Vaporub was the first choice. I hated Vick's Vaporub. Mum would rub it on our bare chests where it would give off the vapours that your nose could not escape. It also made my chest feel hot and uncomfortable but the worst part was breathing in the fumes.

Do you remember the brown stick about half inch square and 3 inches long called Friar's Balsam. One end of the stick was held over a lighted match so the stick melted. This was done above a gauze pad so that the hot liquid dropped onto the pad and formed a pool. After the pool had cooled enough the pool and pad was applied to the sore area and held in place by a bandage. My Mother swore by Friar's Balsam and we always had some in the house which Mother was keen to use on cuts, grazes, scratches, etc. I never did find out how Friar's Balsam was made.

However, the piece de resistance of remedies I remember from my childhood was a teaspoon of sugar sprinkled with a few drops of eucalyptus oil.

My Mother loved this for sore throats and head colds. When the spoonful of this mixture was put in your mouth one had to be careful not to breathe in too deeply. If you did the fumes would start a coughing spasm. It was best to let it lie in your mouth and slowly dissolve while breathing through your nose. The taste was bad enough but a lungful of fumes was worse.

Hydrogen Peroxide can still be bought but it does not seem to bubble as much now as I remember. It is probably a more dilute solution than in those days. I have not seen Friar's Balsam for years. Vic's Vaporub is still available but I would not use it. Eucalyptus oil is freely available but I have never seen a recommendation to use it as we did then. Not having been around small children for some time I am out of touch.

Are these remedies still in use?