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To the Editor: Contrary to the report by Dr Deppisch and colleagues,¹ Andrew Jackson might well have had mercury poisoning. Jackson's physicians, like others of their time, prescribed calomel (mercurous chloride) for a broad range of ailments. Jackson's kidney problems, tooth loss, excessive salivation, tremor, and personality quirks such as unpredictable mood shifts, irritability, and suspicion are recognized outcomes of inorganic mercury poisoning.²

By analyzing samples of Jackson's hair, Deppisch et al claim to have disposed of the calomel hypothesis. The problem with their explanation is that inorganic mercury is not readily incorporated into hair, so their data are impossible to interpret. They apparently have confused inorganic mercury with the organic form, methylmercury, which is incorporated into the matrix of the hair root and remains embedded in the hair shaft.³

A correspondence between blood levels of inorganic mercury and deposition into other tissues and hair has yet to be demonstrated. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Andrew Jackson's Exposure to Mercury and Lead: Poisoned President?
Ludwig M. Deppisch, Jose A. Centeno, David J. Gemmel, and Norca L. Torres
JAMA. 1999;282(6):569-571.
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