Izal medicated toilet roll, a staple of British bathrooms for decades, has been remembered for its unexpected versatility. In a letter to the Guardian, Prof David C Sanders of Mortain, France, recalled how a London psychiatric hospital in the 1970s replaced soft toilet tissue with Izal to save money. Therapists noticed a sudden increase in relapse rates among outpatients with compulsive disorders, until they realised each sheet bore the instruction “Now wash your hands”. The product was swiftly discontinued.
David Witt of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, highlighted Izal’s dual purpose as excellent tracing paper and its musical potential. He described a member of a jokey interval band at the original Concorde Jazz Club in Southampton who played an Izal “bumphone” to great effect, using a comb and paper to create a distinctive sound.
The letters also touched on other discontinued products and crossword clues. Bob Epton of Brigg, Lincolnshire, noted that the demise of the News Chronicle in 1960 led his family to a lifelong addiction to the Guardian. Alan O’Gorman of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, praised Albie Fiore’s famous crossword clue “No can do” with the solution “Bottle party”, which was recycled in a recent puzzle.
Finally, Teresa Quayle of Warrington, Cheshire, pointed out a grammatical error in a quick crossword clue, arguing that “practice” (noun) should have been “practise” (verb) to match the solution “rehearse”.
