black lotion
Noun: A medicinal preparation, specifically a mixture of calomel (mercurous chloride) and limewater (calcium hydroxide solution), historically used as a topical application for treating syphilitic sores.
This term refers specifically to a historical medical treatment. It is used in medical and historical contexts to describe this particular compound. * The 19th-century physician prescribed black lotion for the cutaneous lesions. * Black lotion was a common, though toxic, treatment before the discovery of antibiotics.
- The term is almost exclusively encountered in historical texts discussing pre-modern dermatological or venereal disease treatments. Its use in modern contexts is rare and would be for historical reference only.
- Black wash: This is a direct synonym for the same calomel and limewater mixture.
- Calomel: Mercurous chloride, one of the two primary ingredients.
- Limewater: A saturated solution of calcium hydroxide, the other primary ingredient.
- Black wash
This term has a single, highly specific meaning. It does not refer to any modern cosmetic or general-purpose lotion that is black in color. The "black" in the name describes the color of the resulting mixture or the discoloration it could cause, not its intended use.
- a mixture of calomel and limewater that is used on syphilitic sores