He becomes fixated on the stories about the elements in the periodic table because at first glance they are simply an account of all kinds of matter that exist in the universe. In college he majors in physics but he always enjoys scientific narrative more than conducting experiments in a lab. Kean’s fascination with mercury takes him through fields such as etymology (the study of word origins), alchemy (a medieval form of chemistry), mythology (stories from Greek and Roman gods), literature (poetry, plays, novels) poison forensics (how poisons affect human beings), psychology (the mental state of humans).
He goes back as far as ancient times when people believed that there was a god named Mercury who controlled all things involving commerce and travel. His interest in the element leads him to learn about its history and how it has shaped our world. The author, Sam Kean, is fascinated with mercury. Kean also learns about mercury in science class but is unable to identify it on the periodic table because its name comes from Latin and means “water silver.” However, archeologists can find campsites of settlers by searching for mercury deposits.
Doctors prescribed it for almost every illness, but many people died from that treatment because they were poisoned by mercury. Kean learns about mercury in the 18th century. In contrast to other substances like air and water, mercury is an element. His mother sometimes let him play with the little balls of mercury that medieval alchemists believed were “the most potent and poetic substance in the universe” because they are an element.
He had a habit of talking with his mouth full, which led to him swallowing the mercury thermometer and breaking it on the floor, releasing its liquid contents. Kean was fascinated with mercury as a child. 1-Page Summary of The Disappearing Spoon Overall Summary Introduction
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