LISTERINE & PICKLES

Hello, welcome back to our “monthly” trivia blog, Axioms with Barry!

What? I didn’t say which months I post. They are always posted during a month, perhaps just not every month.

Today, we’re going to discuss some things pretty near and dear to my heart. We’ll also discuss things that aren’t anywhere even in the remote vicinity of my heart. Either way, we’ve got a lot to discuss and I think you’re going to enjoy this one!

Listerine

I don’t use mouthwash. Ever. I absolutely don’t use mouthwash.

Only a sith deals in absolutes. Only? That sounds like a pretty absolute thing to say.

My dentist told me many years ago not to use mouthwash because I breathe through my mouth when I sleep and apparently it kills all of the protective bacteria in my mouth that can’t replenish when I sleep. Fortunately, I don’t have halitosis (bad breath), so I don’t necessarily need it for those purposes. I would like the added benefit of eliminating plaque, tarter, or the gum disease gingivitis, but it is what it is.

Why is it always “the gum disease gingivitis”? Is there another type of gingivitis that isn’t a gum disease? Since we at Axioms are trivia truth seekers, we’ll answer that question now. The answer is: No, gingivitis is always a gum disease. There’s no reason for them to say the full phrase all the time. That’s like saying, the hair washing shampoo, the teeth cleaning toothpaste, or the bronchial inflammation bronchitis.

Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, let’s learn about the main topic of today: Listerine mouthwash.

Listerine has an interesting and colorful past. In fact, it didn’t begin as a mouthwash at all.

Doctor Joseph Lister was inspired by Louis Pasteur’s theory that invisible germs are the cause of many infections. In 1865, he became the first surgeon to perform a surgery in a room sterilized by antiseptic. As a result, mortality rates began to fall.

Lister recognized two other men also attempting to modernize surgical practices, Dr. Joseph Lawrence and Robert Wood Johnson (one of the founders of Johnson & Johnson).

Inspired by Lister’s work, Lawrence invented Listerine in 1879. He promoted it as a surgical antiseptic and general germicide.

It was later distilled and sold as a floor cleaner and cure for gonorrhea. It wasn’t until 1895 that Listerine was promoted to dentists for oral care. Who wouldn’t want to clean their mouths with floor cleaner and gonorrhea medication, am I right?

In 1914, Listerine became the first over-the-counter mouthwash ever sold in the United States, but it didn’t experience much success until an aggressive ad campaign in the 1920s.

The advertisements focused on chronic halitosis, which was an obscure term at the time. Back then, bad breath wasn’t that big of a deal and it wasn’t a catastrophe if someone had it. That all changed after Listerine’s ad campaign. They showed young men and women eager for marriage, yet fearful of their partner’s halitosis, asking if they could be happy despite that problem.

Within 8 years, Listerine’s profits rose from $115,000 to over $8 million! According to James B Twitchell, “Listerine did not make mouthwash as much as it made halitosis.” They successfully convinced the nation that halitosis was an epidemic and they were the cure.

Not to be outdone by their previous endeavors, Listerine cigarettes were released in 1927. Are you kidding me? I get that cigarettes weren’t really seen as harmful during this time, but it seems to go against their aims at curing or cleaning things. I also have no idea how they were made or if they claimed that they would clean your lungs.

But that’s not all! From the 1930s to 50s, their advertisements stated that applying Listerine to the scalp could prevent infectious dandruff. They also falsely claimed to be able to eliminate cold sores for over 50 years, until the FDA told them to stop. You need to calm down, Listerine!

Crazy sauce! This may be one of the most fascinating company histories we’ve covered here at Axioms.

Pickles

I love dill pickles (I despise sweet pickles, or bread & butter pickles. It’s dill all the way). You may even call me a pickle snob. Contrary to discussions/arguments I have had with others, not all pickles are created equally and most commercially made ones are no good. I’m also quite particular about the cut of the pickle. I do not like whole or halved pickles, and I’m extremely picky about pickle slices. My favorite are pickle spears/quarters.

You could say I’m fickle like a pickle, if you’re so inclined. Although, I have never said that about myself.

Disclosure: I have. . .

So, what is a pickle? It’s a pickled cucumber! What’s a pickled cucumber, you ask? It’s a pickle! It’s a cucumber that’s been pickled in a brine or vinegar. They’re called gherkins (not to be confused with merkins) in the UK and Ireland.

Kosher dill pickles aren’t necessarily kosher by Jewish law. They’re the name of pickles that are traditionally made in Jewish delicatessens, with lots of garlic and dill mixed in the brine. Nom!

Why don’t all pickle brands taste the same? Many commercially made pickles, namely the ones that are not found in the refrigerated section, have been boiled as part of the canning/jarring process. I cannot stand a pickle that’s soft or soggy. Pickles should be crunchy. Commercial brands also add a lot of vinegar to preserve the pickles. All of this ruins the pickles and they now need to be thrown out.

Disclosure: We at Axioms do not recommend you waste good food, especially if you enjoy it. The opinions of Barry do not necessarily reflect those held by Axioms with Barry or its subsidiaries.

Before writing this Axiom, I wasn’t entirely certain why I prefer deli pickles to most commercial ones, but we now have my answer. Apparently, I don’t like boiled pickles or vinegar. Pickles not preserved with vinegar of course do not last as long, but they taste so good that you don’t have to worry about them going bad. All store-bought pickles have some vinegar, but some more than others.

The best pickles I can find where I currently live are Claussen in the refrigerated section. While they’re not terrible and can satisfy a pickle craving, they’re certainly not even close to my favorite. Outside of the deli, my favorite has been Boar’s Head brand pickles.

That’s all the time we have today. We learned about pickles, which I love, and Listerine mouthwash, which I don’t use. Good times.

I don’t know about you, but I found this week’s Axioms with Barry riveting. I was at the edge of my seat the entire time, which was an incredibly uncomfortable position to remain in while researching and writing these topics.

Thank you for tuning in! We hope you learned something new and had fun while doing it. Stay knowledgeable and we’ll see you in another month.

Disclosure: To clarify, Barry means some different month after this one, not necessarily the month following this one.