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At the turn of the 1900, athlete's foot was becoming an epidemic. Manufacturers of popular remedies gave ringworm of the foot the name ‘athlete's foot' and this was adopted by the public, but in medicine the infection was known as tinea pedis. It was seen as new disease, or in modern parlance an emerging infection, having been first described by Arthur Whitfield, a dermatologist at King's College Hospital, London in 1908. Nonetheless, it was in the United States, British Isles and England that tinea pedis became an epidemic, seemingly spread by modern lifestyles and hygiene practices, and encouraged by modern socks and shoes, which made infection liable to chronicity by keeping the feet moist and warm. It is perhaps surprising, given the unhygienic conditions of previous centuries and the ubiquity of ringworm of the scalp, that the feet of Europeans and Americans had been seemingly free of ringworm infection until the mid-twentieth century. Nonetheless, there was a clear understanding in the inter-war years that tinea pedis was new disease and one linked to modernity. One consequence of the growth of medical attention to tinea pedis was the stimulus it gave to the specialism of medical mycology, with investment in diagnostic services, research on the conditions in which mycoses spread and their treatment. In turn, this led to the creation of a cadre of medical mycologists, who identified more fungal infections in specific social groups and the general population.
Doctors prescribed a variety of remedies for tinea pedis (athlete's foot), but because of mixed results, their advice was mainly that prevention was better than cure. Thus, anyone visiting a swimming baths and showering in public facilities was told to disinfect their feet where possible, to avoid walking on floors in bare feet, to dry their feet and toes after bathing, never to share towels or clothing, and to wash socks at high temperatures. The main remedies were topical antifungal creams. The standbys were Whitfield's ointment (the active ingredients were 5% salicylic acid and 3% benzoic acid in petroleum jelly) and Castellani's carbol-fuchsin paint. However, the variable presentation of the condition and its tendency to chronicity encouraged innovations, both in combinations of remedies and new chemicals. There were many complaints of overtreatment.
Proprietary medical companies, which already had a significance market with topical antiseptic remedies, seized on the new epidemic, producing new products and re-branding older ones as having anti-fungal as well as anti-bacterial properties. The most prominently advertised remedy in newspapers and magazines was a derivative of a veterinary liniment – ‘Absorbine Jr.', marketed by W. F. Young, Inc. Infact, if you are as old is I am. Absorbine Jr. use to come in a slim glass bottle and the label stated it was good for athlete's foot. In 1955, Absorbine Jr. was tested against athlete's foot fungus and FOUND TO KILL 100% OF ALL FUNGI IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES.
HISTORY.
In 1892, Wilbur F. Young and Mary Young went to work on a liniment made of essential oils and herbs, Absorbine Veterinary Liniment proved highly effective at bringing relief to weary or lame work horses as a humane, natural herbal remedy to relieve overworked and lame horses. The liniment was soon widely used in farms nationwide for natural and quick animal pain relief. But farmers soon discovered that it relieved their own muscle and joint pain.
It's anti-septic properties were applied to horse and animals to helps prevent hoof and sole/foot fungal infections.
Hoof Disinfectant: The formula penetrates into the porous hoof sole and frog to disinfect. Apply once a week or more to help prevent bacterial and fungal infections. Use daily to treat hoof conditions such as abscesses, cracks, delamination, Thrush (Candida/Yeast) and White Line Disease (Fungal and bacterial invasion colonize and digest the inner hoof wall layers). This means it would be good for human feet and toe nail fungus as well.
Skin Infections: Absorbine Jr. kills germs on contact and stops the itch in seconds. Use to clean and treat bacterial and fungal skin infections like;
Rain Rot (Rain rot in horses is caused by the bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis, which activates when prolonged moisture and high humidity break down the skin's protective barrier),
Scratches,
Summer Itch (caused by an allergic reaction to the saliva of biting insects, primarily Culicoides midges. Other biting flies like black flies, stable flies, and mosquitoes can also trigger this seasonal skin reaction),
Tail Itch (A horse itching and rubbing its tail is usually caused by pinworms, sweet itch (insect allergies), or a dirty sheath or udder),
Apply to infected area three or more times a week.
SOURCE REF:
Fungal Disease in Britain and the United States 1850–2000: Mycoses and Modernity
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK169220/
Vintage Absorbine Jr. Bottles source: https://countrysideantiques.com/listing/1347642623/vintage-1939-absorbine-jr-box-bottle
Vintage 1955 Absorbine Jr. Athlete's foot cream advertisement source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/236720524152319821/
