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VIROL

We didn't suffer from Virol, I recall it because most other families seemed to have a jar. It was often used for dipping a dummy to keep the babies quiet. On the subject of babies I bet I'm not the only one who used to pinch a swig of my little sister's Dineford's Gripe Water.
I loved Cod Liver Oil and Malt, and I was given Parish's Food with awful regularity, I was quite skinny and mom said it would 'do me good'. It was foul tasting and I had drops poured onto a spoonful of sugar. We always had a bottle of Indian Brandy in the cupboard, which was used for tummy aches. I don't think any of these old remedies did us any harm, it's for sure they didn't cure a lot either.
 
Hi all, I had cod liver malt out of a big brown jar and my brother was given Virol - I thought out of a b rown jar but memory... - when my eldest daughter was born i n 1959 I was given cod liver oil and unsweetened orange juice for her - I gave her one spoonful of the codliver oil - she spat it out and I was nearly sick from the smell - that was the end of that!! I liked spoonsful of condensed milk out of the tin, um um - mum did notice sometimes!!
Sheri

researching names - Blackham, Hayward, Nabbs, Shipley, Taylor Aston/Small Heath, Johnson.
 
Hi Sheri - I also used to love that Nestles condensed milk straight out of the tin with a spoon. Yum! I could eat some now, but don't think it would be too good for me, all that sugar!!

Judy
 
Yes I do remember Virol my friend who I went to school with Susan still had a dummy at 7 years old and her mother used to put virol on it how revolting. She used to cry if her mommy took away her dummy

I wonder if she did allow her children to have a dummy at that age
 
I remember nestles condensed milk as kids we used to have it on bread and butter, after the malt! yuk
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Yes I had that Scott's it was in a jar with tartan on, then my sister 8 yrs younger got the virol on the dummy it smelt vile. It affected her teeth as they all grew in rotted everyone and it was because of the virol, I think a lot of kids suffered this. I think they found out the same later with Ribeana
 
Morning All. Like Di. I remember Cod liver Oil and Malt - I was so skinny that I had to have it to 'feed me up'. I was skinny for years but something went wrong and now the weight piles on - I think it has finally got the message. Miriam.
 
Yes I remember them all - Virol, Scott's Emulsion, Parish's food..... I was also one of the skinny ones that needed feeding up!

I'm sure Virol was in a BROWN glass jar though - the same shape as in the previous photos.

Used to get it all from 'the welfare' on the Coventry Road in Small Heath. There was a lovely big dappled grey rocking horse there - almost made it worth going there for vaccinations with those HUGE glass syringes. BOY did they hurt!!
 
I remember virol,i had actually never heard of it until i had my son and my aunt told me about it,apparently it was very good for
babies and children,and i have to confess i did put it on my son's dummy he loved it,it never affected his teeth,but he only had a dummy until he was 7 months,oh and i bought it in the chemist it came in a brown jar,
 
Loved the Orange juice..everyday at school at 11 o'clock we used to line up and get a spoonfull of cod liver oil....about 30 of us little ones would line up and the teacher had one spoon .still like the taste now
 
I remember it in the 50s HORRIBLE urrrgh, our Mom used to hold me nose, fortunately i didn't have it for too long , but always had to have Syrup of Figs,,,,, And worm cakes, chocolate flavoured, covered in hundreds and thousands,, they were nice to eat so never minded having em. Max
 
Never tasted Virol but when I became a spotty youth lodging with relatives in Alum Rock my Aunt got me something called Clarkes Blood Mixture. It tasted totally vile but the spots went and if one came up again down some more of the Clarkes Blood Mixture and it was gone. Great stuff but wonder what was in it, they don't sell it now. Did anybody have that?
 
[QUOTE=DavidGrain;315771
Have a look at this link for Clarkes Blood Mixture


David, thanks for that brilliant link. Interesting to see Clarkes Blood Mixture finished in 1968, luckily I was over the spotty stage by then. I still wonder what finished it and whether it was the ingredients. A lot of reliable old remedies have either gone altogether or had a certain thing taken out of them that mean they don't work anymore such as Beechams Powders. I used to swear by them for a cold but now they don't work anymore and then I found out the formula had been changed because something had to be removed because it was bad for us!

Maxwell, many thanks for your link. Quack medicine it may have been but it did definitely get rid of spots. I daresay it was a bit ambitious in some of the other claims made though
Mike
 
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