Sulphuricum acidum

Sulphuric acid

Sulphuric Acid. H2SO4.

Adapted to the light-haired; old people, especially women ; flushes of heat in climacteric years.

Unwilling to answer questions not from obstinacy, but inaptness.

Feels in a great hurry; everything must be done quickly (Arg. n.).

Pain of gradual and slowly-increasing intensity which ceases suddenly when at its height, often repeated (Puls.).

The pain is pressure as of a blunt instrument. Tendency to gangrene following mechanical injuries, especially of old people.

Child has a sour odor despite careful washing (Hep., Mag. c., Rheum).

Sensation as if the brain was loose in forehead and falling from side to side (Bell., Bry., Rhus, Spig.).

Aphthae; of mouth, gums, or entire buccal cavity; gums bleed readily; ulcers painful; offensive breath (Bor.).

Chronic heartburn, sour eructations, sets teeth on edge (Rob.).

Water drunk causes coldness of the stomach unless mixed with alcoholic liquor.

Sensation as if trembling all over, without real trembling; internal trembling of drunkards.

Bad effects from mechanical injuries, with bruises, chafing and livid skin; prostration (Acet. ac.).

Ecchymosis; cicatrices turn blood-red or blue, are painful (turn green. Led.).

Petechia : purpura hsemorrhagica ; blue spots ;

livid, red itching blotches.

Haemorrhage of black blood from all the outlets of the body (Crot., Mur. ac.. Nit. ac.. Ter.).

Concussion of brain from fall or blow where skin is cold and body bathed in cold sweat.

Weak and exhausted from some deep-seated dyscrasia; no other symptoms (Psor., Sulph.).

Compare: Afs., Bor., Calend., Led., Ruta, Rheum, Symp.

In contusion and laceration of soft parts it vies with Calendula.

Follows well : after, Arn. with bruised pain, livid skin and profuse sweat ; after. Led. in ecchymosis.

Ailments, from brandy drinking.

Sulphuric acid, one part, with three parts of alcohol, lo to 15 drops, three times daily for three or four weeks, has been successfully used to subdue the craving for liquor. — Hering.

Lecture L — Phosphoric and Sulphuric acids

Sulphuric Acid.

f Arnica, Conium, Ruta.

Sulphuric acid. <j Pulsatilla, Nux vomica.

^ Lachesis.

V.

Pulsatilla.

> Pulsatilla.

Sulphuric acid is indicated when the patient is hasty, quick and restless in his actions, sometimes, too, when there is the opposite condition, one of great depression, as in typhoid states. He answers questions slowly and with great difficulty, just as does the Phosphoric acid patient. You find that there is a general sensation of trembling in the Sulphuric acid patient. He feels as if he were trembling from head to foot, although there is no sign of it on the surface. The face in these conditions is rather peaked and is apt to be pale with blue rings around the eyes. Sometimes there is a feeling as though white of egg were dried on the skin. The patient is particularly weak about the digestive organs ; thus there is a cold, relaxed feeling about the stomach, making the patient long for some strong or stimulating drink, as brandy, and this, too, in persons who are not addicted to drink. So weak is the stomach they vomit all food ; the ejected matters are very sour.

You will find Sulphuric acid indicated especially for inebriates who are on their "last legs." They have run down completely, and have long since passed the Nux vomica condition. You find them pale, shrivelled-looking and cold ; their stomachs so relaxed as not to be able to tolerate any food. They cannot even drink water unless it contains whiskey. The liver is enlarged. They have a dry stomach cough, often followed by belching, the act of coughing hurting the liver. The diarrhoea is watery and offensive, and is accompanied by excessive irritability of mind. ' They have a quick, hasty manner of doing everything. There is always dampness or oozing of moisture from the rectum. They frequently suffer from piles which burn, and are so large that they fill up the rectum. These cases are relieved by Sulphuric acid.

There is another use we may make of Sulphuric acid, and it is derived from its power of modifying the thirst for spirituous liquors. You should take two or three drops of the pure acid and dissolve them in a glass one-half full of water. Give it to the inebriate every two or three hours in teaspoonful doses, and it will overcome the physical craving. Give it until he gets well, even if it produces a sore mouth. Should it produce diarrhoea, Pulsatilla is the proper antidote.

Another effect of Sulphuric acid is its action in aphthous sore mouth occurring in debility from protracted disease, or in children with summer complaint or marasmus. The mouth is filled with yellowish aphthous spots. There is a profuse flow of saliva. With this there is apt to be vomiting of sour milk or sour mucus. The child smells sour despite the most careful washing. The stool is yellowish or slimy, having the appearance of chopped eggs. The child is very apt to have a cough, which is very likely a stomach-cough, with belching of wind after the cough.

