Histories of Mercury in Medicine across Asia and Beyond

Abstract

Mercury is today recognized as a harmful environmental pollutant and one of the world's most dangerous elemental toxins.And yet, it was long considered a near-miraculous substance capable of eradicating the most severe diseases.The medical use of quicksilver (liquid metallic mercury) is already documented in ancient Greek, Indian, Persian, Arabic and Chinese treatises on medicine and alchemy.Particularly early instances of procedures for preparing mercury compounds are found in Chinese medicine.In Europe, quicksilver and mercury compounds were increasingly used in medicine from the sixteenth century CE, especially after Paracelsus (1493-1541) advocated their use.At the same time, trade in mercury became a global phenomenon with European colonial expansion, particularly for use in gold and silver mining as well as for medical purposes.For the next four centuries, mercury compounds such as corrosive sublimate (HgCl 2 ), calomel (Hg 2 Cl 2 ) and mercury sulfide compounds (HgS) were among the most important and heavily used drugs in both European and Asian pharmacopoeias.Mercury formed part of the flow of goods, medicine and knowledge that spanned the known world.Mercury was used in a wide variety of medical applications: to treat inflammation in the nose and throat; corneal stains; ulcers and warts; as a laxative; to stimulate the biliary function; against diarrhoea and vomiting; against dropsy; against spleen, liver, and lung diseases; and most notably, against syphilis.In more recent timesup to the 1990sit was used as a spermicide in chemical contraceptives and in antiseptic salves, and it is still used in dental amalgams, in vaccines (as the organomercury compound thimerosal), cosmetics, eye drops and saline solutions.Mercury also continues to be used in Chinese and Tibetan medicines, as well as in those of Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha.However, its medical use has become a contentious issue in view of environmental and human health concerns.Through the processes of globalization, medicines from traditional Asian

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