----- Original Message ----- From: "Old Man Scanlon" <rscanlon@naisp.net> To: <MA-MENDON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 11:07 PM Subject: [MA-MENDON] quicksilver (mercury) > >My question is, what is quicksilver and was she trying to poison her > >husband? this is the first reference I have seen to this... > > > >Fran (aka Derby) > > See <http://poynter.indiana.edu/sas/lb/syphilis.html>: > > "Mercury, applied as an ointment to syphilitic lesions, is the earliest > known chemical treatment for syphilis. As early as the late-fifteenth > century, mercury was administered both topically and orally, and remained > the treatment of choice for more than three centuries. > > In the mid-nineteenth century, mercury was still widely used by trained > physicians." > Fascinating! Thank you for posting this information. Lisa