He claimed in 1915 that Grossich had been using a liquid akin to Liquor Iodi Fortis, and that it was he, Stretton, who had introduced the method using Tincture of Iodine BP which came to be used across the world.

[citation needed] Tincture of iodine is often found in emergency survival kits, used both to disinfect wounds and to sanitize surface water for drinking.

Small amounts may be added to suspect drinking water as a disinfectant (typically 5 mg free iodine per liter, or 5 drops of 2% tincture).

Iodine solutions should not be considered able to sanitize or disinfect salad, fruit or vegetables that are contaminated with feces.

Nutritional iodine is better supplied in the form of the less toxic iodide (see SSKI) or iodate salts, which the body can easily convert to thyroid hormone.

Application of tincture or Lugol's to the skin also results in absorption and bioavailability of some moderate fraction of the iodine.

This method can be used to saturate the thyroid with iodine to help prevent the excessive uptake of radioactive iodine-131 in a nuclear accident.