November 22, 1987
By Susan J. Dehler
Vigo County Historical Society
Quicksilver used as medical means to ‘chemical harmony’
Today when we think of the metal mercury in connection with medical science, we visualize the silver liquid in thermometers. Mercury is used in a variety of scientific instruments, such as barometers, manometers and blood-pressure machines because of its high density and low freezing point.
But for centuries, mercury also was used as an experimental element among ancient and medieval alchemists. Although the metal and its compounds are toxic, mercury has a long history as a medicinal substance.
The early term for mercury was quicksilver (or living silver) because the metal was liquid at room temperature and often would coalesce into globules that would roll around in a “lively manner.”
Quicksilver was proposed as a treatment for syphilis as early at the 16th century by the Swiss physician Paracelsus. Interested in both astrology and alchemy, Paracelsus believed that disease in the human body was a result of chemical imbalances. The road to health was through “chemical harmony” which could be achieved by taking chemically prepared medicines. Quicksilver and its compounds became one such cure.
This notion carried far into the 19th century. Although considerable progress had been made in the understanding of disease and its pathology, 19th century physicians held on to primitive beliefs carried over from ancient times.
One such theory was the Greek idea of humors. The body was known to contain four fluids (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile) which needed to be in proper balance for a person to remain healthy. Illness was the result of an imbalance of humors--one of the fluids had accumulated excessively in a certain part of the body.
In his book, “No magic Bullet,” medical historian Allan Brandt reveals the ideology behind the use of quicksilver: “Most physicians treated syphilis with mercury, either orally, in vapor baths or topically. They based the use of mercury on the ancient theory of humors and health. Mercury causes salivation, which, it was believed, removed the humor causing the ailment. Hot vapor baths worked in a similar fashion by causing profuse perspiration.” Unfortunately, some of the symptoms attributed to syphilis actually were physical reactions to mercury intoxication.
The bottle of quicksilver on display in the museum is a good example of medical cures used in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although today we recognize mercury as a poisonous substance which inactivates certain enzymes in the body, its compounds have been used as diuretics, fungicides and antiseptics (mercurochrome).
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.