Mercurchrome and Methiolate

 

I’ve got a sore thumb. With this winter weather and lots of hand washing, I’ve developed a split in the skin near my thumbnail…and it is as sore as the dickens. And I seem to bump it all the time or pull it open when I reach in my pocket for my keys, or change. 

The pain this morning made me think back to the days as a kid when I’d wreck my bike (which I did a lot) or fall down and rip open a place on my knee or elbow or hands and dad would head me to the bathroom and clean me up and then reach for the medicine cabinet. I knew what was about to happen next. 

He was reaching for the orange stuff…the Mercurochrome or Methiolate. While one hand was reaching for the Methiolate…his other hand had a death grip on me because I was trying like crazy to get away. But dad was so strong...I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. So then, I switched to crying mode (if I had even stopped yet) and begging mode. The begging mode consisted of making him PROMISE…to start blowing on the injury BEFORE he even put the first drop of Methiolate on…because I knew it was going to burn like hell and I wanted a head start on the blowing. Sometimes my brother and sister were there as well to see what I did this time...and I'd tell them to blow too...the burning was that intense. They did what I asked...but it still didn’t help…it still burnt like hell. 

As I got a little older, one thing I grew to appreciate was that the burning and pain seemed to only last for a few minutes….then it was all better. I began to realize that if I DIDN’T have dad put the Methiolate on….the injury seemed to burn all day and maybe into the following days too. I grew to appreciate getting the burn over with. 

Those of us in the baby boomer generation, remember in the 1950s and 60s, playing with our group of friends, and if you saw one of them with a red/orange knee or elbow…you knew their folks had Methiolate at their house too. 

So why don’t they make that 'orange fire ball miracle medicine' anymore? Well if you dissect the name…Mercurchrome…you see it has the name mercury in it…and sometime in the 70s I guess someone decided that mercury was bad for us. 

To tell you the truth, I’m ready for Cindy to put some Methiolate on my thumb right now. Heck with that mercury stuff. I know it’ll burn…but just for a little while…then it’ll be all better.

REMEMBER: 

The overwhelming majority of what is stressing you today will be irrelevant in a year. Don’t lose sleep over petty things. Get over it, move on. 

Be talkin’ to ya. 

Dan