Nostalgia

[chriso]

I remember Agarol and cod liver oil. But what about Cascara? Gadz.

[calleytwo]

The athlete's medicine - you took it and ran! Alistair

[morag]

Agarol was a very powerful laxative. It contained phenothaline and boy did it move you.However unlike syrup of figs it was painless.What i hated the most was the large spoonful of malt given every day to help with your growth totally disgusting.

My sister was painfully thin and the doc said to give her a large tablespoon of malt extract every night and put it in a glass of milk stout...I was sooo jealous!

[abla43]

Brian, By now you'll no doubt have read 5eulbdog7's definition of Agarol (which I didn't know,, so thanks for that),and Morag explained about Castor Oil. I'm guessing that you're too young to remember either of them and all I can say is lucky you! In the 1940s when I was a nipper the national health service was in it's infancy and my granny's generation were long used to self-medicating, having always had to pay for a doctors opinion, so us kids got the "benefit" of what all our grannys had "learned". The good old days?? Here endeth the (history) lesson,Ha!Ha! Cheers, A.B.

[brian f]

Correct Abla .
I am one or too years younger, i was born on the same day of the year as MIlda and Hughie (TD) over 50 years ago.
Your grannys medication was justified as it gave you a great memory , mind you ah could say that aboot all you 3 tooners , must be that lovely ayrshire fresh air

[5eulbdog7]

Its true that some of the old cures were effective.Regarding Agarol, doctors continued to prescribe it right through to the mid sixties when it was taken off the market because phenothaline was considered a health risk especially in larger doses. Morag regarding your sister and the milk stout every night, sounds good to me but to-day might be seen as child abuse leading to alcoholism.

[morag]

True enough..then again what wouldn't have been considered child abuse that we lived through? She hated it and still has no palette for beer..maybe it's the anti alcohol cure? Mind you, she's not impatial to a glass of bubbly with dinner...lol!

[5eulbdog7]

Quite right Morag,corporal punishment in school being an obvious example. I must try the stout cure though its probably too late for me. lol