- Protiodide
Protiodide is an
iodide of mercury and was a very commonly used drug in the 19th century, prescribed for everything from acne tokidney disease . It was also the treatment of choice forsyphilis . It was available over the counter at any drugstore, the most common form being a concoction of protiodide,licorice ,glycerin andmarshmallow .Taken orally, and in low doses, protiodide causes excessive salivation, fetid breath, spongy and bleeding
gum s and soreteeth . Excessive use or an overdose causes physical weakness, loss of teeth, hemolysing (destruction of thered blood cell s) of the blood andnecrosis of the bones and tissues of the body. Early signs of anoverdose or excessive use are musculartremor s,chorea , andlocomotor ataxia . Violent bloodyvomit ing andvoid ing also occur.Protiodide has long been banned as a medical
remedy , even though it persisted in use as a quack remedy until the early 20th century.Morgan Robertson , known for his 1898 novel "Futility" which is famous for its similarity to the 1912 sinking of the "Titanic", died in 1915 from what is suspected to be a protiodide overdose.
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