> ..., the fall of the Roman Empire - it's all because of the mercury, you
say.
> Do I really have to tell you how absurd this is?
Actually Torsten said it was lead that felled Rome, not mercury. And he is
neither alone nor the first to say it. Another suggestion is that it was
the use of lead for water-pipes which poisoned the Romans. (Remember
"plumb"ing?) You can see these pipes all over the empire - made of a sheet
of lead cunningly rolled. And lead dissolves in water, albeit slowly.
Perhaps we should be a little less dismissive of the people we happen to
disagree with, and perhaps we should disagree with the idea, not the person.
Or am I becoming an uncle?
Peter