/oss/taxonomy/term/124/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/end-gilders-palsy <p>Physicians today are unlikely to encounter “Gilder’s palsy.” But prior to the 19th century this ailment had to be considered when a patient presented with tremors, irritability, increased salivation and fatigue. The culprit was mercury. And the patient may very well have been a “gilder.”</p> Fri, 24 Feb 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9414 at /oss /oss/article/health/dental-amalgam-whats-drill <p>While dental amalgam has been in use for well over a century, some controversy has arisen in recent decades regarding possible toxicity due to its mercury content. The internet is rife with articles claiming that silver fillings are causing a plethora of disease processes. ‘Holistic’ dentists warn about the inherent risk of these restorations, imploring their replacement.</p> Wed, 06 Nov 2019 20:44:50 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 7982 at /oss /oss/article/health/should-we-worry-about-metals-vaccines <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>​</em><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-should-we-worry-about-metals-in-vaccines">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> <hr /> <p>Last time, we explored a specific concern voiced by a reader — namely, why we vaccinate babies for adult diseases like Hepatitis B. This week, we’ll look at another vaccine question. Why are there metals in vaccines?</p> Thu, 27 Jun 2019 16:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7808 at /oss /oss/article/history/little-mercurial-history <p>“Since calomel’s become their boast,/ How many patients have they lost?/ How many thousands they make ill,/ Of poison with their calomel?” So ran a little verse written in 1825 by an unknown poet who was obviously disenchanted with medical practice of the day.</p> Wed, 10 Apr 2019 18:30:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7713 at /oss /oss/article/videos-history/right-chemistry-secrets-mercury <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-2cbz1ise7pm" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the secrets of mercury" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2cBz1ISe7pM?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-2cbz1ise7pm&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the secrets of mercury" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the secrets of mercury</iframe> </div> </p> Fri, 18 Jan 2019 18:04:24 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7547 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/you-can-see-division-east-and-west-berlin-space <p><span>Berlin might be united now, but evidence of its 40-year history of division still remains. </span></p> <p><span> </span><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Of7WbrP7AmRY7gy93rYDd7rtbR2fwC-bY68xDcdmoJoAKrvmNrRhSDXhmGBJDsF-nb7RNR1sSyR2mbbkOYB9OpBZx4LMNWK2kWGhLf8oF6BBKl49VMucytz_efl85vlDE3J5xCwy" style="border:none; width:600px; height:906px" /></p> <p><span>This photo, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/cmdr_hadfield/status/324638635766980608?lang=en">taken by Commander Chris Hadfield</a>, shows a divided Berlin, with the East appearing orange and the West white. But why?</p> Wed, 30 May 2018 19:40:00 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7122 at /oss /oss/article/history/right-chemistry-mad-hatters-were-not-merely-fictional <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-wdbe5i559mi" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Mad Hatters were not merely fictional" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wDbE5i559mI?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-wdbe5i559mi&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Mad Hatters were not merely fictional" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Mad Hatters were not merely fictional</iframe></div> Wed, 09 May 2018 22:16:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7064 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health/mercury-poisoning <p>Acute mercury poisoning from a large dose of a soluble mercury may cause damage to the kidneys, intestines, and mouth, and the symptoms are vomiting, stomach pains, weak pulse, and difficulty in breathing. If a fatal dose has been taken, death may intervene before any of the most obvious symptoms manifest themselves, but usually death takes about a week, although some people have been known to last three weeks before dying.</p> Tue, 30 May 2017 16:50:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2494 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/danbury-shakes <p>Danbury, Connecticut used to be the center of the American hat industry. It was also known for the “Danbury shakes,” a condition that encompassed tremors, incoherent speech, difficulty in walking and eventual feeble mindedness. Victims of this disease were the hatters who used mercury compounds in the processing of felt material!  This condition was also known in Europe as evidenced by Lewis Carrol’s “Mad Hatter” character in the famous Alice stories. Great care needs to be exercised in the handling of mercury.  Even a broken thermometer can cause serious problems. The metal should be clean</p> Mon, 10 Apr 2017 15:35:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2395 at /oss /oss/article/health-you-asked/what-about-mercury-fish <p>Nutritionists recommend eating fish regularly, twice a week, because it is an excellent source of proteins, vitamins, and omega-3 fats. These omega-3 fats are nicknamed the ‘healing fats’ because they are pivotal in preventing heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and other illnesses. But for the last decade, people have been worrying about eating too much fish because of possible contamination by methylmercury.</p> Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:16:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1765 at /oss /oss/article/health-pseudoscience/toxic-lunacy-robert-de-niro-and-robert-kennedy-jr <p>Science can prove danger but it can never prove safety. It is impossible to prove that something cannot happen! Even if not a single person in a study has an adverse reaction, there is always the possibility that someone else may be affected. What science can do, is weigh the risks versus the benefits. And when it comes to vaccines, there is just no question that the benefits outweigh the risks. By several country miles. Of course, nobody claims that there is zero risk associated with vaccines, just that the risk is minimal. </p> Thu, 16 Feb 2017 20:35:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1468 at /oss