Citation

Doherty MJ. Neurology 2004; 62(6): 963-966.

Affiliation

Swedish Epilepsy Center, Seattle, WA, USA. michael.doherty@swedish.org

Comment In:

Neurology 1340;.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15037700

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.

Language: en