Completely and totally off-topic and without any meritwhatso

From: Joe R. <rigdonj_at_cfl.rr.com>
Date: Wed Sep 8 11:05:08 2004

At 10:47 PM 9/7/04 -0700, you wrote:
>in the old days they used to give murcury rubs for syphlis!

   Did they use metallic mercury or a mercury salt? Mercuric oxide used to
be used as an eye ointment. I remember using it as a kid. It was very
effective.

   Joe


>
>ed
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <jpero_at_sympatico.ca>
>To: <cctalk_at_classiccmp.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2004 4:03 PM
>Subject: Re: Completely and totally off-topic and without any meritwhatso
>
>
>> > > I suspect the hazmat team over reacted just a little.
>> >
>> > This is often the case - the hazmat guys I have talked to have been
>pretty
>> > reasonable, but due to public pressure, they often have to put on a
>show.
>> > Finally someone speaks the truth! Elemental mercury mostly passes thru
>the
>> > body in one big blob, and very little is absorbed. I think it is rarely
>> > used as an antibiotic, as well.
>> >
>> > The compounds are the nasty things, as they due damage pretty
>> > quickly. Also, mercury vapor is also very dangerous *even in short
>> > periods of exposure*! The poor guys in South America that purify gold
>thru
>> > amalgamation (and the subsequent vaporizing to get the mercury back)
>tend
>> > to have very short lives if they are not careful.
>>
>> Compounds in mercury? Such as?
>>
>> In old days before "safer" plating base metals with other metals was
>> developed, like 140 years or more years ago, they used that same way
>> to "gild" the stuff with gold or silver via the mercury amalgamation.
>>
>> Whew that must be very miserable lifetime back then as gilders. :-(
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Wizard
>>
>> >
>> > William Donzelli
>>
>>
>
>
>
Received on Wed Sep 08 2004 - 11:05:08 BST