# Mercury Jug?



## Robby Raccoon (Sep 6, 2016)

I'm just curious if these jugs really did hold Mercury, and when are they from? 

Apothecary use? Labs?

Marked on bottom, "USA".


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## nhpharm (Sep 7, 2016)

They sure did.  I've had them with paper labels on them.  Used for dentistry work.  Date from 1910-1930 or so.  Lots of variations...I have a "mini-jug" style one from Houston.


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## Robby Raccoon (Sep 7, 2016)

Huh. Interesting. Thank you, N.H. Pharm.


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## Harry Pristis (Sep 7, 2016)

Mercury, thus the stoneware jugs, was used to separate out gold particles in mining operations.  I've never seen one with only a paper label on it, because, I think, mercury is so toxic.  A persistent environmental poison.  Whiskey jugs were routinely refilled, but you wouldn't want to mistakenly refill a mercury jug with whiskey.


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## Robby Raccoon (Sep 7, 2016)

I had read on the mining operation but thought this one was too small for mining.


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## nhpharm (Sep 7, 2016)

It is for dentistry.  Amalgam.  These all had paper labels on them at one point that had more information (in addition to underglaze marking).  These were not for mining operations; I imagine some of it was used for other stuff but the majority was used for dentistry work.  Some of the jugs even have dental company names on them.


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## Harry Pristis (Sep 7, 2016)

Spirit Bear said:


> I had read on the mining operation but thought this one was too small for mining.



The mercury jug is deliberately small because 16 fl. oz. of the metal weighs over 14 lbs.  A standard-size (1 gallon) whiskey jug filled with mercury would weigh 113 lbs. plus the weight of the stoneware.  A dropped gallon jug of mercury might shatter under the inertial weight of its contents.

Mercury is mercury.  No doubt some portion of refined mercury was used in dental amalgam; but, it also had industrial uses as in gold mining.  To say how the mercury from Spirit Bear's jug was used would take more information than he has provided . . . or clairvoyance.


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