The quicksilver prize
Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps
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Abstract
In 1810, two British ships, HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps, salvaged a large load of elemental mercury from a wrecked Spanish vessel near Cadiz, Spain. The bladders containing the mercury soon ruptured. The element spread about the ships in liquid and vapor forms. The sailors presented with neurologic compromises: tremor, paralysis, and excessive salivation as well as tooth loss, skin problems, and pulmonary complaints. The events are reviewed in the context of what was known about mercury vapor inhalation.
- Received June 25, 2003.
- Accepted in final form October 10, 2003.
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Letters: Rapid online correspondence
- Reply to Guzzi
- Michael J Doherty, Swedish Epilepsy Center, 801 Broadway Suite 901, Seattle, WA 98122[email protected]
Submitted May 05, 2004 - The quicksilver prize: Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps
- Gianpaolo Guzzi, Italian Association for Metal and Biocompatibility Research, Via F. Sforza,15 20122 Milan Italy[email protected]
Submitted May 05, 2004
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