Quicksilver/Quacksalver: Allopathy

Mercury (element)
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This article is about the element. For other uses, see Mercury
(disambiguation).

General
Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80
Appearance silvery

References
Mercury(IPA: /ˈmɜrkjʊri/), also called quicksilver, is a chemical
element with the symbol Hg (Latinized Greek: hydrargyrum, meaning
watery or liquid silver) and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-
block metal, mercury is one of five elements that are liquid at or
near room temperature and pressure.[1] The others are the metals
caesium, francium, and gallium, and the non-metal bromine. Of these,
only mercury and bromine are liquids at standard conditions for
temperature and pressure.

Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world and it is harmless in
an insoluble form, such as mercuric sulfide, but it is poisonous in
soluble forms such as mercuric chloride or methylmercury.

History
Mercury was known to the ancient Chinese and Hindus, and was found in
Egyptian tombs that date from 1500 BC.[citation needed] In China,
India, and Tibet, mercury use was thought to prolong life, heal
fractures, and maintain generally good health. China's first emperor,
Qin Shi Huang Di — said to have been buried in a tomb that contained
rivers of flowing mercury, representative of the rivers of China — Qin
was driven insane and killed by mercury pills (failing liver, poison,
brain death) intended to give him eternal life.[citation needed] The
ancient Greeks used mercury in ointments and the Romans used it in
cosmetics. By 500 BC mercury was used to make amalgams with other
metals. The Indian word for alchemy is Rasavātam which means "the way
of mercury".

Alchemists often thought of mercury as the First Matter from which all
metals were formed. They believed that different metals could be
produced by varying the quality and quantity of sulfur contained
within the mercury. The purest of these was gold, and mercury was
required for the transmutation of base (or impure) metals into gold as
was the goal of many alchemists.

Hg is the modern chemical symbol for mercury. It comes from
hydrargyrum, a Latinized form of the Greek word `Υδραργυρος
(hydrargyros), which is a compound word meaning "water" and "silver" —
since it is liquid, like water, and yet has a silvery metallic sheen.
The element was named after the Roman god Mercury, known for speed and
mobility. It is associated with the planet Mercury. The astrological
symbol for the planet is also one of the alchemical symbols for the
metal. Mercury is the only metal for which the alchemical planetary
name became the common name.