Author: Talbot ES.
Source: The Brooklyn Medical Journal.
Year: 1882
Comment:
In one of the earliest scientific studies finding dental mercury as a risk based on a series of experiments, Dr. E. Talbot warns that “all amalgams will send off the vapor of mercury.” This work was published in the Ohio State Journal of Dental Science in 1882.
Abstract / Excerpt:
“The name Mercury was given by the ancients in honor of Mercurius, the messenger of the gods, whose volatile character mercury is supposed to typify. It is seldom found in the native state, but is usually combined. The most important as well as the most abundant combination is the sulphide of mercury, or cinnabar. It is found united with silver, forming an amalgam. The largest and richest mines are found in California. The process of obtaining pure mercury from the sulphide is very simple. The ore is mixed with one-half its weight of lime, and then distilled in iron retorts. The mercury is extracted and the lime remains in the retort. It is a heavy fluid metal, odorless, tasteless, of a whitish color, and when free from other metals it does not tarnish, and its globules roll freely over white paper without leaving a streak or losing their form. It is liquid at ordinary temperatures.”
Citation:
Talbot ES. The chemistry and physiological action of mercury as used in amalgam fillings. The Ohio State J. Dent.Sci. 1882; 2(1):1-12.