You may think of Sulphuric acid also in diphtheria. The tonsils are bright red and quite swollen, so swollen in fact that liquids escape through the nose. The child is deathly pale, so pale that it looks like a corpse. It is inclined to drowsiness or somnolence. It can hardly breathe or talk, or make any noise on account of the abundance of membrane.

Sulphuric acid is also useful as a traumatic remedy. It may be used for bruises of soft parts after Arnica; in bruises of glands after Conium ; in injuries of bones after Ruta. Particularly may it be used when there are long-lasting black and blue spots with soreness and stiffness. Again, Sulphuric, more than any other acid, is useful in hsemorrhages. It causes haemorrhage from every orifice of the body, the blood being dark and thin.

You may differentiate Sulphuric acid from Carbo veg. in the dyspepsia of drunkards by the fact that Sulphuric acid is more of a " sour remedy '

and Carbo veg. a "putrid remedy."

Fretful, impatient. Unwilling to answer questions; hurried.

Sulphuric Acid The "debility" common to acids shows itself here, especially in the digestive tract, giving a very relaxed feeling in the stomach, with craving for stimulants. Tremor and weakness; everything must be done in a hurry. Hot flushes, followed by perspiration, with trembling. Tendency to gangrene following mechanical injuries. Writer's cramp. Lead poisoning. Gastralgia and hypochlorrhydria. Purpura hæmorrhagia.

Worse, from excess of heat or cold in forenoon and evening. Better, from warmth, and lying on affected side.

Right-sided neuralgia; painful shocks; skin feels pinched. Sensation as if brain was loose in forehead and falling from side to side (Bell; Rhus). Concussion of brain where skin is cold, body bathed in cold sweat. Compressive pain in side of occiput; relieved by holding the hands near the head. Pain of outer parts, as if there were subcutaneous ulceration; painful to touch. Thrust in right temple as if plug were pressed in.

Intra-ocular hæmorrhage following traumatism. Great chemosis of conjunctiva, with aching and sharp pain.

Aphthæ; gums bleed readily. Offensive breath. Pyorrhea.

Heartburn; sour eructations; sets teeth on edge (Robin). Craving for alcohol. Water causes coldness of stomach; must be mixed with liquors. Relaxed feeling in stomach. Averse to smell of coffee. Sour vomiting. Desire for fresh food. Hiccough. Coldness of stomach relieved by applied heat Nausea with

chilliness.

Weak feeling, with dragging into the hips and small of back. Feeling as if hernia would protrude, especially left side.

Piles; oozing dampness. Rectum feels as if it had a big ball. Diarrhœa, fetid, black, with sour odor of body, and empty faint feeling in abdomen.

Menstruation early and profuse. Erosion of cervix in the aged; easily bleeding. Acrid, burning leucorrhœa, often of bloody mucus.

Respiration rapid with shooting in cervical muscles and movement of wings of nose; larynx moves up and down violently. Bronchitis in children with short, teasing cough.

Cramp-like paralytic contraction in arms, hands; jerking of fingers while writing.

Bad effects from mechanical injuries, with bruises and livid skin. Ecchymosis. Petechiæ. Purpura hæmorrhagica. Livid, red, itching blotches. Hæmorrhage of black blood from all outlets. Cicatrices turn red and blue and become painful. Chilblains with gangrenous tendency. Carbuncles, boils and other staphylococcic and streptococcic infections.

Complementary: Puls. Compare: Arn; Calend; Led; Sep; Calc.

Sulphuric acid mixed with three parts of alcohol, ten to fifteen drops three times daily for several weeks, has been successfully used to subdue the craving for liquor. For homeopathic purposes second to thirtieth potency.

Sulphuricum Acidum

The sensation of quivering all over the body and in the limbs without visible trembling is a very strong symptom of Sulphuric acid, and especially if it is associated with weakness that has been of long standing.

The exhaustion, excitability and hurried feeling are constant factors. The hemorrhagic disposition with many complaints. Black fluid blood from all the orifices of the body. Small red spots enlarging rapidly to resemble Purpura hoemorrhagica. Blue-black spots on the skin from slight injury.

