Gin

A letter from a 79 year old man in The Times today describes how he took the advice of his dentist many years ago to "increase substantially the ratio of gin to tonic" in his favourite drink because the tonic with its sugar content was ruining his teeth; he said he still has a good set of teeth.
The medicinal use of gin was always recommended by a certain doctor I vaguely knew: he would tell young mothers with crying babies to pour a glass of gin, rub some of the gin on the baby's gums and then "drink the rest".
One day this same doctor drove to Cambridge from Cardiff to visit his son, his daughter-in-law and their young baby boy of about two years of age. When he got there he was worn out and asked his son for a drink. The son dutifully poured his father his usual tipple - a large (very large) gin with a little drop of water. The doctor took a sip and put it on a side table nearby.
His son said they'd been having terrible trouble with the baby because he wouldn't sleep well, crying at night - it was wearing them both down.
When the doctor came to pick up his gin, the glass was empty and there, standing nearby was the baby boy.
The doctor said nothing and after a while they all went to bed.
The following morning the doctor's son came downstairs beaming with joy: "That's the best night's sleep we've had for ages," he said.
The boy had slept soundly all night.
The doctor never told them why.