THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
Vol.  93  s^ifr       A  *  4?ri1'  1921 
No.  4 
EDITORIAL 
TREATMENT  OF  BICHLORIDE  OF  MERCURY 
POISONING. 
Physicians  have  frequently  asserted  that  the  symptomatology 
of  bichloride  of  mercury  poisoning  is  as  diversified  as  that  of  the 
dreaded  lues.-  And  they  likewise  state  that  in  view  of  these  varying 
symptoms  treatment  must  synchronously  vary. 
For  many  decades  the  legend  on  the  label  of  the  bichloride  tab- 
let bottle  has  called  for  administering  to  those  who  have  indulged  in 
the  vicious  drug  some  white  of  egg,  or  egg  albumen.  Often  there 
is  established  a  specific  ratio  between  the  amount  of  albumen  and 
poison,  but  more  frequently  one  finds  a  random  statement  in  re- 
gard to  the  amount  of  albumen  which  shall  be  given.  The  stomacti 
pump  and  gastric  lavage  have  likewise  been  much  used  in  conection 
with  antidoting  this  poison.  But  generally  the  results  were  not 
good,  and  this  despite  the  sound  theory  of  stomach  washing. 
The  futility  of  all  these  measures  undoubtedly  lies  in  the  fact 
that  there  is  very  rapid  absorption  of  this  poison,  and  that  local 
measures  of  antidoting  come  too  late.  It  is  stated  that  even  within 
fifteen  minutes  there  is  very  little  uncombined  bichloride  of  mercury 
left  in  the  stomach.  And  still  another  fact  that  denotes  the  weak- 
ness of  our  past  mode  of  treatment  is  to  recall  that  the  insoluble 
albuminate  of  mercury,  formed  when  the  white  of  egg  binds  itself 
with  the  poison,  is  soluble  in  the  presence  of  an  excess  of  the  albu- 
men. Because  of  this  fact  there  is  never  a  degree  of  certainty  at- 
tached to  the  chemical  antidoting  with  albumen,  for  the  physicion 
seldom  knows  how  much  bichloride  of  mercury  the  patient  has  taken, 
and  never  knows  what  quantity  remains  in  the  stomach  at  the  time 
of  treatment. 
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