The islanders loved the fulmar, and the smell of the oil, which was ‘a catholicon for diseases’, an emetic, good for rheumatism, to anoint a wound or lessen a swelling, to help with toothache or boils, ‘was sweet to his nose’, as James Fisher wrote after talking to an ancient St Kildan fowler. He loved nothing more than to stir some dried fulmar flesh into his porridge.
panacea / all purpose cure
