No pains have been taken to keep distinct Merc. sol. and Merc. viv., and I do not find it practicable to attempt to separate them. Though Merc. sol. was the preparation Hahnemann proved, he recommended Merc. viv. as a superior preparation for homoeopathic prescribing in his preface to the proving. Mercurius solubilis Hahnemanni was invented by him in his pre-homoeopathic days in response to a general desire for a mercurial preparation which should be at once soluble and non-corrosive, and it at once took its place in pharmacy, a place it has never lost. The method of developing the medicinal power of metallic mercury by graduated trituration was a later discovery, though there was a suggestion of it in the well-known Hydrargyrum cum cretâ. To the symptoms of Hahnemann's pathogenesis of Merc. sol. are added observed effects of Mercury in those engaged in working with the metal, in patients taking Mercury, and effects in those applying mercurial inunctions to patients—many having been severely affected by absorbing it through their hands. There is no difference between these effects and the symptoms of the proving so far as the general characteristics are concerned. In the finer characteristics there must be differences. The symptoms of the proving are in general more particularly characterised than the effects of Merc. viv. For instance, "At night severe toothache, and when that went off great chilliness through the whole body," belongs to the Merc. sol. proving; and so do these: "Vertigo: when sitting at his desk there was whirling in the head, as if he were drunk, he rises up and walks about the room staggering, then anxious heat breaks out over him, with nausea but not to the length of vomiting; at the same time some headache." "From occiput a strong, tearing, continued pain, which went into the forehead and there pressed." The symptoms of nose-bleed and the more finely characterised throat symptoms ("stitches on tonsils"; "stitches into ear on swallowing"; "something hot rises into throat.,"), were produced by Merc. sol., so were the majority of the symptoms in the male and female sexual organs. But this is not to say that Merc. viv. will not answer equally well, or even better, for curing them. The only bit of comparative experience I have in the action of the two is this: in a case of cold in which Merc. seemed indicated, Merc. sol. 30 was given and failed, and Merc. viv. 30 promptly cured.—We of the present generation can hardly form a conception of the havoc wrought by Mercury in the days when it was considered necessary to "touch the gums" in all cases for which Mercury was prescribed before any good could be hoped for. The motto, "Salivation is Salvation," tells its own tale. "It was quite an event," says Teste, "when in the sixteenth century the discovery was made that Mercury will cure syphilis without the patient being salivated. One error, however, being substituted in place of another, it was supposed that the sweat, the diuresis, or the diarrhoea which followed the exhibition of Mercury, replaced the absent salivation; the gross humoralism which prevailed at that period did not allow of another explanation. For a graphic picture of a practice which was part of the ordinary routine until recent times, I quote the following from Bransby Cooper's First Lines of Surgery, 6th ed., p. 348: "Mercury acts upon some individuals like a poison [!] they are seized with palpitations of the heart, tremblings of the limbs, oppression of the breathing, and irregular pulse. When such indisposition takes place in a person employing Mercury we conclude that this mineral is actually producing a deleterious impression on the system [!]. It was noticed by the late Mr. Pearson that every year, when it was the custom to salivate freely, a certain number of individuals thus treated died suddenly in the Lock Hospital. They were first affected as I have described, and, on attempting to make the slightest effort they dropped down dead. Mr. Pearson learned from experience [!] that these deaths arose from the deleterious action of Mercury on the constitution, and the derangement of the system thus excited he proposed to call the Mercurial erethismus." Homoeopathy has filled out this picture in full detail, and turned this deadly blundering to curative account. There was a fitness in naming this metal after the volatile deity. It provides us with weather-glasses and thermometers, and it turns those who