What is calomel?
It is a compound of two parts of mercury united to one of chlorine, forming the sub-chloride of mercury. The preparation, commonly known in medicine as “blue pill,” is a preparation of calomel.
What is corrosive sublimate?
A compound of mercury and chlorine united in equal proportions, forming the perchloride of mercury.
Are both these compounds, calomel and corrosive sublimate, poisons?
They are; corrosive sublimate, especially, is a most deadly poison. In case of poisoning by it, the most effectual antidote is white of eggs.
What is the process of preserving wood from decay, commonly termed “kyanizing”?
It consists in saturating the fibers of the wood with a solution of corrosive sublimate.
Poisonous substances, and corrosive sublimate especially, have the property of protecting animal and vegetable substances from decay. The skins of stuffed birds and animals, and the plants of a herbarium, may be protected from insects and decay, by washing them with a solution of corrosive sublimate. It should not, however, be forgotten that these substances by such treatment become themselves poisonous.
Give a list of the chief antidotes for poisons.