Diseases of the Mouth and Tongue. 59 



debility follows, the hair falls off, the animal becomes 

 rapidly emaciated, tremulous, and paralytic, and dies in 

 convulsions or delirium. Not unfrequently the face is 

 considerably swollen, and the joints are hot and tender. 

 Mercurialism also gives rise to a species of eczema {eczema 

 mercurial^). See " Skin Diseases." 



Treatment. — The most effectual antidotes for poisoning 

 by mercury are albuminous compounds, the white of eggs 

 being perhaps the best, especially in the case of corrosive 

 sublimate. 



Christison, writing on the subject, observes: "It has 



already been hinted that albumen, in the form of white of 



eggs beat up with water, impairs or destroys the corrosive 



properties of bichloride of mercury, by decomposing it, and 



producing an insoluble mercurial compound. For this 



discovery, and the establishment of albumen as an 



antidote, medicine is indebted to Professor Orfila. He 



has related many satisfactory experiments in proof 



of its virtues. The following will serve as an example 



of the whole. Twelve grains of corrosive sublimate 



were given to a little dog, and allowed to act for 



eight minutes, so that its usual effects might fairly begin 



before the antidote was administered. White of eight eggs 



was then given ; after several fits of vomiting the animal 



became apparently free from pain ; and in five days it was 



quite well.* According to Peschier, the white of one egg 



is required to render four grains of the poison innocuous.! 



The experiments of the Parisian toxicologist have been 



repeated and confirmed by others, and particularly by 



Schloepfer ; who found that when a dose was given to a 



rabbit sufficient to kill it in seven minutes if allowed to 



act uncontrolled, the administration of albumen, just as 



the signs of uneasiness appeared, prevented every serious 



* Toxicologie Gdn&al, i. 313. 



t Corvisart's Journal de Mddicine, xxxviii. "JT- 



