ABSTRACT
Mercury is a metallic element easily distinguished from all others by its liquidity at even the lowest temperatures occurring in moderate climates (Anon., 1948a). Mercury was unknown to the ancient Hebrews and early Greeks; and the first mention of mercury was by Theophrastus, writing around 300 BCE, stating that mercury was extracted from cinnabar by treatment with copper and vinegar (Anon., 1948a).
