Alfred Nobel's dynamite medicine

[Hughie]

Can't believe Nobel failed to take his own Nitroglycerin as prescribed for his angina pain.

Less than two months before his death in December 1896, Alfred Nobel wrote a note to a colleague: "Isn't it the irony of fate that I have been prescribed nitro-glycerin, to be taken internally! They call it Trinitrin, so as not to scare the chemist and the public." Nobel suffered recurring attacks of the intense chest pain known as angina pectoris, and physicians of his day knew that nitroglycerin--the active ingredient in dynamite--provided effective relief. The irony, of course, was that the Swedish inventor and industrialist had made much of his considerable fortune from developing and manufacturing dynamite. Moreover, from his own laboratory experiments, Nobel had learned that exposure to the chemical caused severe headaches. He declined to take it for his angina.

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[morag]

Ironic indeed Hughie, how many 'steps forward' have meant steps back? Potential cures having possibly caused the disease? On the verge of another nylon plant / ICI rant here..

[Bob Bryden]

I was prescribed the same stuff several years ago in the form of a pumpspray for suspected angina - you sprayed it under the tongue when experiencing chest pain. I didn't find it very effective though. When I first got it I thought of Nobel & wondered how something with the same name could be both medicine & explosive. I've never been a smoker but if I was I'd be wary of taking it & smoking more or less at the same time. It's called ' Nitrolingual Pumpspray 0.4mg ' with the key ingredient being ' Glyceryl trinitrate 0.4mg per spray '.

Bob

[Hughie]

I used the Nitroglycerin pills under the tongue for a month or so till I had a stent inserted, I was awful thankful for those pills.

When we were an e-mailing group, we had a discussion about Ardeer factory workers being addicted to Nitroglycerin.

The breathing of nitroglycerin by the workers gives them a universal clearness of skin, and among the fairer girls the contrast of scarlet and white in their faces is most unusual. You learn that (perhaps in consequence of their complexions) the girls marry quickly after entering the factory.

The late Jimmy Laughlan wrote:

---Hugh, That's right about being addicted to the nitro. But one had
to keep sniffing it not to get headaches, so when the factory shut
down for the two weeks summer holiday the ladies who worked in the
blasting dept. would sneak a wee bit gelignite home to sniff every
so often, otherwise they would get blinding headaches, and if they
didn't bring any home,the ambulances would be running back and forth
every five minutes with women,(and Men)collapsing unconcious, taking
them to hospital, they did anyway, I remember my wife sneaking a wee
sniff of her sample every once in a while. I would bring a bit of
cordite home for myself, and for
the wife, in case she had none.Cordite wasn't as strong as gelignite
though, so I made sure she had a fix herself, that's what it was, a
fix, like drugs. I think it may be true about the romantic part too,
because I'm sure there was a lot more hanky panky in Ardeer than in
a normal work place. Jimmy Laughlan.

[little plum]

Unfortunately the workers producing NG never reaped the full benefits of their pension scheme, that is, if they actually reached that age.
It was common knowledge that workers had their fix for the Glasgow Fair fortnight. Could you imagine that now, picture the scene, Glasgow airport and your being checked in before boarding your flight to Benidorm. Try explaining the nitroglycerin in your possession is purely medicinal for NG head. Having worked in a nitroglycerin plant for a short period of time put me right off James Bond type films, you know the ones where the actor is handling nitro, it's very tense, the actor is sweating profusely, the music increases the tension. GET A GRIP, Ardeer mass produced the bl---y stuff.
After the Glasgow fair NG workers were on a phased return, first day was possibly 2hrs and this was increased daily until the normal 8hr shift.

[Hughie]

Thought I'd revive this interesting topic before the memory is gone. At this point in time many of you will have no knowledge of Nitroglycerine other than that passed on by parents or grandparents. Read from the first post and if you can can, please contribute.

[exile]

I recall quite a few people locally thought Nobel came up with his Prizes because he felt guilty about having invented Dynamite - a commercial blasting explosive - but it was said his development of efficient propellant powders for shells & bullets disturbed him most.
I remember Nobel's still selling "Ballistite" whaling charges for explosive harpoons right up until the late 1970s - how unpopular would that be today?