Elements Of Surprise

At the end of the 15th century, syphilis swept through Europe. Mercury was thought the only cure, but it made your teeth fall out and your gums rot, you lost your memory and your hearing.

Adam Hart-Davis, in this first of a four-part series on the elements, tells some of the stories that surround this poisonous liquid metal.

There's the agonising death of the poet Sir Thomas Overbury, imprisoned in the tower and fed by his enemies with mercury-laced cakes and pastries. There are the 20th-century babies, given mercury in teething powder, who grew up infertile, and the Victorian hat makers, who used mercury on hat brims - which sent them, literally, mad as hatters. Maybe Mona Lisa is smiling with her mouth closed to hide mercury-blackened teeth...

A fascinating, fact-filled programme.

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