title: The quicksilver prize: Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps.
abstract: In 1810, two British ships, HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps, salvaged a large load of elemental mercury from a wrecked Spanish vessel near Cadiz, Spain. The bladders containing the mercury soon ruptured. The element spread about the ships in liquid and vapor forms. The sailors presented with neurologic compromises: tremor, paralysis, and excessive salivation as well as tooth loss, skin problems, and pulmonary complaints. The events are reviewed in the context of what was known about mercury vapor inhalation.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Epilepsy Center, Seattle, WA, USA. michael.doherty@swedish.org
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Doherty
mesh_terms: D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history; D009326:Naval Medicine / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history; D012008:Recurrence; D013030:Spain; D006113:United Kingdom; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D008628:Mercury