Our politicians, economists, and the people who bring us our news tell us that it is quite likely that the world is preparing to enter a second Depression. There are those of us who experienced the first Depression who will tell you that the American economy has been in a depressed stage for quite a while. But be that as it may, if we are going to enter another depressed era, it might be well to remember three drugs or prescriptions that prevailed during the original Depression in 1929.
As many of us were growing up, we were forced to sympathize with our parents who complained about their rheumatism. Rheumatism affects the joints and the muscles, and can reach painful stages. I suspect that the modern term for rheumatism is arthritis. Nonetheless, there was one treatment for rheumatism that was a favorite during the 1930s and 40s. That was Sloan’s Liniment. It was a bottled fluid that when rubbed on the affected joints or muscles would produce a warm sensation. Sloan’s Liniment had a strong odor. When it was used, the odor would last for quite some time. I suspect that if a young woman was courted by a man who used Sloan’s Liniment, she might have refused to go out with him, believing that he was in fact much older than he had claimed. It may be that Sloan’s Liniment was not of much use, but during the previous Depression many Americans including my father swore by it. It had a faint kerosene smell, but if it did the job, who is to complain?
There is a second medicine from the Depression era which was called Ungentine. For many years as I was growing up, it was fashionable for people to expose themselves to the sun’s rays and thus become more or less burned. The object was to achieve a brown color which, if everything went well, would follow the exposure to the sun. In many cases, however, the exposure to the sun merely caused sunburn, which could be quite painful. The initial reason for Ungentine to exist was to treat burns, including sunburns. On the other hand, Ungentine was also used to treat all kinds of burns and scrapes. It was a salve that came in a tube and, as I recall it, no medicine cabinet during the Depression of 1929 could have been without it. I used Ungentine for burns and one thing and another, and, as you can see, I have achieved a great age. I owe it all to Ungentine.
During the Great Depression, there was a laxative called Feenamint. It came in a box like chiclets and was primarily a sort of chewing gum. My recollection is that Feenamint did not last for many years but there are those who would tell you that it did its job quite well.
Well, there you have three over-the-counter products that were popular during the former Depression. There was Sloan’s Liniment, Ungentine, and Feenamint. In those days, the vast majority of Americans could not afford to get a prescription from a physician. And so they were left to rely upon products that were sold over the counter. And so it is that I intend to make my contribution to this period of economic depression by telling you of three products that helped us get through the previous Depression. With the economic woes that are now on the horizon, I suspect that we are going to need more than Sloan’s Liniment, Ungentine, and Feenamint. But nostalgia has its charms and anything that helps us survive the loss of our savings and the loss of jobs can’t be all bad.
E. E. CARR
November 16, 2008
Essay 347
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Kevin’s commentary: Pop must have had medicine on the mind a lot in 2008, because this essay was finished just seven days after IODINE AND MERCUROCHROME. Seems like a company called Lee Pharmaceuticals sold (and continues to sell) the first two. Liniment is out of business for sure, though.  I wonder when Neosporin came into vogue — it certainly seems like the modern equivalent to much of this list.