Snake Oil

Campho-Phenique.  

 According to the website, it can be used to treat 

insect bites, scrapes, minor burns and sunburn.  

All of these maladies were experienced during my childhood in Deltaville.  

Sometimes all at the same time.  

My grandmother swore by Campho-Phenique.

Itchy Bug Bite? Use Campho-Phenique.

Burnt yourself playing with fireworks? Use Campho-Phenique.

Scraped/cut yourself on the rusty old lawn mower you were sitting on 

while your cousins pushed you around the yard at high speeds?

Use Campho-Phenique.

I should point out that Campho-Phenique has a very unique, very strong odor.

Apparently, the odor becomes more pungent (if that's possible)
the longer it steeps in the medicine cabinet.
These photos are of the actual bottle we have in the bathroom.
The label indicates it expired in 1989 making this the very same bottle I used as a kid.

Campho-Phenique bottle expired in 1989 and Vicks switched to plastic in 1990

You can read about my grandmother's cure for sore throats (and loud obnoxious children) here