are under its influence into weather-glasses and thermometers likewise. [An electrician, who at one time was required to work with his hands frequently in a trough filled with quicksilver, thereafter could not bear the slightest shock of electricity, though before he could stand very strong ones.] And herein lies one of the grand characteristics of the remedy: as the thermometer is sensitive to changes either to hot or cold, so is the Merc. patient. Other remedies are predominantly one or the other: Merc. is both— < by heat and < by cold. This is keynote No. 1. No. 2 is "< at night." This is a strong point of correspondence with syphilis. Especially is this noticeable in the bone pains. No. 3 is: Profuse sweat accompanying nearly all complaints and which does not relieve; it may even aggravate. Guided chiefly by these two indications: "Profuse sweat with no relief" and "< at night," I have cured many cases of rheumatic fever with Merc. viv. 12, without any other remedy. Keynote No. 4 is: The mercurial odour. The mercurial patient is offensive; breath excessively fetid; sweat offensive, mawkish, sweetish. Keynote No. 5 is tremor. This symptom is so pronounced and universal that it renders Merc. the best general remedy in paralysis agitans. There is tremor of head, of hands, of tongue. Tremors commencing in the fingers. It is the tremor of weakness and paralysis; and as described by B. Cooper it may attack the heart and cause sudden death on the smallest effort. Short of this there is great tendency to fainting; extreme exhaustion after a stool. The tremors may become jerkings and even convulsions. Extreme restlessness. The mind is as weak and tremulous as the body; everything is done hastily. Hurried and rapid talking. On the other hand: slow in answering questions; loss of memory; of will power. Embarrassment. Absent-minded. Imbecility. Time seems to pass slowly. Desire to flee. Homesick. Suicidal. Murderous. Merc. is Hahnemann's typical antisyphilitic remedy, as Sul. is the typical antipsoric, and Thuja the typical antisycotic. In selecting Merc. as the remedy for syphilis the old practitioners were so far right, but they did not know how to give it. Merc. so far corresponds to syphilis that many undoubted cases of mercurial poisoning have been diagnosed by experts as syphilis. Bones, glands, and skin are affected. Inflammation leads to induration, induration to ulceration. Merc, corresponds accurately to the true Hunterian chancre. Merc. ulcers have a grey, lardy, ashy, or cheesy base. There are burning or stinging pains in them. Another great feature of Merc., almost constituting a keynote, is the tendency to the formation of pus. In the suppurative stage of small-pox it is specific. Flow of pus, and particularly bloody pus, from any orifice calls for Merc. Pus forms in cavities in abscesses, which burn and sting. Discharges are yellow-green in colour. Gonorrhoea. Fetid ear discharge. Merc. is a great solvent: it dissolves metals out of their ores and it dissolves living tissues, inducing excessive emaciation. Lowly organised tissues as indurations, exostoses, and some tumours are melted first. Oedema and dropsies are absorbed; rheumatic swellings. If the doses of Merc. are large and dropsies disappear rapidly under them, the tissues themselves may disappear also in offensive rapidly decomposing ulcers. The bones soften so that they will bend. Whilst Merc. intensifies the action of the absorbents, it may also paralyse them, hence enlargement of glands, with pricking pains, inflammation, suppuration. Next to syphilis, the liver has been the chief excuse for mercurialism, in the past, and Merc. certainly has a powerful liver action. The liver is congested, enlarged, inflamed, stitches in the liver, sensitiveness in the liver and inability to lie on right side. This "< lying on r. side" is a very characteristic condition of Merc., and when present Merc. should always be considered. Along with the liver the stomach is disordered. Sweets disagree; aversion to meat, wine, brandy, beer, coffee, greasy food, butter. There is the characteristic flabby, coated, teeth-indented tongue, foul breath, and intense thirst. Throat dry and forepart of tongue moist. Merc. is rarely indicated when the tongue is dry. Sliminess is a general characteristic. Slimy stools; stools acrid, knotty, containing pus, viscid. Just before stool a sick, painful, faint feeling comes on. During stool there is tenesmus, or