Hydrargyrum,—Mercury.

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Preparations.

Hydrargyrum cum Creta, Mercury with Chalk, Gray Powder,—Dose, gr. ss-x.

Massa Hydrargyri, Blue Mass, Blue Pill,—Dose, gr. ss-xv. Each grain contains gr. ⅓ of Mercury, with Liquorice, Althaea, Glycerin, and Honey of Rose.

Unguentum Hydrargyri, Blue Ointment,—Mercury, Lard, Suet.

Hydrargyri Chloridum Corrosivum, Bichloride, Corrosive Mercuric Chloride,

(Corrosive Sublimate),—Dose, gr. 1/80-1/10. Soluble in 16 of water.

Hydrargyri Chloridum Mite, Mild Mercurous Chloride, Sub-chloride, (Calomel),—Dose, gr. 1/10-gr. x. Insoluble in water or alcohol.

Hydrargyri Subsulphas Flavus, Yellow Mercuric Subsulphate, (Turpeth Mineral),—Dose, gr. ij-vj, as an emetic. Insoluble in water or alcohol.

Hydrargyri Oxidum Flavum, Yellow Mercuric Oxide,—Dose, gr. 1/50-1/10.
Unguentum Hydrargyri Oxidi Flavi,—strength 1/10.

Oleatum Hydrargyri, Oleate of Mercury,—Yellow Oxide of Mercury 2, in Oleic Acid 8.

Hydrargyri Iodidum Viride, Green Iodide, Protiodide. Dose, gr. 1/10-⅓.

Hydrargyri Iodidum Rubrum, Red Iodide, Biniodide. Dose, gr. 1/30-1/10.

Hydrargyri Cyanidum, Mercuric Cyanide,—Dose, gr. 1/100-1/10.

Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis, Citrine Ointment. Mercury 7, Nitric Acid 17 ½ , Lard Oil 76.

*Unguentum Hydrargyri Nitratis Rubrum, Brown Citrine Ointment. Made with Ol. Morrhuae, instead of Lard Oil.

Pilula Antimonii Compositae, Plummer's pills. Each pill contains Sulphurated Antimony, Calomel, aa gr. ½. with Guaiac and Castor Oil.

*Black Wash, Calomel, ʒj, Lime-water Oj, producing the Black Oxide.

*Yellow Wash, Corr. Sublimate ʒss, Lime-water Oj, producing the Yellow Oxide.

Triturations of the metal itself, its chlorides or oxides, may be prepared according to the general pharmacopoeial formula,—and will be found exceedingly efficient preparations.

Incompatibility of the Chlorides of Mercury. They are incompatible with almost everything. Corrosive Sublimate is easily decomposed, and the combination of Calomel with Hydrochloric Acid or Chlorides is apt to produce Corrosive Sublimate.

Antidote to the Mercurial Salts. Albumen,—the white of one egg to 4 grains of Corrosive Sublimate, an excess redissolving it. Prompt emesis is also necessary, or the stomach-pump, after giving the antidote.

Physiological Action. Mercury is easily absorbed in any form; is excreted by the liver (in which it tends to accumulate while stimulating its cells), also by the intestinal and salivary glands, the kidneys, and partly by the skin. It has a selective action on the glands, especially the salivary and the pancreas, which it stimulates to the production of pathological secretions.

In small doses, Mercurial salts are blood tonics, increasing the number of the red corpuscles. They promote waste by stimulating the lymphatic system, and in very small doses are sedative to the mucous membranes. In medium doses, they have a selective cathartic action, and increase the flow of bile by reflex action on the bile ducts, as do resinous purgatives. In Full Doses, continued, they over-stimulate the glands, especially the pancreas, producing pathological secretions, impair the ozonizing function of the blood, diminishing the red corpuscles, and produce a low inflammation in the nervous tissue, resulting in loss of coördination power.

Corrosive Sublimate, in small doses, prevents hyperplasia of the connective tissue, and causes, in large doses, inflammation and ulceration of the lower bowel. It is a powerful gastro- intestinal irritant, and poisonous also to the cardiac muscle. It is an effective parasiticide, and one of the most efficient of all the antiseptics.

Calomel is very insoluble, and unirritating. It is tasteless, laxative in grain doses, an efficient diuretic, and acts on the excrementitious intestinal glands.

The Red Iodide and the Cyanide are irritant poisons. The Acid Nitrate is a good escharotic, its pain being transient though severe.

Salivation (ptyalism) is produced most readily by Blue Mass, next by Calomel, and least so by Mercury with Chalk. Its first symptoms are sore teeth, spongy gums, profuse saliva, fetid breath, bluish line along margins of the teeth; then swelling of the glands, aching jaws and muscles, and fever, resulting in emaciation, marked anaemia, falling of the hair, ulcerated skin, fetid diarrhoea, trembling, obscure, nervous phenomena, albuminuria, and in women abortion, through impoverished blood.

Therapeutics.—Mercury is undoubtedly a specific in—

Syphilis, in which it is best given in small doses to just short of ptyalism, then stopped, but renewed, and so continued for some time. The Green Iodide in small doses, (gr. 1/10-⅙ ter die) with Opium, is the best preparation for internal administration. Mercury is not applicable to tertiary syphilis; therein Potassium Iodide is the remedy.

Tonsillitis, Parotitis, and other acute glandular inflammations may often be cured rapidly by Calomel, gr. or Gray Powder, gr. ⅓, every two hours.

Irritable Stomach, vomiting, etc. , Calomel in small doses gr. 1/20-1/10.

Gastric Ulcer,—Corrosive Sublimate, gr. 1/60-1/30 ter die, is an effective remedy.

Ileo-colitis of Infants,—gr. ⅕ of Gray Powder, or Calomel, gr. 1/20-1/12.

Dysentery of Adults, stools slimy and bloody,—Corrosive Sublimate, gr. 1/100.

Diphtheria,—Calomel in large doses, or the Cyanide, in doses of have many advocates, and are undoubtedly efficient in this disease.

Membranous Laryngitis,—the Subsulphate (gr. iij-v) as emetic.

Typhoid Fever,—Calomel, a 10-grain dose each day for three days, is antipyretic. This is the German specific typhoid treatment.

Hepatic Cirrhosis,—Corros. Sublimate, gr. 1/30 ter die, in the first stage.

Skin Diseases, as psoriasis, herpes, pruritus, acne, pityriasis, etc.,—ointments of Calomel, Corrosive Sublimate, and the Iodides.

Parasitic Skin Diseases,—Corrosive Sublimate lotions, gr. ij ad ℥j; or a 5 per cent. solution of the Oleate with part of Ether.

Conjunctivitis,—Ointment of the Yellow Oxide, or Brown Citrine Oint.

Goitre, Enlarged Spleen,—Oint. of the Red Iodide, rubbed in with heat.

Antiseptic Solution,—Corrosive Sublimate gr. vijss to a quart of hot water, makes a solution of 1 in 2000,—to a pint, 1 in 1000. Wyeth's Antiseptic Tablets, each contain this amount, and are very convenient, besides almost compelling accuracy in the preparation.

A Compend of Materia Medica, Therapeutics, and Prescription Writing, 1902, by Sam'l O. L. Potter, M.D., M.R.C.P.L.