Doctor's prescriptions of old

[Mess 513]

I have a vague recollection of being taken to the doctors by my mum in the 1950s and being given a prescription written in Latin.

I think back then pharmacists were also versed in Latin so all was well although the long standing joke about being unable to decipher a doctor’s handwriting must have been compounded. For the record our GP back then was a Scottish lady doctor called Dr Kerr who had a surgery on Western Boulevard. She later moved on to be replaced by another lady doctor called Dr Grattidge.

[philmayfield 5,345]

We had to study Latin at school in 50's/60's as it was a requirement  for entry to medical school.

[Cliff Ton 9,939]

From at least the late 1950s to the early 90s my father worked in various chemist shops, and he was one of the people who had to read prescriptions and decide what medication was requested.

 

I don't remember  him ever mentioning anything in Latin, but I was always impressed by his ability to read doctors' famously illegible handwriting. Maybe it just looked like Latin, because it certainly didn't look like normal English.

[Jill Sparrow 9,568]

A friend's great grandfather was Dr Robert David Barber whose practice was in Church Street, Eastwood.  The story goes that he often wrote prescriptions directing the chemist to dispense coloured water, presumably of the same type chemists displayed in their elaborately styled jars and bottles of years ago. I should imagine this was a form of placebo for those who really hadn't anything discernable wrong with them/hypochondriacs!

 

Dr Barber dispensed for himself large doses of whiskey and became an alcoholic whose wife had often to sober him up before he could go out on calls.  My friend still has a beautiful Royal Doulton flagon (they didn't only manufacture toilets!) which was given to Dr Barber by a grateful patient. It was originally full of whiskey but is now empty!  The doctor died of alcohol related illness and his two year old daughter, his only child, did not have any memories of him.

[mary1947 1,876]

When we were little my mum would send us down to the Hebilist on Hungerhill Rd this was if you bad a cild/flu we used to ask him for 1oz of  fever drops cost 6d, when we took it home mum would mix it with a teaspoon boling water and a little sugar,    belive or not your cold just went,

[mary1947 1,876]

8 hours ago, philmayfield said:

We had to study Latin at school in 50's/60's as it was a requirement  for entry to medical school.

Belive it or not when I was taken on as a apprentice hairdresser we also had to learn Latin.

Here's just a few I can remember.

Fragilitas crinium  ---- Fragile hair which is dry/brittle and will break easily lacks elasicity.

Pediculus capitis     Head Louse

Pityriasis capitis    A Scaly condition of the scalp  better know as dradruff

Trichonodosis        Kotted hair

Trichorrhexis       inproverished condition of hair.

we had to learn these and more for City & Guilds exam 

and then people says were losing it.   Not at the age we are if we can remember things like this we we learnt at 15/16 .

[mary1947 1,876]

4 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

A friend's great grandfather was Dr Robert David Barber whose practice was in Church Street, Eastwood.  The story goes that he often wrote prescriptions directing the chemist to dispense coloured water, presumably of the same type chemists displayed in their elaborately styled jars and bottles of years ago. I should imagine this was a form of placebo for those who really hadn't anything discernable wrong with them/hypochondriacs!

 

Dr Barber dispensed for himself large doses of whiskey and became an alcoholic whose wife had often to sober him up before he could go out on calls.  My friend still has a beautiful Royal Doulton flagon (they didn't only manufacture toilets!) which was given to Dr Barber by a grateful patient. It was originally full of whiskey but is now empty!  The doctor died of alcohol related illness and his two year old daughter, his only child, did not have any memories of him.

Jill is this Robert Barber who was also a solicitor in Hucknall   maybe he wanted 2 jobs?

[Jill Sparrow 9,568]

The solicitor was a member of the same family, not the same person!  Whether the solicitor was partial to whiskey, I couldn't say but, knowing solicitors.....!

[Alpha 162]

20 hours ago, Mess said:

I have a vague recollection of being taken to the doctors by my mum in the 1950s and being given a prescription written in Latin.

I think back then pharmacists were also versed in Latin so all was well although the long standing joke about being unable to decipher a doctor’s handwriting must have been compounded. For the record our GP back then was a Scottish lady doctor called Dr Kerr who had a surgery on Western Boulevard. She later moved on to be replaced by another lady doctor called Dr Grattidge.

Hi Mess, I also attended these two very nice doctors and remember them well. Their surgery was on the corner of Western Boulevard and Newlyn Drive. Both would give children sweets when visiting the surgery.

[woody 506]

When I was a kid , like most, I got spots. Not being known to do things by halves I virtually got spots on spots so my mother took me to the doctor. Nothing seemed to work so one Friday afternoon she literally dragged me into a shop that I was terrified of, the local herbalist. An old lady looked at me, gave me a packet of what looked like bottle green Smarties and the instruction to take one in a morning and another at night. Her parting words were to go and see her the following week. The following Friday I walked into that shop without a single spot on my face. That old lady would have run circles round todays doctors and you didn't have to wait to see her.

