Historical Development of the Mercury Based Preservative Thimerosal Before the invention of modern antibiotics and antiseptics, physicians experimented with “germicides,” including acids and mercury-containing compounds, to try to stave off microbial pathogens. Thimerosal was born of these efforts in the early 20th century. Thimerosal is an organic compound made up of equal parts of thiosalicylic … Continue reading Thimerosal History