Published
Nurses, did you know that in the US, cocaine was sold over the counter until 1914 and was commonly found in products like toothache drops, dandruff remedies and medicinal tonics?
1885 advertisement of cocaine for dental pain in children
Yes, liquid cocaine is still out there. Some years ago it was used to stop a bad nosebleed that my son had.
And my favorite story about paregoric -- More than 50 years ago, one of my mom's good friends told everyone that she gave her kids some paregoric any time they (the parents) were going out for an evening. That way, the kids would sleep better, and the babysitter would keep coming back.
And they survived!
My best friend, who is considerably older than me and was raised in NOLA, told me of a country doctor that used to treat her sinus infections with something he swabbed up inside her nose that made her "feel great". I almost fell over laughing when I saw her face after I told her he was swabbing her with "blow".
CheesePotato, BSN, RN
2 Articles; 254 Posts
Incidentally, cocaine is still sold over the counter in the U.S. And my teeth feel just fine, thank you. Coincidence? Perhaps.