[Gem 1,419]

In my early teens the was a chemist in Newcastle known to locals as 'dirty dicks'

the shop being there since 1890s. Started life to help those who were to poor to afford to the doctor, my grandfather who was losing his hair went for ..his words.. a bottle of jollop he was convinced it worked, Gramma said he might as well have rubbed rum into his scalp. He had a revolting cream to stop you biting your nails and it worked. It got its nickname for a treatment handed out to itinerant navvies and seaman.....another theory was if a female went in she had been naughty the night before.

Gem

[MRS B 276]

Gem, you’ve just reminded me of awful stuff that used to be painted on my nails to stop me nibbling them when I was a young un. It was really bitter. I think I only nibbled them because my brother did. Can anyone remember what it was called?

[Gem 1,419]

Mrs B, could it have been aloe Vera .

Gem

 

[David sheridan 157]

Remember as a teenager going to the doctors in bulwell,  I think it was Dr McGrath , he said I had shingles,  I thought it was something you caught on the beach , any road he prescribed some purple stuff to rub on the rash , it burnt an hole in my shirt , and stung like crazy,  but it worked could have been iodine not sure  

Who remembers witch hazel the school nurse used to rub on your play time scraped  knees ?

[MargieH 7,393]

@David sheridan the purple liquid was probably Gentian violet and your shingles would have been painful anyway - perhaps you should have just dabbed it on instead of rubbing the rash 

[Jill Sparrow 9,568]

I had shingles precisely twelve years ago, in the freezing December of 2010. I have never experienced such awful pain. The mere thought of touching the area to put anything on it didn't bear thinking about!

 

Dr Patrick McGrath was one of our GP s at the Alfreton Road surgery when I was a child. Serious chap with metal framed spectacles. He didn't have the jolly, chain-smoking demeanour of his colleague, Halley. At least you could see McGrath as he wasn't wreathed in clouds of smoke! Liked his drinkie poos, I believe.

[katyjay 4,983]

Did it seem to everyone else that the doctors were either Irish or Scottish?  Mine were Scottish, the last one definitely liked a tipple. My mum would occasionally drink in the Red Lion. She'd say the doctor and his wife would be drinking whiskey,  she would get 'legless' , he would hoist her over his shoulder and take her out to the car. Put her in there then go back in the pub and carry on drinking. Thankfully he only lived along Nuthall Rd,  I'm sure he was way over the limit when driving.

[philmayfield 5,345]

An old friend of mine was a Scottish doctor. When his brother visited from Scotland he observed the tradition where a bottle of malt was opened and the stopper thrown into the fire. They would spend a convivial evening drinking and reminiscing until the bottle was empty and they were awa’ tae ther beds.

[Cliff Ton 9,939]

Our Doctor at Clifton in the 50s-60s was Scottish, name of Lundie.

 

He was also the official police doctor who was called to incidents which involved physical injury.

 

He also smoked like a chimney in his surgery.

[MRS B 276]

Gem, it definitely wasn’t Aloe Vera, I use that for dry skin and after sun. It was in a little bottle like you would have nail varnish in and painted on with a brush. I think it would be banned now, it was vile.

[Jill Sparrow 9,568]

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but when I was born, at home, in 1957, the midwife had to call for a doctor because my mother needed stitches.  The GP on call was Dr Patrick Kelly who was the senior partner of the practice that included McGrath and Halley.  He turned up at 7am, dressed in evening attire. It was the end of November and he'd been to a party! He was also so drunk that he fell up the stairs!

 

Dr Kelly suffered from back problems and by the time he'd finished kneeling beside the bed, stitching up my mother, his back had gone into spasm and he couldn't get up! The midwife, my father and my maternal grandfather levered him off the floor and then decanted him back into his car so he could drive home!

 

Despite this Monty Pythonesque farce, my mum was so taken with him that she changed our GP practice to his! Can you imagine the newspaper headlines if any of that were to happen today?

 

My mother took a shine to this twinkly blue eyed Irishman because he said I was beautiful...at 2 hours old. He might have been the first drunk to make that observation but he certainly wasn't the last! 

[benjamin1945 15,477]

My Doctor at Basford in the early 80s whose name ive forgot.......used to smoke like a chimney too Cliff ton..........gave me his advice on solving a few problems''''''

1/ go and live in the country

2/ Get a Dog

3/ when you look at a woman....imagine her with no make-up or stockings

4/ Keep smoking and drink more Whisky...

Didn't get a dog or live in the country...or look at women differently........but did keep smoking and drinking Whisky.........Great Doctor.....i'm still here 40 years later....(just lol)

[Beekay 4,263]

I don't suppose it was the surgery at 1, Bailey Street by any chance Ben?

[benjamin1945 15,477]

No mate....it was on the main rd towards Hyson Green just past Valley road..............

[Alpha 162]

Hi! Katyjay,

 

I used the Red Lion quite frequently in the early 60's, in the lounge, of course.

A very nice place to have a drink with friends.

The landlord was Roy with Eddie in the bar.

I remember the two daughters coming down for the evening from the staircase in the extended lounge room.