tenesmus and no stool. Dysentery with much straining; never-get-done feeling when there is no more to come. Diarrhoea with slime. "Merc. is rarely indicated in these troubles where there is no slime" (Guernsey). Merc. affects profoundly the generative organs of both sexes. It has stinging, cutting pains in ovaries; cutting pains from l. to r. in lower abdomen. "Stinging" is very frequent in mercurial pains, and "stinging pain in ovaries is just as likely to need Merc. as Apis" (Kent). Almost all kinds of eruptions are produced by Merc. Scurfy, syphilitic, pustular, moist, oozing, offensive eczema. Shingles. Small-pox. They are all < by warmth and at night and < by cold. In olden times it was recognised that a patient under a "course" of Mercury must be very careful not to catch cold. This gives one indication for Merc. in abnormal tendency to catch cold. But for this condition it must not be too frequently repeated, as it will aggravate it. The patient needing Merc. is sensitive to every draught and yet < by warmth the nasal secretion is acrid, and the nose red and excoriated; dirty-nosed children" (Guernsey). Old catarrhal smell in the nose inside nostrils smarting and burning. Aching, tearing, and out-pressing in the bones. "Kali iod. is better for the same bursting in the face, running coryza, and < from heat and warmth of the bed" (Kent). [I find that a much larger percentage of cases of acute cold come under the indications of Cepa and Chlorum than under those of Merc. or any other related remedy. In chronic colds I think first of Psor.] The eyes are very markedly influenced by Merc.; also the bones round the eye: "Whenever cold settles in the eye in gouty and rheumatic patients" (Kent). Every degree and kind of inflammation and ulceration is produced by Merc. and its salts. J. J. Hirsch, of Prague (H. R., vii. 220), relates some striking experiences with a preparation of Merc. viv. which he learned from an old allopath. Quicksilver is boiled in water for half an hour, two teaspoonfuls being given every two hours. Hirsch's cases were those of acute inflammation of the brain, in which Bell. was indicated, and in one of which Merc. (in the ordinary homoeopathic preparation) had already been administered in vain. This is the case: A black-haired girl, 9, had malignant scarlatina, which commenced six days before Hirsch (who came as consultant) saw the case, signs of brain inflammation having set in on the third day. Hirsch found her unconscious, sharply defined redness of cheeks, pulse 120, hot skin. Piercing screams were emitted from time to time; boring head in pillows; chewing motion of jaws; gnashing teeth. Lips brown and dry; not much thirst; water not accepted readily; but milk seemed to be relished. Reddened patches here and there, especially along neck. Under the "decoction," which was given to the girl on Hirsch's suggestion, she slowly but steadily improved, and in a week was convalescent.—Among the Sensations of Merc. are: Vibration in forehead. Head as if in a vice; as if growing larger. As of sparks being emitted from eyes; as of a body underneath lids; as if feathers came from corners of eyes. As if a wedge driven in ear; as if ice in it; as if cold water running out of it. Cracklings in head as from metal plates. As if weight on forehead; as if weight hanging on to nose. As if teeth were loose; were fixed in a mass of pap. As if hot vapours rising into throat; of worm rising into throat, must swallow it down; of apple core sticking in throat. As if mammae would ulcerate. As if everything in chest was dry.—Stabbing pains and stitches, burning, boring, digging, stinging, and dragging pains. Soreness and sensitiveness. Itching; voluptuous itching. Merc. is more particularly suited to: Light-haired persons with lax skin and muscle; women and children. Scrofulous children. (Merc. has relation to psora and sycosis as well as syphilis.) The symptoms are < by touch or pressure. < At night; before falling asleep. < Blowing nose. < During a catarrh. < From cold air. < From taking cold. < From lamplight; firelight. < During perspiration; on getting warm in bed. < Before stool. < During urination and after. < Lying on right side. < Motion; walking; slightest exertion. < Evening. Rest >. Coitus >. Weeping >. < Touching anything cold (= pain in abdomen). < Bending forward (digestion immediately disordered). < After eating (if he eats ever so little it causes a dragging down in stomach).