326 MERCURY. 



burning and fulness in the mouth and throat, sickness, vomiting 

 of frothy matter, sometimes of blood, salivation and ulceration of 

 the mouth and gums, loss of teeth, and affections of the bones, 

 violent pains in the bones, muscles, and joints, cold sweats, 

 tremors, palsy, tetanus, convulsions, and death. It has been 

 already stated, in a former part of this work, that the white 

 of egg decomposes corrosive sublimate, by converting it into 

 proto-chloride of mercury or calomel, and when given in sufficient 

 quantity has succeeded as an antidote. According to Peschier 

 the white of one egg is required to render four grains of the poison 

 innocuous.* If this cannot be procured, linseedj tea, barley- 

 water, broth, or even plain water may be given ; but oily sub- 

 stances, often had recourse to, are useless, and often injurious by 

 impeding the action of other remedies, The secondary treatment 

 must resemble that adopted in gastritis and enteritis ; general and 

 local bleeding, fomentations, warm bath, and iu general the anti- 

 phlogistic regimen. 



Salts of Mercury. 



The salts of mercury are generally distinguished by their 

 nauseous, styptic taste. Those that are soluble in water give a 

 black precipitate with alkaline hydro-sulphurets; gallic acid gives 

 a yellow precipitate, and when a plate of copper is introduced into 

 them, metallic mercury is precipitated. They are volatalized by 

 heat, and if they be mixed with carbonaceous, matter metallic 

 mercury is obtained. 



Yellow Sub-Sulphate of Mercury, or Turbith Mineral. 

 Sub-sulphas Hydrargyrijlavus, Ph. E.— This salt is prepared by 

 boiling two parts of mercury in three of sulphuric acid to dryness, 

 and throwing the white mass obtained in this manner into boiling 

 water, after it has been reduced to powder. The yellow sub! 

 sulphate is immediately thrown down, which must be washed 

 repeatedly with distilled water and dried by a gentle heat. It 



• Corvisart's Journal de Medicine, xxxviii. p. 77. 



