Mercury Ointment

Galen, a physician whose views outUved him by about a thousand years, died about 200 AD. He beUeved that mercurials were toxic, and did not use any mercury compound therapeutically. However, as a result of Arabian influence, the therapeutic uses of mercury were slowly recognized by Western Europe. In the thirteenth century mercury ointments were prescribed for treating chronic diseases of the skin. Mercury and its compounds, such as mercurous chloride, mercuric oxide, mercuric chloride, and mercuric sulfide, were used widely from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and to some extent in the twentieth century. During the first half of the twentieth century, the primary therapeutic uses of mercury included bactericidal preparations, such as mercuric chloride, mercuric oxycyanide, and mercuric oxide and diuretics, such as aryl HgX (Novasural) and mercurated ahyl derivatives (14). 

I attempted to rouse the system by wrapping the whole body, agreeably to Dr. Hume s practice, in blankets dipped in warm vinegar. To these remedies I added one more I rubbed the right side with mercurial ointment, with a view of exciting the actions of the vessels in the whole system through the medium of the liver . 

Not all of the products issuing from the Confederate labs were botanical or galenical preparations. The surgeon general, for example, announced in July 1863 that J. Julian Chisolm had commenced the manufacture of blue mass, mercurial ointment, and sweet spirit of nitre at his laboratory in Columbia, South Carolina, and ordered purveyor Blackie to make no more purchases of these articles but rather to requisition them directly from Chiso1m.94... 

A 36-year-old man developed peripheral polyneuropathy after chronic perianal use of an ammoniated mercury ointment. He had very high blood and urine mercury concentrations. Sural nerve biopsy showed mixed axonal degeneration/demyelination. His symptoms improved progressively over 2 years after withdrawal of the ointment, but neurophysiological recovery was incomplete. 

Kern F, Roberts N, Ostlere L, Langtry J, Staughton RC. Ammoniated mercury ointment as a cause of peripheral neuropathy. Dermatologica 1991 183(4) 280-2. 

Williams NE, Bridge HG. Nephrotic syndrome after the application of mercury ointment. Lancet 1958 2 602. 

Inorganic Mercury. A number of children who were treated with an ammoniated mercury ointment or whose diapers had been rinsed in a mercuric chloride solution experienced tachycardia and elevated blood pressure (Warkany and Hubbard 1953). 

Bourgeois M, Dooms-Goossens A, Knockaert D, et al. 1986. Mercury intoxication after topical application of a metallic mercury ointment. Dermatologica 172 48-51. 

Diseases of Workers) described several signs of mercury poisoning, which he observed not only among miners but also gilders, mirror makers, and syphilis patients given treatment with mercury ointments. It was not uncommon for the doctor who administered mercury ointment to also suffer from mercury poisoning. 

Mercurial Ointment. Triturate 24 ounces mercury wi h 12 ounces each lard and suet. MUd Mercurial Ointment is composed of 1 part lord added to 2 parts Mercurial Ointment—(tT. S. Pk.)... 

Mix together equal parts of tar ointment, sulphur ointment, ana red oxide of mercury ointment... 

The medicinal use of mercurials can also be traced back over 3000 years. They were used by Discorides Pedanius and Pliny as a treatment for syphilis and various skin disorders (Farler 1952). During the eighth and eleventh centuries, Mesue, Rhazas, and Avicenna are also reported to have used mercurial ointments as medicines (Magos 1975). In 1881, the antiseptic action of HgCl2 was demonstrated, and between 1900 and 1920 mercurials were introduced for diuretic... 

Block R, Beysovec L (1982) Promethazine toxicity through percutaneous absorption. Contin Pract 9 28 Bork K, Morsches B, Holzmann H (1973) Mercury absorption out of ammoniated mercury ointment. Arch Dermatol Forsch 248 137-143... 

Lyons TJ, Christu CN, Larsen FS (1975) Ammoniated mercury ointment and the nephrotic syndrome. Minn Med 58 383-384 Maibach H, Boisits E (eds) (1982) Neonatal skin structure and function. Marcel Dekker, New York Marshall JD, Schneider RP (1977) Systemic argyria secondary to topical silver nitrate. Arch Dermatol 113 1077-1079 Marzulli F, Maibach H (1975) Relevance of animal models the hexachlorophene story. In Maibach H (ed) Animal models in dermatology. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, pp 156-167 Marzulli F, Maibach H (eds) (1996). Dermatoxicology, 5th edn. Hemisphere, Washington... 

Ammonia-lithium metal in solution - 355 Ammonia-nitric fumes - 183 Ammonia-SOa scrubber -183 Ammonia solution (household) - 130 Ammoniated mercury - 13, 20 Ammon iated mercury ointment - 231 Ammonium acetate - 40. 54, 122,154,159,... 

Mercury Ointment ammoniated 22 8 Recommended for use Geon Geon Company... 

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