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From: Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: The Einstein Effect
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2025 09:47:37 +0000
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On 07/01/2025 15:14, Cursitor Doom wrote:
> On Tue, 7 Jan 2025 10:49:57 +0000, Martin Brown wrote:
> 
>> OTOH his alchemical interests meant breathing mercury fumes and other
>> noxious gasses from time to time probably didn't help either.
> 
> ISTR inhaling mercury fumes was a 'cure' for constipation in those days.
> Supposedly. Not terribly effective and with possible side-effects that
> today would be unacceptable to say the least.

Not quite. Drinking a small amount as liquid metal was though and had 
been used since Roman times. Possibly better than the alternatives.

Before antibiotics it was also used as a dangerous "cure" for syphilis.

https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/syphilis-and-the-use-of-mercury

Calomel as mercurous chloride did slightly work for some skin infections 
but soluble mercury salts are all deadly poisonous.

Breathing mercury fumes makes you go mad - hence the Mad Hatter's Tea 
Party in Alice in Wonderland. World's largest zenith telescope in Canada 
used a spinning mercury mirror (it self passivates with an oxide coat so 
isn't anything like as dangerous as it sounds).

https://interestingengineering.com/science/largest-liquid-mirror-telescope-earth-large-zenith

-- 
Martin Brown