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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:01 am
by Philip Hudson
Since this thread is going down the toilet, I think I will put my two cents in.

My little village was named for its founder, Dr. Charles F. Simmons. The doctorate was conferred upon him by himself. He was one of the most successful 19th century "snake oil" sales men who started with a wagon of useless nostrums, a real live Indian and a lot of blarney. He later made millions with Dr. Simmons' Patent Regulator. This wonderful medicine was made from alcohol, sugar and phenolphthalein. It did the job but not gently. The village was a part of a ranch he bought in Texas where he lost his millions. His railroad bribe was not high enough. At least that is the story they told me when I was a lad.

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:00 pm
by LukeJavan8
Curious that.

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:19 pm
by Stargzer
Since this thread is going down the toilet, I think I will put my two cents in.

...He later made millions with Dr. Simmons' Patent Regulator. This wonderful medicine was made from alcohol, sugar and phenolphthalein. It did the job but not gently. ...
Phenolphthalein is an acid-base indicator, clear in acid and red in a basic solultion.

One of my chemistry professors of long, long ago told me that when she was working on her Doctorate that the straight, unadulturated ethyl alcohol kept disappearing from the stockroom over weekends. They suspected one professor and his grad student. One Friday the stockroom staff spiked the alcohol with a healthy dose of phenolphthalein. Alcohol being acidic, it was still clear and undetectable to the naked eye. However, phenolphthalein was once the active ingredient in the over-the-counter laxitive Feen-a-mint. Guess who called in sick the next Monday?

Due to carcinogenic concerns, it's no longer used in over-the-counter medicines. But it's still available in your basic chem lab.
.

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:21 pm
by LukeJavan8
heh,heh

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 11:26 pm
by Philip Hudson
Stargzer:

Your professor's story about using phenolphthalein to "catch" ethanol theft goes around every university. It is often true. I think Ex-lax also was made with phenolphthalein. We have had many nostrums that were dangerous. I have been corrected about Dr. Simmons’ Patent Regulator. I assume it had no phenolphthalein in it because it purported to be a “liver regulator”, whatever that is, not a “colon regulator.” During the 19th and early 20th centuries, opium was the medicine of choice with alcohol coming in second. Give the baby a dose of Percy's Medicine and he will go to sleep. Of course he went to sleep, a drug induced sleep. Give the women Lydia Pinkham's medicine to help them with their female problems. When you are feeling no pain, you have no problems. When I was young there was Hadacol and Geritol. Nostrums are still around and will continue to be. I was near death from an almost universally accepted medicine. A change of prescription made me healthy and ten years younger in a matter of months. I was given another medicine and it induced Tourette's syndrome. It was thought to be permanent but I have largely overcome it. Doctors prescribe medicine to strengthen bones and it destroys jawbones. Nobody knows why, but it does. Meds are a crapshoot. But I still take some.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:40 am
by Perry Lassiter
Reminds me of the question from weeks ago about a word for an antidote to side effects that no one, including me, could remember.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 2:38 am
by Philip Hudson
I know no word that means an antidote to side effects. The antidote to side effects is another med that has, in turn, other side effects that require another med and so on ad infinitum. I have been down that route, and it is not a pleasant path.

Little fleas have littler fleas
Upon their backs to bite 'um.
And littler fleas have still littler fleas
And so on ad infinitum.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:06 am
by Slava
Little fleas have littler fleas
Upon their backs to bite 'um.
And littler fleas have still littler fleas
And so on ad infinitum.
:D Nice. A new one to me.

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:24 am
by LukeJavan8
New to me as well. Like it.