Introduction - Uppsala Monitoring Centre

laboured respiration, dizziness, numbness, intoxication, and
staggering gait.’
Mercury: ‘eczema mercuriale, gangrene, salivation (30–40%),
offensive odour, gingivitis, metallic taste, loose teeth, insomnia,
tongue swelling, headache, fever, anorexia, weakness, stomatitis,
disturbed nutrition, gastro-enteritis, stomach burning, diarrhoea with
blood, debility, frightful dreams, emesis, gastric and abdominal pains,
albuminuria, glycosuria, peripheral anaesthesia, hyperaesthesia,
erethism (bad temper, irritability, diffidence, bashfulness, facial pallor,
asthmatic respiration, irregular heart’s action, debility), dizziness,
vertigo, and tremor’.
Whereas Withering in 1785 gave as the ADRs of Digitalis:
‘sickness, vomiting, purging, giddiness, confused vision, objects
appearing green or yellow, increased secretion of urine, with frequent
motions to part with it, and sometime inability to retain it; slow pulse,
even as slow as 35 in a minute, cold sweats, convulsions, syncope
and death.’ Lewin adds ‘headache, dryness in the throat, choking,
buzzing in the ears, muscæ volitantes, amblyopia or diplopia,
sleepiness, a fall in temperature and an ‘erysipelatous affection’.
However, none of these are mentioned in the 14th edition of ‘Side
Effects of Drugs’ 2000 other than ‘flickering sensation’, which may
represent muscæ volitantes 162 . Lewin did mention a papular eruption
with positive rechallenge, which is also mentioned in SED with other
dermatological effects. It seems likely that Lewin incorporated single
uncorroborated reports of events.
1881 Japanese pharmacopoeia. The first version was published in 1881
and is revised at least every 10 years.
1882 ‘A peculiar idiosyncrasy (induction of pyrexia) as to mercury’ by
Simeon Snell. Patient took ʒi liq. Hydrarg. Perchlor. And after the
third dose felt ill and the drug was stopped and six weeks later it was
repeated and next day they had a temperature of 104º vomited and
had a headache, there was a positive dechallenge, three weeks later
was given Iron citrate and Hydrarg. cum Cret. twice daily and next
day had a temperature of 101.6º.
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162 Muscae volitantes = flying flies = spots before the eyes = floaters