Editing Calomel (section)

=== Uses ===
Calomel was marketed as a purgative agent to relieve congestion and constipation; however, physicians at the time had no idea what the medication's mechanism of action was. They learned how calomel worked through trial and error. It was observed that small doses of calomel acted as a [[Stimulant laxative|stimulant]], often leading to bowel movements, while larger doses caused [[sedation]].<ref name="Haller 2" /> During the 19th century, calomel was used to treat numerous illnesses and diseases like mumps, typhoid fever, and others—especially those that impact the gastrointestinal tract, such as constipation, dysentery, and vomiting.<ref name=":0" /> As mercury softened the gums, calomel was the principal constituent of teething powders until the mid-twentieth century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Swiderski |first1=Richard M. |title=Calomel in America : mercurial panacea, war, song and ghosts |date=2009 |publisher=BrownWalker Press |location=Boca Raton, FA |isbn=978-1-59942-467-5 |pages=37–9}}</ref> Babies given calomel for teething often suffered from [[acrodynia]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kang|first1=Lydia|title=Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything|last2=Pedersen|first2=Nate|publisher=Workman Publishing|year=2017|location=New York|chapter=Chapter 1: Mercury}}</ref>