Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Merthiolate

Either that or BFI powder were the go to for cuts and scraps when I was a kid.

What was BFI powder, never heard of that one. I like Bactine and the clear iodine, no orange stain.

Still use it, still believe in it.

It’s difficult to get, about 10 years ago my wife found an internet source….. it required buying a case/package of 6. Still have some but getting low, we may be internet shopping once again! memtb

When I was a kid, we had an “atomizer” bottle, I think that’s what it was called. When any of us had a sore throat, my Dad would put Merthiolate in it and spray our throats with it. And before some of you smart asses make a comment……inside the mouth, not on the outside of your neck!

We didn’t enjoy the application at all, but it darn sure helped relieve a sore throat! memtb

Bactine? Ha! It couldn’t be any good….it didn’t burn enough to be effective 🔥

Just get a tetanus shot ever decade or so and wash your hands before supper.

City boys......

My dad would paint our throats with merthiolate. It worked for sure.

As noted above, all of the stuff that actually works, gets banned. There is no profit in a 1 oz bottle of effective treatment that lasts a lifetime. Big Pharma wants recurring revenue.

The cynical statement above would be funny, if not true...

Neosporine + pain! Fug that fiery stuff.

The stuff on Amazon is the same name but not at all the original ingredients. Contains acetone, alchohol, red #22, purified water, and the active ingredient is benzalkonium chloride. Probably burns like hell fire to remind you of the old stuff, but it's not.

In college the school nurse and the pharmaceutical factory nurse would swab our throats and knock out sore throats, strep and the like. We were too poor to get sick. Had to keep working to pay bills. Didn’t have student debt either. Was a zombie for a few years but made it.

Just go to your feed store and get 7% strong iodine.

It’ll get your attention.

Mom would just dump that stuff on until we quit bleeding and send us back outside. Wish I had a few bottles now, the add this pic came from on ebay is asking $350 for it!

If we ran out of merthiolate, mom just grabbed the rubbing alcohol. Not sure if her motive was disinfecting or teaching me a lesson to be more careful.

Young guy here but still remember it , Granny used to keep some in medicine cabinet. What about Gentain Violet? or something like that , used more for fungal stuff - athletes foot and jock itch. would burn like fire and stain your skin purple. But man that stuff worked too... Joe

Does anyone remember Niter and Paragoric? When I was growing up in the 50s they were a staple in our house to cure all types of ailments. I think they went the way of mercurochrome and methiolate also.

I certainly remember taking Paragoric as a kid! memtb

Merthiolate, mercurochrome and were staples in my misspent youth thanks to Grandpa’s doctoring. I remember my grandpa having hands like bear paws the arm muscles of Popeye and he ALWAYS had Merthiolate on some injury or another. If grandpa used it then you can be DAMN sure I used it. 😀

I miss the good old days…

That schit stang and stunk at the same time

Frank Glaser bought a glass vial of iodine corked for his first aid kit at his Savage River cabin. The cork dried out over the years and allowed the water and alcohol in the iodine to evaporate which condensed the iodine into a very very strong and potent iodine which, according to Frank, had the “consistency of molasses”. Frank was working on a moose hide that he had in a bucket soaking while the mosquitoes drove him crazy. He, without thinking, scratched at a bite with his dirty hands and accidentally scratched himself and drew a little blood. That mosquito bite and “moose hand” scratch got infected and swelled up something fierce. Frank was really sick and he knew that he was going to die without intervention so he decided to take his knife and “open his neck” to reduce the swelling. Frank said it “hurt like hell” but then he took the vial of condensed iodine and poured a little into his wound. He could immediately taste the iodine and then the room started spinning and he passed out. He survived after a stay in the Fairbanks hospital but the doc said he wasn’t long for the world if he hadn’t struggled to get to town. He had iodine poisoning on top of the bad “moose hand” (or seal hand or salmon hand or bear hand…they’re the “same-same”) but Frank was as tough as they come.