A Mercurial Lotion.
Take Mercury sublimate powdered 1 ounce; put it into a pewter Pot with Water 3 pints; let it stand (now and then stirring it with a Stick) 24 hours 'till it look black, and continue so; at last filtre it through Cap Paper, that is may become clear and limpid.
Dr. Harris acquaints us, that the way of knowing true Sublimate from Arsenical is, by rubbing a little of it with Salt of Tartar. For if it then proves yellow, it is true sublimate, but if black, 'tis most certainly an Adulteration with Arsenic.
This Medicament doth signal Service against any sort of Cutaneous Foulness for as much as it fetches out Humours impacted in the Pores and Spaces, be they never so small, dissolves the inveterate and pertinacious Combinations of Salts and Sulphurs; and wherever it is applied, rectifies all the ill form'd Meatuses of the Skin, and makes it freely passable. Upon which account it's a useful thing, not only for deterging the Face, and clearing it from Spots, but also for Pushes and Redness; as also for Erysipelatose Affections, black Specks and little Worms that nestle there, and may be squeezed out with ones Fingers.
But nevertheless, it's to be used with great Caution, because it hath sometimes dismal Consequences. For the Particles of the Quick Silver coming at the Face together with the Salts (by which they are divided and actuated) do indeed remove the noxious and defiling Matter residing in the Pores, and drive it back, but then they enter in together with it; and so nimbly insinuating themselves into the Blood and Nerves, grow desperately Mischievous, and break and destroy their Crasis. Yea oftentimes impress an indelible Virulency upon the Brain, Praecordia, Teeth and other Parts.
Hoechstetter (Dec. 3. Cas. 4. pag. 233.) relates, that Rumlerus was wont to use the following Diaphoretic and Dinretic Decoction, to expel the Mercury, when it had been used in Oinment for the French Pox, too freely.
Take roots of Elecampane 2 ounces; of Fennel 1 ounce and half; white Wine 2 pints and half; having let it stand infusing 24 hours, boil away to 1 quart, which strain. And let the Patient take half a pint Morning and Evening, and lie in Bed close cover'd, and try to sweat. He saith the Sweat will be yellow; and its use must be continued, 'till that Colour disappear and be no more seen.
And sometimes when the Mercury doth not enter into the Blood, yet it causeth a great Phlogosis and Tumour in the Part, with extream, both Pain and Peril. And when it doth so, it must be very well fomented with warm Milk, or a Decoction of Liquorice and Mallows in Milk, and after that, with the following lukewarm.
Take Lime Water 14 ounces; Brandy 2 ounces; white Troches of Rasis half an ounce, mix.
Wepfer (de Cicuta aq. Cap. 20. p. 296.) saith, its a memorable thing which Kunkel delivers viz. that a tender young Child was ordered this Liniment to kill Lice.
Take Mercurius dulcis 1 dram; Mercurius vita 1 scruple; Pomatum 1 ounce, mix.
But an unskillful Apothecary making a vile mistake, put in Sublimate instead of Mercurius dulcis; upon which the Head became so grievously Tumefy'd and Inflam'd that the poor little Innocent must necessarily have perish'd, had not a Physician presently fomented it with a strong Lixivium; by the help of which proper Antidote, it soon recover'd indeed, but yet as to lose all the Hair of its Head.
Thomas Fuller
Pharmacopeia Extemporanea 1710