Carbolic Acid. Phenol. Monoxy Benzine. Phenic Acid. Phenyl Alcohol. C6H5 OH. Solution in rectified spirit.
Clinical
Acne. Burns. Carbuncle. Cholera. Constipation. Diabetes. Diarrhoea. Dysentery. *Dyspepsia. Eczema. *Eructations. Erysipelas. *Flatulence. Gangrene. Hydrocephalus. Influenza. Intermittent fever. *Irritation. Leprosy. Meningitis. Neuralgia. Pneumonia. Psoriasis. Pityriasis versicolor. Scarlatina. *Small- pox. *Smell, *disordered. *Stomach, *affections of. Toothache. Ulcers. *Uraemia. Uterus, displacements of. *Vomiting.
Characteristics
Carbolic Acid, like the Carbons, is a powerful antiseptic, and its use as such in surgery has led incidentally to the poisoning of both patients and surgeons. These experiences have provided a number of the symptoms indicating its medicinal use. The pains of carbolic acid come suddenly. They are burning are pricking, sticking. The urine is very dark, black or blackish olive-green, grass or olive-green. There is numbness and twitching. Putrid discharges are a marked indication. The skin is inflamed, and other symptoms appear, with burning, tingling, itching, and numbness. Gangrene has been caused by the application 2 to 5 per cent solutions. There is profound prostration and fatigue, convulsions, collapse, cold, clammy sweat. Constant yawning. R. K. Ghosh finds it admirable in cases of cholera where *Veratrum *alb. seems indicated and fails. There is intolerance of warm room, but also sensitiveness to cold air which worse many symptoms. Many poisoning cases show pneumonia, single or double, affecting the bases principally. Dr. Proctor has recorded a brilliant cure of a double basal pneumonia with drop doses of the B. P. solution, after failure of more commonly used remedies. Nervous dyspepsia of intensely painful character has frequently been cured by it, and right K. Ghosh has reported great improvement in a case of diabetes when the remedy was given for something else. Proell has recorded his own case of idiopathic erysipelas affecting the back of the right hand, first three fingers and arm, with violet-coloured swelling and roughness. *Rhus removed the fever, but did nothing to stop the erysipelas. This *Carb-ac. 30 did promptly. It was prescribed by Dr. Streintz. Fahnestock reports a case of poisoning observed by himself from inhaling the fumes. The patient, a woman, feeling ill, ran across the street to a neighbor’s. Before reaching the house she fell prostrate, pale, gasping for breath. When taken in, she had to be propped up in order to breathe, trembled all over, wanted her hands held, “pricking like needles,” all over body, unable to raise right arm. Cold hands and feet. Wanted a drink of water every few minutes, nausea but no vomiting, pain in lumbar region. Symptoms lasted four hours. It has been used with success in the vomiting of drunkards, of pregnant women with violent frontal headache. Great flatulent distension of the abdomen, with belching of wind and desire for stimulants, indicates the drug. Palpitation of the heart at night has been cured by it. It has relieved cases of cancer of the stomach, and has apparently cured epithelioma of the cheek and nose, with haemorrhages (Allen). Deschere has found *Carb-ac. 30 of great service in uterine displacements, with or without discharges but these, if present, are *always *offensive. The symptoms first relieved are the agonizing backache across the loins with a dragging sensation down the buttocks into the thighs. Cooper regards it as specific in influenza, in the 3X for the attack, and 30th for resulting debility.
Relations
*It is antidoted by: Chalk, Saccharated Lime. In burns from carbolic acid, Elias C. Price found milk give immediate relief. He suggests copious draft of milk in poisoning cases. *Compare: Gelsemium Mercurius and Sulph. in band-like headache, Arsenicum, Carb-v., China and Kreosotum in burns, ulcers, unhealthy, offensive discharges, Pic-ac. (tightly drawn iron band at base of brain, *Carb-ac. has this round head), Ant-t. and Variol in Small-pox.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Irritability. Disinclination for mental exertion. Muddled, confused, bewildered.
Head
Headache: heavy, dull. Periodical sick-headache, as if enclosed in tight hand. Dull frontal headache, as an if India rubber band were stretched tightly over forehead from temple to temple, better by pressure. Itching of scalp. Headache better by green tea, while smoking, by tight band, by cold hand, by bending head forward.
