In Silver by Fire, Silver by Mercury Saul Guerrero presents a chemical history of the refining of silver ores in New Spain and Mexico, 16c to 19c, with a quantitative analysis of its industrial practice, and its environmental impact.

In Silver by Fire, Silver by Mercury: A Chemical History of Silver Refining in New Spain and Mexico, 16th to 19th Centuries, Saul Guerrero combines historical research with geology and chemistry to refute the current prevailing narrative of a primitive effort dominated by mercury and its copious emissions to the air. Based on quantitative historical data, visual records and geochemical fundamentals, Guerrero analyses the chemical and economic reasons why two refining processes had to share production, creating along the way major innovations in the chemical recipes, milling equipment, mercury recycling practice, and industrial architecture and operations. Their main environmental impact was lead fume and the depletion of woodlands from smelting, and the transformation of mercury into calomel during the patio process.

On the basis of an examination of the colonial mercury and silver production processes and related labor systems, Mercury, Mining, and Empire explores the effects of mercury pollution in colonial Huancavelica, Peru, and Potosí, in present-day Bolivia. The book presents a multifaceted and interwoven tale of what colonial exploitation of indigenous peoples and resources left in its wake. It is a socio-ecological history that explores the toxic interrelationships between mercury and silver production, urban environments, and the people who lived and worked in them. Nicholas A. Robins tells the story of how native peoples in the region were conscripted into the noxious ranks of foot soldiers of proto-globalism, and how their fate, and that of their communities, was—and still is—chained to it.

Mercury is one of the world’s most poisonous substances, and yet dentists routinely use it in amalgams to fill our teeth. Forty years ago, Dr. Hal Huggins questioned this practice, and now legions of dentists, researchers, and citizens are adding their voices of concern. It’s All in Your Head looks at past research on mercury toxicity and dental amalgams as well as current scientific findings that can no longer be ignored. It describes the possible effects of mercury toxicity, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Hodgkin’s disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and virtually all autoimmune disorders. Written in easy-to-understand language, It’s All in Your Head explodes the claim that mercury amalgams are safe. If you think your worries are all in your head, you may be right.

Due to its inherent characteristics, mercury contamination from gold mining is a major environmental problem compared to past mercury contamination from industrial point sources. The worsening of social-economical conditions and increasing gold prices in the late 1970s resulted in a new rush for gold by individual entrepreneurs for whom Hg amalgamation is a cheap and easily carried out operation. Even after the present-day mining areas are exhausted, the mercury left behind will remain part of the biochemical cycle of the tropical forest. This book reviews the current information on mercury from gold mining, its cycling in the environment and its long-term ecotoxicological impact. The book is illustrated with numerous diagrams and photographs.

The sources, distribution, toxicity and management of environmental contaminants, from molecular interactions to ecological effects.

The Rosarium philosophorum or Rosary of the philosophers, originally written in the 16th century, is one of the most important texts of European alchemy.