The Depot Museum received a donation of old medicine bottles recently, and as is in the case of most bottled remedies from days gone by, they MAY be good for what ails you but they certainly do make for interesting reading.

Old Timey “S” Liniment was advertised “as sold on Doc Scott’s Medicine Show”. It has a warning printed that says “for external use only”. Like you would dare to swallow something that smells that bad! The label says that the concoction was imported by a Canadian company, with instructions written in French: ”Ne pas laisser a la portee des infants”. I think that says keep out of reach of children.

A familiar one is Glover’s Imperial Sarcoptic Mange Medicine for Hair and Scalp. Its warning says that it is volatile and to keep away from open flame!

A large red tin container held Watkins Petro-Carbo Salve which was to be used for superficial varieties of sores, chafes, slight cuts and burns as well as collar sores and saddle galls.

The last little bottle is the most interesting of the lot. Its label reads: DURANOL. Unequalled for First Aid.

Duranol was an ointment, “properly prepared to effect satisfactory results or cure in the treatment of eczemas, burns, cuts, sores, athlete’s foot, hemorrhoids, sunburn and other skin ailments or external injuries.”

Contents included: grain alcohol, sinapis, sodium, chloride, lard oil, camphor, alum, cayenne and acetic acid.

It was said to be locally manufactured by Durand and Smith, Eunice, Louisiana. That’s not too hard to believe, what with lard oil and cayenne in the mixture.

If anyone has any information as to who Durand and Smith were, please call us.

We’d love to fill in the blanks on this one.

Georgie Manuel

August 28, 2011.