Eyes
Very severe orbital neuralgia over right eye. Pupils dilated.
Nose
Tight and stopped up. Tickling, prickling, itching in nostrils. Sense of smell very acute. Ozaena, with great fetor and ulceration.
Face
Pale, or flushed and burning. Jaws clenched.
Teeth
Aching of teeth in right upper jaw.
Mouth
Lips dry, cracked, painful or black. Tongue burning and tingling, as if a thousand pins were sticking in it. Tongue dry and chippy, parched and fissured. Throat and tongue black, tender and ulcerated patches in inside of lips and cheeks. Intensely bad smell from mouth.
Throat
Prickling and burning in throat and oesophagus. Heat rising up from the stomach. Spasmodic contraction of oesophagus. Inability to swallow. Sore-throat worse on right side. Hawking of clear white mucus. Fauces red and covered with a mucous exudation. Uvula whitened and shrivelled.
Stomach
Wants a drink of water every few minutes. Constant belching up of wind. Vomiting of drunkards. Excessive nausea, and inclination to vomit, while eating a little, after breakfast. Vomiting of: Bright’s disease, sea-sickness, cancer, pregnancy. Weight in epigastrium as if burdened with flatulence. Burning in stomach. Total loss of appetite. Desire for whiskey.
Abdomen
Pain in right hypochondrium, also in that region of both sides. Rumbling and rolling in abdomen. Burning in lower part of abdomen and top of head.
Stools
Diarrhoea and dysentery, mucous stools like scrapings, stools like rice-water, thin, black, very offensive. Cholera infantum, with putrid discharge like foul eggs. Constipation with offensive breath.
Urinary Organs
Urine: dark greenish brown, greenish, very dark, black or blackish. Quantity increased and passed frequently. Diabetes. Albuminuria. Urine of high specific gravity, urea abundant. While urinating always an involuntary mucous discharge from anus.
Male Sexual Organs:-
Itching, or burning-itching of scrotum, better scratching but it soon returns.
Female Sexual Organs:-
Pain in region of left ovary walking in open air. Painful swelling of left ovary. Menses irregular, too profuse, dark color, followed by headache and nervous irritability. Puerperal fever, with putrid symptoms. Ulceration of the cervix uteri. Offensive discharges.
Respiratory Organs
Unable to lie down, gasping for breath continually, wants hands held. (Removed in a prover: short breath going up-hill, or upstairs.) Short, hacking cough with tickling in throat, can hardly retain anything in stomach. Stertorous respiration.
Chest
Feeling of narrowness in chest as if diaphragm depressed the lungs. Tight feeling, especially in centre of chest. Pneumonia of (right) base. Gangrene of lung.
Heart
Stitches in region of heart. Fearful palpitation worse night, with great dyspnoea. Jerking in left common carotid artery while walking rapidly after dinner.
Neck and Back
Neck stiff, lame and sore. Severe pain in lumbosacral region, worse latter part of night. Pain in loins on straightening one’s self and by jolting while riding.
Limbs:
Soreness of muscles of back and limbs. Twitching in muscles.
Upper Limbs
Aching, rheumatic pains in shoulders. Unable to raise right arm. Aching, rheumatic pains in arms strongly flexed in tonic spasm. Cold hands and feet. Vesicular itching eruption on hand. Erysipelas of back of right hand, first three fingers and arm, violet-coloured swelling, rough skin.
Lower Limbs
Rheumatic pain in right hip-joint. Dragging down buttocks and into thighs. Paralysis of lower extremities, with dragging sensation. Aching soreness beneath left patella all day up to 4 p-m., feels as if it would be stiff and sore to move it, but it is not felt during motion. Sharp pain in left shin. Cramps. Cold hands and feet.
Generalities
Fainting and insensibility, lasting for hours. Pricking like needles all over body. Tonic spasm, arms flexed, difficulty in straightening them. Prostration from a short walk. Offensive discharges.
Skin
Offensive odour from skin. Erysipelas, violet color swelling, roughness. Miliary vesicles. Malignant scarlatina. Confluent variola. (Acne, eczema, impetigo, scabies, psoriasis, prurigo, leprosy, pityriasis versicolor, lupus, carbuncles, cancerous sores, sloughing wounds, chronic ulcers, burns).
Sleep
Yawning and sleepy. Waking often in night.
