Some of you may have experienced the sting of iodine yourself. Ouch – indeed! But did you know about its significant link to British medical history?
We were very interested to learn more about Dr J Lionel Stretton of Kidderminster, who was instrumental in the development of tincture of iodine, when his great grandson Chris visited Sick to Death last month.
Humans have been performing surgeries for thousands of years, but one of the main causes of death and complications over that time wasn’t necessarily the surgery itself, but the infections that could set in afterwards.
In the early 1900s, at a time when many doctors and surgeons were working to improve upon early antiseptics to reduce infections post-surgery, Dr Stretton was focused on the refinement of tincture of iodine. His 2.5% solution, tincture of iodine BP (British Pharmacopoeia), was first published in 1909 in the British Medical Journal and soon became the standard used around the world – it can still be found in many first aid kits and emergency survival kits today!
This specific formulation was strong enough to be antiseptic, but gentle enough to avoid skin irritation, it had a long shelf-life, and wouldn’t fumigate the wards (something nurses certainly seemed to appreciate). And that fact that it still stained the skin yellow? Well, this was actually good thing, as it meant you could easily confirm that a patient had been treated with the antiseptic pre-surgery and during post-operative care. It was simple, efficient, and effective!
Standardising the formulation and use of tincture of iodine BP saved innumerable lives throughout history, especially before the discovery of antibiotics; from soldiers on the battlefronts of World War I to children with a common scraped knee. So, thank you to Dr Stretton and thank you to Chris for bringing this fascinating story of medical history to all of us here at Sick to Death.
If you’re interested in reading more about Dr Lionel Stretton, you can visit https://johnlionelstretton.com/ for a more in-depth history of his life and work.
*Thank you to Chris Stretton for providing access to photos from Lionel Stretton Family Collection to include in this post.
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