These treatments were used for over four centuries, but none provided a cure, despite claims at the time. Then there was the tub, which was a mercury vapor bath, and even calomel (Hg 2Cl 2) was used, but with little effect. Initially mercury was used as an ointment, but the patients often got worse. Syphilis was a new disease in Europe it had been brought back from America by Columbus’ sailors, and was promptly spread through Europe by the French army, amongst others! Syphilis was much more fatal and had more dramatic symptoms than today. In the 1500’s mercury was used in the treatment (albeit ineffective) of syphilis. Dentists as a group have higher mercury levels than those associated with people with amalgam restorations, but experience no increase in disease or death rates, and in fact tend to be healthier than the general population.Īlthough elemental mercury was clearly toxic, this did not stop its use in pharmacy for hundreds of years. Despite this the US banned the use of Cu/Hg dental amalgams until 1850! More recently, it has been suggested that dentists are exposed at higher levels during the placing and removal of fillings. Solid alloys of mercury such as those found in dental fillings have never been shown to cause any medical issues directly. It is important to remember that in all the cases described above it is the inhalation of the mercury vapor that was the cause of the trouble. English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian Sir Isaac Newton FRS (1643 –1727). French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662). An engraving by John Cochran of English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday, FRS (1791 –1867). However, in each case, the symptoms (and insanity) abated once the source of mercury was removed. It is likely that the mercury vapor was the cause of his malady. As part of his research studies, Newton boiled several pounds of mercury a day just before his period of insanity between 16. Faraday ( Figure), Pascal ( Figure), and most probably Sir Isaac Newton ( Figure) were affected. Many other notable scientists have also suffered from mercury poisoning. German chemist Alfred Stock (1876 –1946). However, when the lab was cleaned of mercury the symptoms went away. In 1926 Alfred Stock ( Figure) and his research group all suffered from symptoms. They were given to violent headaches, tremors of the hands, “socially troublesome inflammation of the bladder”, loss of memory, and slow mental processes. Chemists doing research using large quantities of mercury were also affected. Hatters were not the only people that mercury caused a problem for. In particular he can be in no way described as shy! It is interesting that while Carroll's Mad Hatter is mad, he does not show the classic symptoms of mercury poisoning. The madness that was observed is the derivation of the phrase “mad as a hatter”. The hatters who shaped the felt inhaled large quantities of this dust were found to suffer from excessive salivation, erethism (presenting with excessive shyness, timidity and social phobia), and shaking of the limbs, which became known as hatter’s shakes. Unfortunately, when the felt was dried a fine dust was formed containing mercury. It was found that if mercury was added to the nitric acid, a better quality of felt was produced. This process was usually accomplished with nitric acid (HNO 3). Wool interlocks naturally due to the surface texture of the individual hairs, but rabbit and beaver have to be artificially roughened. Hats were made from felt, which is a non-woven textile of animal hair. The problems in this latter occupation will forever live on with one of the central characters in Lewis Carroll's Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland the Mad Hatter. Other jobs that exposed people to mercury were mirror makers and hatters (people who manufactured hats). It was found very early on that people who worked with mercury, in mining for example, had very bad health.
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