was mercury used as a cure for syphilis
Mercury was a common, long-standing treatment for syphilis, and its use as such has been suggested to date back to The Canon of Medicine (1025) by the Persian physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna); although this is only possible if syphilis existed in the Old World prior to Columbus (see § Origin). One of the first supporters of mercury treatment was Paracelsus because it had positive effects on the Arabic treatment of leprosy, which was thought to be a disease related to syphilis. Giorgio Sommariva of Verona is recorded to have used mercury to treat syphilis in 1496, and is often recognized as the first physician to have done so, although he may not have been a physician. During the sixteenth century, mercury was administered to syphilitic patients in various ways, including by rubbing it on the skin, by applying a plaster, and by mouth. A ``Fumigation'' method of administering mercury was also used, in which mercury was vaporized over a fire and the patients were exposed to the resulting steam, either by being placed in a bottomless seat over the hot coals, or by having their entire bodies except for the head enclosed in a box (called a ``tabernacle'') that received the steam. The goal of mercury treatment was to cause the patient to salivate, which was thought to expel the disease. Unpleasant side effects of mercury treatment included gum ulcers and loose teeth. Mercury continued to be used in syphilis treatment for centuries; an 1869 article by TJ Walker discussed administering mercury by injection for this purpose.
History of syphilis