Blood-red spots on the skin like those on a brook trout sometimes after injuries. Chafing easily, followed by ulceration. Boils and bedsores. It has many of the complaints found in old people. The -morning aggravation of symptoms is also a strong feature. Sensitive to cold and emaciation. The pains are bruised, burning, tearing, stitching, shooting and jerking. The pain comes oil slowly and departs suddenly. The discharges are dark, thin blood or blood-streaked; or thin, yellow and bloody.

The discharges are excoriating. General sweat after eating. The symptoms predominate on the right side. It is often indicated in sour-smelling babies like Hepar, and it is as sensitive to touch and nearly as sensitive to cold. When it has cured the sensitiveness to cold the patient often becomes worse 'and requires Pulsatilla, which is the complement and antidote.

Mind: Prostration of mind and body, with extreme sadness, weeps continuously.

Nothing can be done to please him. Fretful and irritable over the slightest cause. He cannot eat and work fast enough. No one does anything to please him; in such a hurry if doing anything or going anywhere. All things must be done at once. Unwilling to answer. Irresolution.

Vertigo in close room. Better walking in the open air. Better lying. Sometimes compelling him to keep his bed.

Tension in the forehead with coryza.

The brain seems loose and seems to fall to side lain on, better sitting perfectly still, worse walking. The blood flows strongly to the head and the feet become cold.

Head: Electric shocks in forehead and temples in forenoon and again in evening.

Sensation as though a plug were being driven into the skull by strong blows. The pains in the head come on slowly and cease suddenly. Violent headaches in debilitated people. Extreme soreness in the periosteum such as is found in syphilis. The hair falls out or turns gray. Ulceration of the scalp. Extremely sensitive eruptions.

Eyes: Lachrymation when reading.

Chronic inflammation of the eye, with enlarged veins and ulceration.

Sensation of foreign body in right outer canthus. Soreness in the eyes with coryza.

Ears: Severe ear pains that increase gradually and cease suddenly.

Gradual loss of hearing.

Bloody discharge from ear.

Buzzing in the ear.

Nose: Slowly oozing, dark, thin blood from the nose in the evening.

It cures acrid, bloody discharge from nose in feeble patients when the generals are covered by it.

The coryza is dry or fluid with loss of smell and taste.

Face: The face of the Sulphuric acid patient is a most sickly one.

Pale, sickly and sometimes jaundiced. The expression of long suffering is marked. The deep lines of pain, depletion and emaciation. Tension of the face or a sensation as though white of egg had dried on it.

Violent neuralgic pains of the face coming on gradually and ceasing suddenly, ameliorated by warmth and lying on the painful side. Small red spots or specks on the face gradually increasing in size. Inflammation of the submaxillary gland.

Teeth: The teeth decay early.

Violent neuralgia of the teeth, coming on slowly and ceasing suddenly.

Worse from cold and better from beat, worse in the evening in bed.

The teeth are on edge.

Mouth: Loss of taste during coryza.

The sore mouth is one of its most important features.

It is our most frequently indicated remedy for nursing sore mouth.

The aphthous mouth of infant or mother with yellowish or whitish ulcers.

Bloody saliva from mouth; vesicles in the mouth. Breath very offensive.

Bleeding from the mucous surfaces of mouth and gums with or without Purpura hoemorrhagica. Rapidly spreading ulcers in the mouth.

Throat: Inflammation of the throat that is aphthous or follicular.

Denuded mucous membrane.

Diphtheritic exudate yellowish or white with aphthous surroundings and bleeding from nose, gums or other parts.

Diphtheria with more than ordinary exhaustion and foetor.

The uvula is oedematous.

The throat is full of spreading ulcers. Painful sore throat with painful, difficult swallowing.

During the throat troubles fluids drunk run out of nose.

Salivation, glands of throat swollen and there is great swelling of the tonsils, soft palate and throat in general.

Dark fluid blood from throat and mouth.

Stomach: He craves brandy and fruit.

Loss of appetite and progressive weakness are strong features. Aversion to the smell of coffee. He cannot drink cold water, as it feels so cold in the stomach and makes him chilly. Violent, spasmodic hiccough, such as occurs in drunkards.

