PHYSIC

It's been a long time since I've heard the word "physic" (pronounced fiz-ick) meaning: "a medicine or drug, especially a cathartic". My client and I were discussing the use of castor oil given to us when we were children and he told me about BLACK DRAUGHT (he pronounces draught as "drawt"). I had never heard of black draught and he'd never heard the term physic, as his family pronounced it "PHUH-ZEKE."

I can recall my grandmother saying, "They need to have a regular FIZZICK." Of course my mother didn't believe that "old wives tale" and we only had castor oil and epsom salts as a remedy for extreme cases. I just quipped, "After I'd had one dose of castor oil, I never told my mother I had any problem after that!" My client said he had an aunt who would insist on giving him castor oil. He suggested that she should show him "how" to take it; he mixed a teaspoon of castor oil in a glass of Orange Crush and the aunt drank it. She "had the runs" to the bathroom for three straight days! He said that was the last time she ever mentioned castor oil.

He was surprised when I showed him on the internet that black draught is still available!