# Was mercury actually effective as a cure for syphilis?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-mercury-actually-effective-as-a-cure-for-syphilis/549194>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 4, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-mercury-actually-effective-as-a-cure-for-syphilis/549194 "2010-08-04T21:42:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-mercury-actually-effective-as-a-cure-for-syphilis/549194/41 "2013-06-30T01:23:16Z")

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> [@Washoe](#):
>
> No, I was talking about the stuff in outdoor thermometers. That’s not mercury?

It if was red, it was dyed alcohol, as mentioned previously. People were likely saying “mercury” out of habit, and possibly didn’t even know what actually was in the thermometer (that is based on what I saw in France, but there’s no reason to assume it was any different in other countries).

(Only thermometers used alcohol, not barometers, obviously)

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**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-mercury-actually-effective-as-a-cure-for-syphilis/549194/42 "2013-06-30T02:41:19Z")

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> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> Recently, doctors have found evidence that Adolf Hitler was a tertiary syphilitic-his doctor either missed the symptoms, or feared reporting it might cause HIS demise.

Dr. Morell was giving Hitler so much weird stuff already, I doubt he feared his job was in danger no matter what he said or did.

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