Bath, Mercu′′rial

Syn. Anti syph i lit′ic bath ; Bal′neum mercuria′le , B. hydrar′gyri bichlori′di , B. anti syph i lit′icum , ., L.; Bain mercuriel , B. anti syph i lit i que , ., Fr. Bichloride of mercury, in fine powder, 1 to 3 dr. , hot water, 1 pint ; agitate together until solution is complete, before adding them to the bath, the ‘water’ of which (contained in an enamelled or wooden ve el) must be soft (rain) and pure. At the ‘Cutan. Hosp.’ hydrochloric acid (= 1 ⁄ 3 rd the weight of the chloride) is commonly added; and at the ‘Fr. hospitals,’ an equal, or rather more than an equal weight, of sal-ammoniac. These additions facilitate the solution of the chloride, and retard its decomposition by any slight impurity in the water forming the bath. Uses, . In syphilitic affections, either with or without skin disease; in chronic rheumatism, swelled joints, and chronic skin diseases generally, where the use of mercury is indicated, and the remedy is rejected by the stomach; especially in these affections in women and children (for the last, proportionately reduced in strength and quantity). Also used in it, and to destroy pediculi on the body.