# Mecurochrome **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 24, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414 "2011-09-24T01:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dianekostuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@dianekostuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dianekostuk)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/1 "2011-09-24T01:20:21Z")
Hey, Just thought about mecurochrome for the first time in years. It worked wonders when I was a kid. Stung like the devil! And, I, too, played with the mercury out of thermometers. Maybe all this helped build up my immune system. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Rickymouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rickymouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rickymouse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/2 "2011-09-24T02:43:45Z")
I still have mercurocrome in the medicine cabinet. I thought it worked good. ---
**Author:** ![DHMO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/3 "2011-09-24T04:57:03Z")
Are we talking about [this column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2518/what-happened-to-mercurochrome)? ---
**Author:** ![Rickymouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rickymouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rickymouse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/4 "2011-09-24T16:39:14Z")
I’m not scared of mercury or lead that much. They both can be chealated out of the body by eating garlic. If you injest lead it’s good to eat eggs for breakfast for a few days also. It binds to the lead and keeps it from leaving the digestive system. Nothing is fullproof but this knowledge of chemistry is the basis for treatment in the hospitals. I am trying to figure how to get to the original articles, I found that one by clicking on the link you gave but can’t seem to get to the others. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/5 "2011-09-24T16:49:52Z")
The immune system doesn’t have much to do with heavy metal poisoning. Nor is it possible to build up resistance to heavy metal poisoning, unlike, say, iocane. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/6 "2011-09-24T16:53:58Z")
Inconceivable! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/7 "2011-09-24T16:57:11Z")
> [@Rickymouse](#): > > I’m not scared of mercury or lead that much. They both can be chealated out of the body by eating garlic.\ I did not know that. I must be relatively mercury free 'cause I put garlic in damn near everything! Good to know. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/8 "2011-09-24T16:58:05Z")
> [@Rickymouse](#): > > I’m not scared of mercury or lead that much. They both can be chealated out of the body by eating garlic. If you injest lead it’s good to eat eggs for breakfast for a few days also. It binds to the lead and keeps it from leaving the digestive system. Nothing is fullproof but this knowledge of chemistry is the basis for treatment in the hospitals. I am trying to figure how to get to the original articles, I found that one by clicking on the link you gave but can’t seem to get to the others. Cite? :dubious: Also, to the Oposter–try Iodine. ---
**Author:** ![Rickymouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rickymouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rickymouse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/9 "2011-09-24T17:47:28Z")
Seaweed, got another natural remedy now. Works differently but works. Thanks Tricor ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/10 "2011-09-24T17:57:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The immune system doesn’t have much to do with heavy metal poisoning. Nor is it possible to build up resistance to heavy metal poisoning, unlike, say, iocane. I thought it was possible to build up resistance to arsenic. (I wish to God it was possible to build up resistance to platinum.) ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/11 "2011-09-24T18:24:17Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > (I wish to God it was possible to build up resistance to platinum.) I seem to have a natural resistance to Gold. …Silver, Copper, fungible grains, … ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/12 "2011-09-25T23:03:41Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > I thought it was possible to build up resistance to arsenic. (I wish to God it was possible to build up resistance to platinum.) So did I. It was in a Dorothy Sayers novel. _Strong Poison_ ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/13 "2011-09-26T00:15:42Z")
All I remembered about heavy metals was that they bind to receptor cells and that the immune response doesn’t have very much to say in the matter. Cecil says that an immunity to certain metals can be built up [here though](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2757/what-poisons-can-i-safely-take-to-build-immunity-to-toxic-substances)… ---
**Author:** ![Rickymouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rickymouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rickymouse)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/14 "2011-09-26T12:09:57Z")
I remember my government/econ teacher in school many years ago talking about Rasputin building up a resistance to arcenic by taking low doses of it over many years. He was paranoid but someone did attempt to poison him and failed so they shot him the next day. He must have smelled like garlic because a person who has arsenic poisoning usually smells garlicy. I guess his immunity didn’t save him. ---
**Author:** ![Rickymouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rickymouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rickymouse)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/15 "2011-09-26T12:20:32Z")
Building a resistance to heavy metal toxins would be possible but there are certain things that allow the toxins to pass the blood brain barrior so thinking could get distorted if the wrong foods are injested. Knowing the antidotes and techniques for administering treatment would be prefered. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/16 "2011-09-26T17:20:56Z")
It’s “ingested.” ---
**Author:** ![Rickymouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rickymouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rickymouse)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/17 "2011-09-26T19:04:59Z")
You’re right. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414/18 "2011-09-27T03:16:52Z")
> [@Rickymouse](#): > > I guess his immunity didn’t save him. Didn’t help against lead poisoning. [Grigori Rasputin - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Rasputin#Recent_evidence) > [@](#): > > At the time, the majority of weapons used hard metal-jacketed bullets, with Britain virtually alone in using lead unjacketed bullets in their officers’ Webley revolvers. Pounder came to the conclusion that the bullet which caused the fatal shot was a Webley .455 inch unjacketed round, the best fit with the available forensic evidence.