THOSE WERE THE DAYS (day 6)

Finish the story. Start with: "Back in 1938, before ....

...the war that so traumatized my mother, life was probably simpler. Radios were probably already invented, but I read somewhere that they weren't in fashion until the '40s. Okay, they say the frisbee wasn't invented until after 1938, but that would not get the attention of a Filipino like me. Let the Americans react to that piece of trivia. But penicillin, that's something with universal appeal. I grew up at a time that we still called it penicillin. Nowadays we know them better as antibiotics. I guess nobody uses penicillin as a term anymore. Oh, but was I impressed then. When I got a nasty wound with pus, usually from insect bites, the wonder drug penicillin was the answer. My mom would pound a tablet, still unopened in its aluminium wrapper, and sprinkle the now powdered medicine directly onto the watery wound. In a couple of days, the wound would dry to a nice scab (that's so temptingly good to scratch out). So I couldn't imagine what kind of miracle drug they used before 1938 for scrapes and gashes kids get by just being kids.