Mild mercury chloride; mercury monochloride, protochloride, or subchloride; has been used as an intestinal antiseptic and laxative; replaced by safer agents. SYN: mercurous chloride, sweet precipitate. [Mediev. L., fr. G. kalos, beautiful, + melas, black]
- vegetable c. SYN: podophyllum.
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cal·o·mel 'kal-ə-məl, -.mel n a white tasteless compound Hg2Cl2 used esp. as a fungicide and insecticide and formerly in medicine as a purgative called also mercurous chloride
Medical dictionary. 2011.