We always seemd to have both Merthilolate and Mercurochrome around the house when I was a kid. They both left very bright neon-red marks, but in two slightly different shades. I had not been aware that both contained mercury; "mercuro-chrome," obviously enough, would be the name of something made from mercury, but not so obviousoly the other...

I came to prefer Mercurochrome as I grew up, because it hardens the wound to which it is applied, in addition to its antiseptic effect, and to me seemed to be unique in its ability to make pain/tenderness/immobility go away fast. For this reason, I've always tried to keep a bottle of this old-time remendy on hand. (I always found it especially helpful for blisters on the feet, upon which which one can hardly avoid putting one's weight.)

It's only in the last year or so that my last bottle finally ran out. Of course, I haven't been able to find more. Only after reading this thread, and the linked-to Wiki articles, have I learned that it's off the market and that I might as well abandon my quest for a mercurochrome refill.

Of, and one more thing: when it comes to stinging, neither Merthiolate nor Mercurochrome ever stung half as much as the only alternative we had back in the bad old days, which was iodine.