Urinary and fecal excretion of mercury in man following administration of mercurial diuretics.

The widespread use of mercurial diuretics has stimulated greater interest in the metabolism of organic mercurials in man. Recently proposed regimens (1) involving frequent, even daily, administration of mercurials, have focused particular attention on the 24 hour excretion of these compounds in relation to the cumulative toxicity of any mercury which may be retained. Moreover, little is known of the mechanism for eliminating mercury in the urine and its relation to the process of diuresis. Therefore, the following aspects of mercury excretion in man were studied: 1) the 24 hour urinary and fecal excretions of mercury after repeated administration of mercurial diuretics; 2) the course of urinary mercury excretion before, during and after the period of maximal diuretic response; 3) the effects on the excretion of mercury, water and electrolytes of pretreatment with substances known to modify the response to mercurial diuretics.