Mercury was known as Night Silver. You got it from your local druggist or chemist. If severely constipated you drank some just before bedtime. Next morning your constipation was cured. You collected your stool and took it back to the druggist who recovered the Mercury for reuse by the next person.
Limited exposure was not that bad it was years and years of constant exposure that caused "mad as a hatter". Mercury was used in the pressing of felt(beaver felt) as I recall and it was absorbed into the body through the skin. Ended up messing up the central nervous system.
We use to play with liquid Mercury we I was a kid. Interesting metal.
