Doctor, what your mammy done Options

[Margaret P]

I had to call the doctor in while I was wating for him my mind wondered back to when I was young when the doctor was called in it was a big thing polish the spoon clean the house (spoon was to put in your mouth) best cup in case he wanted a drink do you remember this

[Catherine]

We still kill wursels laughin Margaret when we think of those times. The doctor must huv thought we aw slept in the wan room, cos any time he came we goat put intae ma mum an dads room cos it was aye the tidiest an hud the nicest wallpaper.....wis pink roses wae a greeny leaf in the backgrun Then it wis the asprin crushed intae a teaspoon a jam....or if ye'd REALLY fooled them, ye goat the pink medicine, ah loved the pink stuff

[Tusker]

My mother was a great believer in brown paper soaked in vinegar placed on your forehead if you had a sore head. (If you didn't wash carefully enough afterwards, people could be heard asking, "Wiz sumbiddy eatin' fish n' chips?")

Vick's Vapour Rub was another favourite of hers. I swear she bought it by the 50-gallon drum. Either that or she had shares in the company. It was slathered on your chest to cure a cough or cold (or even to prevent you catching a cough or cold.) Sometimes you even got some jammed up yer nose, "Tae loosen that cattarh, Ah hear." The fumes were so pungent that when you went outside, reeking of the stuff, yer pals would think ye wur greetin'. --- Until they got within ten yards of you, then they would reel back, coughing, spluttering and yelling "Mah eyes! My Goad, Mah eyes!.......An' Ah cannae breathe, tae!".

....And don't get me started about the NHS Cod Liver Oil, which she was sure was a direct gift from God himself, to cure anything from ingrown toenails to warts. I DEFY anyone to show me a bigger spoon than the one she used to dish out this magic elixir. I swear it held at least four gallons! "But it says 'One tablespoon, Ma!' we'd cry.
"Shut up and open your mouth" she'd say. "This IS a tablespoon!"
She never did explain how we were to shut up and open our mouth at the same time....And we didn't dare ask, in case the cure for a cheeky wean was another tablespoonful of cod liver oil.

And for skint knees you had your Gentian Violet (which left you with a huge purple stain around the graze). "Look everybiddy. Ah've cut masel'...Guess where?" Later, she discovered a pink ointment in a wee flat tin, like a shoe polish tin. Was it "Germolene"? Boy, were we ever grateful to whoever invented that! And Calamine Lotion for midgie bites and sunburn? God, we walked about looking like we were in the terminal stages of leprosy, or something.

No wonder I'm alive today. After all of this, I have an immune system that could repel an attack by a herd of enraged elephants, never mind sissy little microbes and germs...

[wee mags]

I was laughing when reading this post we used tae get put in the bed ben the big room as it had a fire plce in it and if you wir sick it wis lit and awe the nice covers put on ta ewait for the Dr tae come.But if you hid a cauld doon came granny fae Cumlodden drive oor the canal bridge and doon tae Guthrie St wae her famous POLTICE!!!! and yae coulnae take it aff fur at least two hoors and when you did there wis a big red welt right across yir chist !noo theres a medical invention nae buddy uses any mere

[Margaret P]

what about if you had a skilf it was a sugar and soap poltice, and do you remember the milk of magn(cant spell this) and codliveroil tablets we had to take, the other poltice I remember was a caline poltice it was gray they used to heat it up put it on a cloth by god it used to burn

[Tusker]

I don't think my Ma had heard of the sugar & soap poltice. She used bread and warm milk, and wrapped a wool army scarf around it "Tae keep the heat in." I can remember some ointment or something in a cloth (can't remember exactly what) being heated up at the fire and then cheerfully slapped on our back or chest while we yelled, "It's hot Ma! It's hot!". The Home Remedy Queen would reply, "Good! It's workin' then!".......

I also remember on cold days, when she was dressing us, she'd wrap a wool scarf tightly around our chest, next to our skin, and fasten it with a safety pin. She called this "a binder" and it was the only sure way for kids to avoid coughs and colds.....Of course you can't catch a cough or cold if you can't breathe in......

[Catherine]

Ma gran God rest her used tae put a sheet a brown paper in atween mums chest an her simmit when she'd a chest cauld
Ahm a self binder masel Tusker....in winter ah bare neck tae me's an open invitation fur the cauld

[Gemini]

lets not forget the "hot toddy" tae make ye sweat, plus awe the quilts and heavy coats were piled oan tap of ye, fish an' mulk, and I agree the Vics, lordy how we did sweat. Cod Liver Oil mercy we we awe to say wis "ahve goat a belly ache" and oot came the CLO yaaaagh

[Robbie]

Best thing fur a sair throat ,wrap a sweaty stockin roon yer neck before goin tae bed(preferrably someone elses stockin) result....nae sair throat in moarnin'

[Fearn]

Tusker, I begged and prayed for Vicks Vapor Rub - anything would have been better than the home made remedy my Dad concocted - equal parts (I think) of camphorated oil and turpintine applied to chest and back, covered with a bit of old flannelette sheet - binder fashion. The smell of it, I swear, lasted well into Spring!

And what about that pink woolly stuff - thermogene wool? It never could just be totally removed - it came off piece by piece on the 'once a week bath night' until there was only a shilling sized piece left. A simmet or 'liberty bodice' kept it in place. Kids today would be charging their parents with cruelty! Somehow we survived

[wee sammy]

My old man always said i will give you a kick in the ass now get outside and play ya buggar ya

[Tattiesoup]

Thanks fer the laugh... it brought back loads o' memories

[david lowson]

Sammy did the Mrs have to go to the doctors tae get the splinters oot?

[jimmyd]

Going to the doctor ,noo there was an experience.Remember one day ah cut ma finger,run upstairs ,and Greta his a look. "Och aye that could dae wi wee stitch" next thing am in the bath,head tae toe scrub, big bandage roon the finger,and wrapped in grease paper aff the loaf o breid.Maw it's only ma finger the doctor wull see" ,"Aye ! in whit if he has to gie ye a check ower,am no hivin him thinkin yer Maws clatty" .Finally get to the doctor,"ach it's only a we cut,bit of Iodine will keep it from getting infected,just keep the bandage on for a for a day or two.!!!!!!!! Whit a wummin!!

[Melody]

Jimmy, at the risk of repeating myself, your Mammy was magic!