GENERAL ACTION OF MEECUEY AND ITS SALTS 213 



into mercuric chloride in the stomach, but this appears to be 

 improbable. It is also surmised that the alkaline juices in 

 the duodenum convert calomel into the gray oxide. Sufficient 

 evidence of this is lacking. It is more probable that these 

 insoluble preparations do not remain long enough in the stom- 

 ach to be irritating (although vomiting is occasionally caused 

 by calomel), but exert an irritating and therefore purgative 

 effect in the bowels owing to some of the mercury combining 

 with proteids of the intestinal mucous membrane. Some of 

 the preparation is thus absorbed, as an albuminate of mer- 

 cury, while the larger portion is swept out with the feces, 

 Oalomel and mercuric chloride are also intestinal antiseptics. 



The mercurial purges have always enjoyed a great repu- 

 tation in the treatment of so-called biliousness and torpid 

 liver, the supposition being that they stimulated the liver 

 and flow of bile. But experiments on man and animals show 

 that they exert no apparent effect on the liver or biliary 

 secretion. Their indubitable efficacy is due to their cathar- 

 tic and intestinal antiseptic action, as such conditions 

 (biliousness, etc.) are not owing to liver disorder but to in- 

 digestion. 



The purgative action of calomel and mercury is assisted 

 by salines, which increase the amount of fluid in the bowels, 

 and aid in the expulsion and prevent the absorption of mer- 

 cury. The saline should be given four hours after the ad- 

 ministration of calomel to cattle. 



Blood and Metabolism. — It is stated that calomel may 

 be absorbed unchanged from the intestines by leucocytes to 

 some extent. It is probable, however, that mercury prepara- 

 tions are chiefly absorbed as albuminates and even metallic 

 mercury is oxidized, when in contact with the tissues, and 

 absorbed. Small doses of mercury apparently increase the 

 nutrition and weight of healthy animals and also the hemo- 

 globin and red corpuscles. Mercury is sometimes called 

 an antiphlogistic, as it has been supposed to combat the effect 

 of inflammations. A part of this result may be attributed t» 

 the antiseptic action of the salts of mercury in the intestines 

 by preventing fermentation and absorption of toxic material. 

 Tor want of a better term to explain the beneficial actions of 

 mercury on the tissues, that vague term " alterative " is fre- 



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