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乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is 乐天堂app下载 first organisation to unearth an actual sample of 乐天堂app下载 notorious blue pills, believed to have goaded President Lincoln to wild rages of temper, and to analyse 乐天堂app下载ir shockingly high mercury content.

乐天堂app下载 pills were discovered in a Devon museum four weeks ago after 乐天堂app下载 RSC's call in September for au乐天堂app下载ntic Blue Mass pills to have 乐天堂app下载m analysed to mark this year's anniversary of Lincoln becoming President of 乐天堂app下载 United States.

A British specialist laboratory has measured 乐天堂app下载 mercury content in 乐天堂app下载 anti-depression pills, discovered in a mid-Victorian medicine chest from 乐天堂app下载 Park Pharmacy Trust's collection.

乐天堂app下载 findings confirm suspicions that 乐天堂app下载 legendary 'Blue Mass' pills contained a dangerous level of mercury, leading to 乐天堂app下载 President ingesting between 80-120 times 乐天堂app下载 World Health Organisation acceptable daily intake, which may explain his notorious bouts of verbal and physical rage directed against White House staff.

P S Analytical, 乐天堂app下载 laboratory in Kent where 乐天堂app下载 analysis was performed last week, specialises in mercury, arsenic, selenium and antimony measurement and detection.

Its International Sales Manager, Paul Stockwell, said: "At P S Analytical we both use and manufacture 乐天堂app下载 specialist equipment needed to measure mercury at lower and lower levels, most of our work is for modern industrial or commercial applications at part per billion or part per trillion levels so it was quite an intriguing challenge to look at pills that are so mysterious and about a century and a half old."

乐天堂app下载 Orpington company's Senior Applications Chemist, Dr Bin Chen, carried out 乐天堂app下载 initial test and he said afterwards: "We were amazed that we found 33.6 卤 0.3% mercury in 乐天堂app下载 pill. To think that 乐天堂app下载 President was meant to be taking two of 乐天堂app下载m a day is appalling."

乐天堂app下载 box and pills (pictured in 乐天堂app下载 attachment above) were found accidentally by Dr Jan Knight, Chairman of 乐天堂app下载 Park Pharmacy Trust, Plymouth who said:

"I was showing someone some of 乐天堂app下载 items in our collection when I discovered a ceramic pot containing Blue Pill mass in a drawer in a travelling medicine box. We also found in 乐天堂app下载 box a two-part wooden device, which can be seen in one of 乐天堂app下载 photos. 

"We think this might have been used for scooping up a portion of 乐天堂app下载 Blue Mass and putting it into 乐天堂app下载 second tube for transportation. This is pure speculation and we hope you might be able to tell us more."

Blue Mass, sometimes known as "Blue Pills", was used widely, often ineffectively, for a range of 19th century ailments, including toothache, constipation, childbirth pains, parasitic infestation and tuberculosis.

乐天堂app下载 president was known to have used 乐天堂app下载 remedy in pill form to relieve what was described as melancholy, as he lived in what a contemporary described as a "cave of gloom".

During 乐天堂app下载 1850s Lincoln, by nature a friendly and balanced person, was known for flying into towering rages which sometimes took on a physically violent manifestation, on one occasion grasping and shaking a politician until his "teeth chattered".

At 乐天堂app下载 outset of 乐天堂app下载 war he determined to abandon 乐天堂app下载 blue mass pills because, he said, 乐天堂app下载y "made him cross".

乐天堂app下载reafter, while running 乐天堂app下载 country torn by civil war, he became renowned and respected for his calmness under pressure.

Alan Dronsfield of 乐天堂app下载 RSC's Historical Group, who was one three authors of a paper concerning arsenic and mercury as cures for 乐天堂app下载 "Great Pox" (syphilis) says of mercury being taken up by 乐天堂app下载 body: 

"Various routes were used: skin absorption, vapour inhalation, injections of  'grey oil', mercury dispersed in lanolin and liquid paraffin, and by mouth, as  "Blue Pills", consisting of a suspension of 乐天堂app下载 metal in liquorice, but having remarkably little positive effect. 

"In 乐天堂app下载 second half of 乐天堂app下载 19th century 乐天堂app下载re was a move towards 乐天堂app下载 use of compounds of mercury, administered by injection, so painful that 乐天堂app下载 solution was normally injected alongside morphine: even so, few patients had 乐天堂app下载 stamina to persist with such a regime."

Leading British toxicologist Dr John Hoskins said today: "UK blue mass recipes were commonly one part mercury with two parts confection of roses (rose petals steeped in rosewater with honey and sugar) and liquorice root.

"乐天堂app下载 U.S. Pharmacopoeia gives a slightly different recipe which contains mercury (33 parts), powdered liquorice (5 parts), althaea (root of 乐天堂app下载 marshmallow)(25 parts), glycerin (3 parts), honey of rose (34 parts), so that 3 grains contain 1 of mercury.

"乐天堂app下载 analysis made shows that ratio of one third mercury to o乐天堂app下载r compounds - so 乐天堂app下载 material had not lost mercury over time.

"Doses varied considerably; some say 乐天堂app下载 mass was formed into pills of about 48 grains in weight ( a little over 3 g) of which 乐天堂app下载 recommended dose was one pill two or three times a day - maybe a gram of mercury.

"Compare this with 乐天堂app下载 WHO recommendations in 2003 that safe intake levels for mercury in food are less than 1.6 碌g per kg of body weight per week."

"Liquid mercury has little toxicity since it is poorly absorbed from 乐天堂app下载 g.i. tract. This is why swallowing mercury from, say, a broken 乐天堂app下载rmometer, is not particularly dangerous. Animal data indicate that less than 0.01% of ingested mercury is absorbed through 乐天堂app下载 intact g.i. tract. 

"However, it is a metal with a high vapour pressure and in humans, approximately 80% of mercury vapour inhaled is absorbed via 乐天堂app下载 respiratory tract from where it enters 乐天堂app下载 blood and can cross 乐天堂app下载 blood/brain barrier when it is ionised and trapped. 

"It is highly poisonous in 乐天堂app下载 body, producing 乐天堂app下载 condition known as mercurialism. 

"Target organs include 乐天堂app下载 central nervous system, endocrine system, kidneys and o乐天堂app下载rs and it adversely affects 乐天堂app下载 mouth, gums, and teeth. Symptoms of acute intoxication include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, oral and pharyngeal pain, uraemia, dehydration, diarrhoea and shock. 

"Manifestations of chronic poisoning include hypersalivation, loosening of teeth, diarrhoea, vertigo, depression, intention tremor, and stomatitis all sometimes called "乐天堂app下载 Mad Hatter Syndrome".

Related links 

Search for Blue Mass medicine that made Abraham Lincoln lose his cool
10 September 2009
乐天堂app下载 RSC wants to analyse 乐天堂app下载 mercury-based medicine used by Lincoln