288 MERCURY OINTMENT 



and Williams describe a red skin rash resembling red-mange, 

 and occurring especially in cattle and dogs. 



Different species of animals show a diminishing suscepti- 

 bility to mercurialism in the following order : birds, cats, 

 sheep, cattle, dogs, pigs, and solipeds (Kaufmann). Al- 

 though generally less susceptible, individual horses exhibit 

 different degrees of susceptibility. Percivall mentions that 

 ten grains of calomel given daily to a four-year-old horse 

 made the mouth so sore by the fifth day that he ' cudded ' 

 his hay ; while a mare received six drachms of calomel, two 

 ounces of blue pill, and had mercurial ointment well rubbed 

 into her thighs, without suffering either from sore mouth or 

 salivation. Mercurialism occasionally results from one large 

 dose, if this is slowly absorbed, when it is apt to be violent 

 and difficult to control, but is induced more certainly and 

 with less danger by small and repeated doses of calomel, or 

 any mild mercurial, and its production is hastened by using 

 the medicine both externally and internally. 



Acute mercurial poisoning is caused by the soluble salts 

 such as the perchloride. There are all the signs of acute 

 gastro-enteritis, and then collapse and death from exhaustion 

 in from a few hours to a few days. If the latter, character- 

 istic signs of mercurialism are seen before death. 



The patient under the effects of mercury must be pro- 

 tected from cold and wet. To arrest excessive action the 

 drug must be withheld ; its excretion hastened by adminis- 

 tration of potassium iodide, followed by a saline purge ; the 

 mouth, if sore, washed repeatedly with solution of chlorin- 

 ated lime or alum ; anaemia and wasting combated by good 

 food, iron salts, and quinine. In acute poisoning by irritant 

 mercurial salts, the preliminary treatment consists in 

 repeated full doses of albumin and other demulcents. 

 Common salt helps the solution of mercury, and should 

 not be used as an emetic in poisoning with mercury salts. 



MERCURY OINTMENT. Unguentum Hydrargyri. (B.P.) 



Mercury or blue ointment of good quality cannot be made 

 on the small scale without immense labour and loss of time. 

 It is composed of one pound of mercury, one pound of lard, 



