Common Knowledge

Even though my daddy was a skilled electrician witha steady job, money was scarce in north Alabama in the 50's. Most people treated illnesses at home, and only ventured to a doctor or dentist in the most dire of circumstances.

Cumeremedine is still sold, and still manufactured in Etowah County, Alabama. When I was a kid, cuts and scratches were medicated with Tincture of Mercurichrome, Tincture of Merthiolate or Cumeremidine. There was a plastic stick attached to the caps and mothers would swab the stuff on. It didn't hurt, which was a big plus.

I rarely went to the doctor when I was a boy. Home remedies ruled the day. A sty or boil was mediacated with a slice of cool, raw Irish Potato laid across it, a remedy I still use. Earaches were soothed with hot earwax remover in the ear, and cotton stuffed in for protection. Colds were treated with Vicks Salve and spoonfuls of Whiskey mixed with granulated sugar. The Whiskey was harsh enough to make a boy cough, but the Vicks Salve produced more misery than it was worth. Mama would swab it onto my chest and then wrap my neck in a wool scarf. Sometimes I had to eat a few spoonfuls. I think the theory was that if it worked outside it would work even better inside.

There was only one dentist in town, and he was long rumored to be a drinking man. His solution to any toothache was to pull the offending tooth. My daddy had suffered for years with bad teeth, and when I was very young he had a series of appointments with Dr. Brown in which all of his teeth were pulled. He did alright with everything but pecans, which were a common delicacy in our area, falling freely from the trees above our heads. Mama finally got us a grinding thing, kind of a Mason Jar with a blade inside, and Daddy would grind his pecans to a dust before he ate them. They wound up being more like dry grits than nuts, but he seemed to love them just the same.

I didn't mind cough medicines all that much.. Coughs were treated with Syrup of Black Draught or Cremulsion. Both were OK with me, since they were heavily flavored with Licorice, and advertised on The Grand Old Opry to boot. People know now that coughing is your body's way of clearing itself of congestion - not something to be suppressed, but in those days it was not such common knowlege.

The worst of the worst was Castor Oil, which was used as a laxative. I knew the bottle by site. It was as heavy as motor oil, and tasted horrible. The memory would linger for hours, just like you would expect the taste of motor oil to do. Mama eventually tried putting Castor Oil in orange juice to make it easier to take, but instead of the OJ killing the taste of the oil, the Castor Oil killed the taste of the orange juice, making the dastardly dose a big glassful instead of a tablespoonful. I would hide under the bed, fight,cry or whatever to keep from taking it. After so many pitched battles Mama eventually caught on and began to threaten me with a dose of Castor Oil if I misbehaved. I developed a lifelong aversion to medicine and doctors, a trait which carries on to this day.

It is good that people take children to doctors more nowadays. Our parents did the best they could with the common knowledge and resources that they had at the time. It was the best that they could do, which is really all that can be asked of anyone.