ichthammol

[ik-tham-awl, -ol, ik-thuh-mawl, -mol]

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a viscous, reddish-brown to brownish-black substance, obtained by the destructive distillation of bituminous shales, used in medicine chiefly as an antiseptic, analgesic, and local stimulant in skin disorders.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ichthammol¹

1905–10; ichth(yo)- (from ichthyosulfonate ) + amm(onium) + -ol ¹

Example Sentences

Q: Ichthammol ointment is great for splinters.

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The comment about “black salve” reminded me of the hundreds of times my dad, an OB/GYN, treated my wounds, or his own, with foul-smelling Ichthammol.

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