Appalachian Word of the Week -- MERTHIOLATE

Merthiolate

If you grew up in my era and were prone to cuts and scrapes, I'm sure you remember the Appalachian Word of the Week -- MERTHIOLATE.

MERTHIOLATE, not to be confused with the milder mercurochrome, made more children cry than skinned knees, falls from monkey bars, and sliding down an icy street in winter on your nose.

Just the memory of having MERTHIOLATE painted on your cuts and scrapes can make your heart race with terror. I screamed much louder as Mom or my teacher approached me with that tiny bottle of glowing pinkish colored torture than I ever cried in pain from the injury.

Waiting for the MERTHIOLATE

Unfortunately, I fell a lot as a child. It didn't help that our playground at Loyall was covered with gravel or concrete. Every fall resulted in bloody open wounds.

No matter how intensely I begged, pleaded, and cried for them to paint my wound with the basically painless mercurochrome instead, they always grabbed the MERTHIOLATE out of the first aid box and came at me with that glass applicator after dipping it into the toxic glowing liquid.

I remember some kids having to be held down, screaming, as the teacher painted their skin pink. I won't say whether I was a member of that group...

At one point, after enduring a week of multiple doctorings of MERTHIOLATE, I remember deciding it was better to bleed and risk disease than to have one more treatment. I hid from the teacher. Unfortunately, one of my "friends" ratted on me and the teacher came trotting to my hiding place with that tiny bottle. I still don't forgive that "friend."

One of the happiest times in my life was when I reached the age when I didn't come in from recess bleeding. Of course, it could be a result of growing out of my extreme awkwardness.

How about you?

Did you have to endure the pink stain of torture being slathered on your cuts and abrasions?

Do you have a funny story?




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