The reason for the high incidence of mercury in the ground was that
one of the very popular medications that the Corps of Discovery
was using at that time, and being administered by “doctors” Lewis and Clark, were the Bilious Pills of Dr. Rush.
What pills did Lewis and Clark take?
Both Lewis and Clark were free with their use of
Rush's Pills
, which is not too surprising since so many of the complaints they faced had gastro-intestinal sequelae.
What was the main use of Dr Rush's Thunderclapper mercury pills?
Benjamin Rush, who gave the explorers 1,300 doses of
a laxative
known as Dr. Rush's Pills that were to be taken to ease any number of ailments. These pills were so strong that users called them “thunderclappers” or “thunderbolts.”
How large were the mercury pills that Lewis and Clark carried with them?
But eating that much dried meat will back you up like nobody's business, and for that, they had a supply of
1,300 pills about four times the size of an aspirin
that contained none other than the wonder drug of the day: mercury.
What were Rush's pills?
Rush's Bilious Pills, which were
a combination of calomel, chlorine, and jalap (an herbal laxative)
. These pills were fondly referred to at the time as “thunderbolts” or “thunderclappers.”
Did Lewis and Clark eat mercury?
Treating syphilis
The accepted treatment at that time, during Lewis and Clark, and really throughout the world, for the disease of syphilis,
was mercury
. It was administered both orally in the form of calomel, which was again an ingredient in Dr. Rush's Bilious Pills, and it was also applied topically onto the skin.
What diseases did Lewis and Clark bring?
Lewis and Clark expected their men to engage in sexual intercourse with Native women along the way, anticipated that they would contract venereal disease, and loaded their medical cabinet with items for treating
syphilis and gonorrhea
.
Is mercury a laxative?
But while mercury is generally considered highly poisonous, doctors in the late 19th century gave patients significant amounts of the element to treat intestinal obstructions. “
Drinking mercury has a laxative effect
,” explains the toxicologist Gebel. “Its density cleans the intestine wonderfully.”
What are thunder clappers?
1 : a clap of thunder. 2 :
something sharp, loud, or sudden like
a clap of thunder. Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About thunderclap.
Who invented laxatives?
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Beecham's Pills were a laxative first marketed about 1842 in Wigan, Lancashire. They were invented by
Thomas Beecham
(1820–1907), grandfather of the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879–1961).
How many Native American tribes did the Corps come in contact with?
In fact, the Corps encountered
around 50 Native American tribes
including the Shoshone, the Mandan, the Minitari, the Blackfeet, the Chinook and the Sioux. Lewis and Clark developed a first contact protocol for meeting new tribes.
What were blue mass pills?
Blue mass (also known as blue pill or pilula hydrargyri) was the name of
a mercury-based medicine common from the 17th to the 19th centuries
. The oldest formula is ascribed to one Barbarossa, in a letter to Francis I of France.
How did they track Lewis and Clark?
To trace that historical journey, experts rely not only on
the expedition journals and maps
, but also signs of the more than 30-person group's passage that persisted over the centuries. Specifically, latrines, reports Esther Inglis-Arkell for io9.com.
What are 6 states Lewis and Clark traveled through?
Beginning at the Camp Dubois recreation in Illinois, it passes through portions of
Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
.
Who was the doctor on the Lewis and Clark expedition?
When Meriwether Lewis was preparing for the expedition into the Louisiana Territory, he studied under one
Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia
. Jefferson thought Rush perhaps the best physician in the nation and wanted the doctor to train Lewis in some rudimentary lessons in medicine.
What did Lewis and Clark use lancets for?
Lewis gave at least three men–Gibson, Goodrich and McNeal–intensive, long-term mercury treatments for
syphilis
. Lancets were absolutely essential to medical (and veterinary) practice of the day to open up veins for bleeding out bad humors.