Chronic heart burn. Sour belching. Sour vomiting. The teeth are always on edge from sour eructations. Sour vomiting during pregnancy. Vomiting of drunkards in the morning. (Compare Arsenicum.) Sour and very foul. Nausea and shivering. Coughing and belching sour fluids. The stomach seems to hang down as if relaxed. Vomiting after drinking cold water. Violent, spasmodic pains in the stomach. The pains come gradually and cease suddenly. The sour vomiting is most like Robinia. She does not vomit food, but cannot eat, as it causes pain in stomach and she vomits mucus. After intermittent fever had existed some time the spleen enlarges, and is painful on coughing and sore to touch. Stitching pains in spleen and liver. It has many times overcome the poison of lead and lead colic. Sinking, weak feeling in abdomen after stool. Weak feeling in abdomen, as though menses would come on. Labor-like pains in abdomen, extending to hips and back. Diarrhoea with great general weakness and sensation of trembling. With weak, sinking sensation in the abdomen after stool. Chronic diarrhoea with much suffering. Excoriating stools, burning in rectum during stool. Diarrhoea brought on from the least indiscretion in eating, after fruit, especially if unripe, after oysters. Stool watery orange yellow, stringy, MUCOUS, Mixed with blood, greenish, black, undigested smelling like spoiled eggs. Hemorrhoids very sore, itching, painful during stool, in drunkards. In constipation the stool is in small balls. Pain in the bladder if the desire to pass urine is postponed. It had cured diabetes. Scanty urine. Bloody urine. Cuticle in the urine.

Women: The menses are too frequent and copious and the flow is dark and thin. Many symptoms come before the menses. Nightmare before, menses. Has nightmare at the close of the menses. The vagina is prolapsed and gangrenous. Leucorrhoea bloody, acrid, milky or albuminous, yellow.

The woman at the climacteric period has many symptoms peculiar to Sulphuric acid. The flashes of heat, weakness, sensation of trembling, a nervous hurry in all her actions and feelings, bleeding from uterus and other parts of blood that does not coagulate, and constipation with small, hard balls like sheep's dung are symptoms common to the critical period. It often causes the vomiting of pregnancy. Vomiting preceded by cough.

It has cured sterility when. it was supposed to depend upon the copious and frequent menstrual flow. Violent itching of the vulva.

Larynx and chest: Pain and soreness in the larynx. Pain in the larynx on swallowing. Hoarseness with a dry feeling and sensation of roughness in the larynx. Weak chest and great dyspnoea. Rapid movement of the wings of nose like Lycopodium. Rapid moving up and down of the larynx during the dyspnúa. Short of breath. Except in the morning the cough is dry and hacking. Sometimes in two coughs. He coughs in the open air, either walking or riding, worse from cold drinks and from. the odor of coffee. Cough followed by itching and vomiting. The irritation is felt in the chest. The expectoration is in the morning of dark, thin blood, or of thin, yellowish, blood-streaked mucus tasting sour.

Weakness in the chest with burning and stitching pain. Pressure on left side of chest. Profuse haemorrhage from the lungs of dark fluid blood, after pneumonia, and during the climacteric period.

Ulceration of lungs (compare Kali carb.). Oppression of the chest and suffocation unless he lets the legs hang down. It has been a very useful remedy in the first steps of phthisis with profuse sweat and great weakness, but where given in the last stage it has appeared to bring on haemorrhage and increase of the inflammatory condition in the lungs. Stitching pains in the heart, palpitation. It has been useful in pleuritic exudation.

Spine and limbs: Great weakness in the spine, felt mostly when standing and sitting. Pain in the lumbar region. Soreness between shoulder blades when coughing. Stiffening of the back in the morning on rising. Large abscess on the right side of the neck.

Black and blue spots on the limbs. Stitching pain in the shoulder joint on lifting the arm. Stitches in finger joints. Chafing of thighs after rising. Marked weakness in knees and ankles. Swollen veins of feet. Chilblains of frost-bitten parts. Twitching if fingers during sleep.

Late falling asleep and wakens too early. Nightmare before menses.

It has chilliness, flashes of heat with sweat. Copious sweat, mostly on upper part of body, from motion, sour, cold, after eating warm. food. Morning sweats. Night sweats. Typhoid fever with great prostration. Bleeding from capillaries. Dark, thin blood.

Haemorrhage of dark, thin blood from the bowels. Putrid forms of continued fever. Cadaveric countenance.

Ecchymoses, purpura haemorrhagica. Old cicatrices turn red and become painful. Itching and prickling with eruptions. Pimples. Red itching blotches on the skin. Livid spots. Contusions, bedsores. Boils and abscesses. Nodular urticarias.

It cures old indolent ulcers that bleed easily dark blood. Sensitive painful spreading ulcers. Stinging burning pain in ulcers. It has cured putrid ulcers on legs. It is useful in ulcers of drunkards, in ulcers following a low form of fever. Thin yellow or bloody discharge.