4. Blue mass was a toxic medication used to treat many conditions
During the 19th century, a common medication available from doctors and pharmacists was blue mass. Abraham Lincoln used blue mass to treat his chronic constipation, which may have accounted for his periods of what he and his contemporaries referred to as melancholy. Blue mass was available as either a pill or a syrup, and was recommended for numerous complaints in addition to those suffered by Lincoln, including toothache, labor pains, headache, worms, depression and what was then referred to as vapors. It was also recommended for menstrual cramps. The main ingredient in blue mass was mercury, a substance known for its toxicity, which was also favored by medical professionals as the preferred treatment for syphilis, as well as for teething pain in infants.
There was no specific mixture for the preparation of blue mass. Each pharmacist, chemist, or doctor prepared his own in accordance with his own needs and those of his customers or patients. Most makers of the substance used about one third mercury, with the rest of the compound being flavorings and binders. Licorice, itself often toxic at the time due to arsenic, was a common flavoring when it was made as a syrup. A typical dose of blue mass contained more than 100 times the amount of mercury which is labeled as a toxic level by the Environmental Protection Agency, and it is likely that Lincoln took several doses per day while living in the White House, according to statements by his wife and several friends. Blue mass was just one of several medications which contained mercury in use well into the twentieth century.