“The first Lysol Brand Antiseptic Disinfectant was introduced in 1889 by Gustav Raupenstrauch to help end a cholera epidemic happening in Germany. The original formulation of Lysol contained cresols.[2] This formulation may still be available commercially in some parts of the world.[3] Formulations containing chlorophenol are still available in the United Kingdom.[4]
In 1911, poisoning by drinking Lysol was the most common means of suicide in Australia and New York.”[
Lysol was also used as a feminine hygiene product, and sometimes as a home abortion solution, until it started killing women. From the same Wikipedia article.
The amount that would lead to an abortion also often killed the mother as well. It WAS a quasi-birth control method.
It was also used in STD treatment in the pre-antibiotic era. Women were given a douche of a tablespoon or so in a gallon or two of the hottest water they could stand, and men had their urethras flushed with the straight product. Yeeeeeowtch!
When watching old TV series and movies, I’m often interested in the “where are they now?” question about some of the performers. At one time I looked up this question regarding British actress Angela Scoular, who had brilliantly played Lady Agatha Shawcross in the very funny Jimmy Perry and David Croft sitcom You Rang, M’Lord?.
Imagine my horror to discover that:
She died on 11 April 2011 after ingesting acid drain cleaner and pouring it on her body, causing lethal burns to her digestive tract and skin Angela Scoular - Wikipedia
MercurOUS chloride (Hg2CL2) was also known as calomel, a potent laxative. In some cases, it was sold in solid pellets, which could be retrieved and “reused.” Ewwwwww.
Some of my older pharmacy colleagues remembered the organomercurial diuretics, of which Salyrgan was the best known, and AFAIK, the last taken off the market. Those things were more potent than anything available nowadays, and of course much, much more dangerous. For an example, here’s an abstract from a 1932 article praising its safety. That it had to be given by injection did reduce its use.
Since you mentioned it, this is a little information about jalap. Yeah, back in the day, people were given laxatives to rid themselves of “dropsical” (i.e. edematous) fluid.
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