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Drawing ointment. Who remembers it?

(108 Posts)
Lizbethann55 Sun 24-Oct-21 16:30:56

This morning my DD got a splinter in her finger. It turns out that she can't cope with splinters ! So my DH had to rescue our DD by removing it with my best eyebrow tweezers, while she screwed up her face and looked the other way. ( We will ignore the fact that she is in her late 30s!) But it reminded me of when we were little, if we got a splinter " drawing ointment " was put on the afflicted part of the body. Does anyone know what "drawing ointment " actually was and whether or not it actually worked?

Riverwalk Mon 25-Oct-21 18:23:37

I remember Ichthyol/Ichthammol - a thick dark tarry substance which the school nurse put on my grazed knee.

It's also used for eczema and psoriasis.

ElaineI Mon 25-Oct-21 18:23:06

I used Mag sulph a lot when I worked in the treatment room. When I started nursing you had to spread kaolin from a tin between 2 layers of a linen sheet then warm it on a plate over a pan of hot water, then test it on yourself before applying it to a patient. Eventually they had ready made ones. Any nurses remember this?

Marydoll Mon 25-Oct-21 18:11:30

My mother also used Kaolin or bread to make a poultice.
I always have a pot of mag sulphate handy, but it has been more and more difficult to find in my local pharmacies.

The same can be said for menthol crystals which are also impossible to find.

seacliff Mon 25-Oct-21 18:08:52

I thought we had Lion ointment, yellow and thick like vaseline. Maybe that was for something else. Must get a pot of that magnesium sulphate, thanks.

gillyknits Mon 25-Oct-21 18:06:50

I found that a tiny piece of soap held in place with a plaster, for a couple of days, has the same effect of removing splinters.

Maggiemaybe Mon 25-Oct-21 17:59:26

My mother used to use a piece of bread soaked in hot milk as a drawing poultice for spelks. It always seemed to be the sterilised needle that worked in the end though.

Trisha57 Mon 25-Oct-21 17:20:01

tanith yes! I remember Yellow Basilicon ointment. My mum always had a jar handy for splinters when we were little. You can still buy it online!

Redhead56 Mon 25-Oct-21 17:16:45

I remember it as a child now it’s magnesium sulphate paste I bought some from the pharmacy a few weeks ago.

Nonogran Mon 25-Oct-21 16:59:42

My mum had a bad witlow on her finger when I was a small girl. Drawing ointment aka Morrison’s paste did the trick to draw the puss. Wonderful stuff.

tickingbird Mon 25-Oct-21 16:58:51

I remember Kaolin poultice and Gentian Violet being in my mum’s medicine box and the poultice being heated up in it’s tin.

Puzzled Mon 25-Oct-21 16:42:10

As a child, ours was a bit like a stick of sealing wax, but yellowish, so was hot when applied. But it worked!
Can't remember the name!
Have used Magnesium Sulphate fairly recently to remove a metal splinter, instead of the usual needle and tweezers.

pensionpat Sun 24-Oct-21 18:20:44

I remember Black Jack always in the cupboard. Don’t know if it was a “drawing” thing.

Oldbat1 Sun 24-Oct-21 18:20:14

Yes have a small pot in first aid box. Love the smell of Magnesium Sulphate.

tanith Sun 24-Oct-21 18:14:13

We had something called Yellow Basilicon (sp?)for drawing out splinters when i was young

Nannatwiglet Sun 24-Oct-21 17:45:40

Yes…still available at chemists…
We used it on our three year old “inquisitive” daughter some 40+ years ago…to draw a splinter out of her nose. She had been peering through a knot hole in the fence at new neighbours!

Blossoming Sun 24-Oct-21 17:27:46

Yes, I remember it. It was very smelly! I usually dig splinters out with a sharp needle.

BlueBelle Sun 24-Oct-21 17:26:19

I still have a small jar of mag sulph in my first aid drawer

Kali2 Sun 24-Oct-21 17:20:28

Indeed, magnesium sulphate- always have a pot handy.

JaneJudge Sun 24-Oct-21 17:18:48

gentian violet is used a lot on animals and poultry/fowl isn't it?

JaneJudge Sun 24-Oct-21 17:18:01

Yes, it's magnesium sulphate!

Fennel Sun 24-Oct-21 17:14:54

I think kaolin has a drawing function. But more for things like septic spots and abcesses.
I also still have a small bottle of gentian violet.

Squiffy Sun 24-Oct-21 17:11:42

Brilliant stuff! I use it for drawing out post-gardening thorns and splinters.

Callistemon Sun 24-Oct-21 17:07:49

SueDonim

There you go. A small pot of it can be yours for £3.40!

www.boots.com/boots-pharmaceuticals-magnesium-sulfate-paste-bp-10083701

That's it!

Poppyred Sun 24-Oct-21 16:51:07

It’s still a available and I always keep some in the first aid box.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 24-Oct-21 16:46:01

We still use it on the dog who gets in growing hairs between his toes and which festers up.