Old chemists / pharmacists and their old fashioned remedies

Based on childhood recollections of shops in Edmonton, north London in Edwardian times.

Chemist shops / pharmacists were always distinctive when I was a child in the early 1900s because their windows would display large glass bottles of coloured liquid, one green and the other red. These were for decorative purposes only and were not, as far as I know, medicines. I suppose that they were supposed to indicate that the pharmacist concerned was well-trained because he was able to mix his own medicines rather than just selling pre-packed concoctions.

Our local local chemist for where I lived on the Huxley Estate in Edmonton was a Mr Chipchase whose shop was at the corner of Warwick Road and Silver Street. He was a very refined person. To be in the pharmacy business you had to have qualifications, which meant that your parents had money, so he was looked upon as only a step below a doctor and was respected as such. In fact he served as an unpaid doctor and our mothers would ask his advice before calling in the doctor who would always did charge.

One thing I remember about the chemist was that he gave us children what he called an Oracle which was no doubt issued as a publicity stunt by some manufacturer. We had to light a match, blow it out and while it was still warm, touch it on the sheet of paper that was the Oracle. This would slowly burn out out a picture.

Old fashioned remedies and cures

The chemist did a roaring trade:

• There was a demand for Venos cough cure, Owbridges lung tonic and cherry lincture, particularly in the winter, the season of coughs and colds.
• For chilblains, there was Melrose, a cream with a very strong smell.
• To clear a blocked up nose, Camphor oil (also known as camphorated oil) was rubbed onto our chests. Sometimes it was put onto a piece of flannel which was placed onto our chests.
• For sore throats most people gargled with salt water. We had to be careful not to swallow it, though, as it could make people sick.
• Iodine was widely used as an antiseptic. When my father put this on our cuts and bruises, he would say, "Shout", because he knew it would sting, and shouting would release the tension.
• The cough sweets were rectangular linseed lozenges with their name imprinted on them. There were also eucalyptus gums. Both were rather hot but very pleasant.
• For chapped hands, glycerine, cold cream or Vaseline were used. Children would often have scurf on their chins during winter, which I think was probably because we always washed ourselves in cold water and, as there was no toilet soap, we used houseful soap, like Sunlight or Lifebuoy.
• When my parents wanted a laxative, they would take a dose of Glauber salts, Epsom salts or Beecham Pills.
• In the Spring all the family would have have sulphur tablets which was said to be good for our blood. It was certainly a laxative as well and the smells that it caused were most offensive.
• We children would be given a dose of castor oil or syrup of figs once a week for our tummies. These too were laxatives and we were given them whether we needed them or not. For some reason, my mother always gave us the castor oil on Saturday night bath night. Then on would go our clean night clothes. To see the castor oil slowly making its way down the bottle would make my tummy revolt and my mother would give me a fixed look as much as to say, "Don't be sick". I have thought since, how stupid it was to put clean clothes on before the dose of castor oil.