Carbon Bisulphide. Alcohol Sulphuris. Alcohol Lampadii. CS2. Solution in rectified spirit.
Clinical
Acne. Amblyopia. Anaemia. Apoplexy. Burns. Clergyman’s sore throat. Glandular swellings. Goitre. Gout. Heartburn. Hemiplegia. Hernia. Herpes phlyctenoides. Herpetic dyscrasia. Impetigo. Itch. Liver affections. Memory, lost. Meniere’s disease. *Noises in the head. Progressive muscular atrophy. Rheumatism. Scalds. Sciatica. Spinal sclerosis. Tetanus.
Characteristics
*Carb-s. combines many characters of its two elements. It was first brought into notice by its effects on workers in rubber works. Here is an acute case: a girl, aged 15, employed in vulcanising works, was exposed to the fumes one whole day. Before this, she had from the fumes, frontal pains and heaviness of the head. After this, the pains became more violent, and were accompanied by painful contraction of masseters, then by stiffness of neck and vertebral column, finally of legs and arms. The contracture was generalized, but nowhere complete, though the jaws could not be separated. Ulcerative stomatitis ensued and tartar accumulated on the teeth. Among the *chronic effects are: Digestive disorders of extreme severity. Tremor, giddiness, ringing in the ears with poor hearing, inability to sleep, muscular weakness, more or less ataxia, strong increase of mechanical muscular irritability, disturbance of sight and sensibility, Romberg’s symptom (trophoneurosis, facial hemiatrophy), incontinence of urine, impotence. In the *Medical *Argus (July to December, 1891) H. H. Crippen has collected from several sources instances of intoxication of workers with *Carb. *bisul. The action on vision was very marked in many cases. Myopia, asthenopia, achromatopsia, dyschromatopsia, cloudiness and atrophy of optic disc, central scotoma for light and colors, retinal congestion, arteries and veins tortuous, veins distended, arteries contracted, optic discs pale. Everything seemed in a fog, as if a spider’s web over objects, green or red. One patient had complete right hemiplegia, following sudden loss of consciousness, blindness of right eye and great impairment of vision of left. Loss of memory, especially for words, was a very frequent symptom, delusions were common: “Heard voices and believed he had committed a robbery,” “sensation of a hole close by, into which he was in danger of falling.” E. Case has cured with *Carb-s. 30 in a slender, nervous woman, the following symptoms: “Sensation, as of a weight between the scapulae, compelling her to bend forward. Throbbing in the dorsal spine as if a heart were beating there. Constipation with ineffectual urging to stool. Haemorrhage of bright blood from rectum after stool. Itching of anus after stool, also in the night. Feet swollen, hot and throbbing in the evening.” *Carb-s. has the flatulency of *Carb-v. and the abdominal soreness of *Sulphur. It produces eruptions of herpes and impetigo, discharges excoriating and producing violent itching. It corresponds to the herpetic diathesis. The pains are burning, tearing, jerking, and stitching and are apt to return at regular intervals for a long time. Pains come and go quickly. The periodicity shows itself, as in diarrhoea, which comes every six weeks. The worse from warmth common to *Carb-v. and *Sulph. shows itself in “Toothache brought on by warm food.” Vision better in evening, in twilight, after eating. worse From slightest motion, from walking. worse At night. Sleep is restless with tossing in bed. A feeling of vibration and trembling in whole body, particularly in hands. Anaesthesia of skin and mucous membranes.
Relations
*Compare: Causticum, China, and Nat-sal. in Meniere’s disease, Carb-v. in flatulence, Sulphur (sensitiveness of abdomen), Benz-d- n. (vision), Anacardium (hears voices), Cann-i. (opening and shutting sensation in head), Kali-bi., Silicea, Sulphur (hair sensation in throat).
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Difficult thinking. Memory defective, cannot find the right word. Great loquacity, but frequent loss of memory for words. Sought for things lying before them. Childish and idiotic. Surly, morose, vehement, irascible. Exhilaration bordering on drunkenness. Indifferent to the surroundings. Irritability followed by indigestion. Laughter without cause. Delusions, heard voices and believed he had committed a robbery. Saw obstacles in front of him which did not exist. Sensation of a hole close by into which he was in danger of falling. Attacks of semi- unconsciousness with convulsive movements of the limbs lasting half a minute. Attacks resembling hysterical fits, with convulsive movements of the face. Sudden loss of consciousness lasting seven days, with complete right hemiplegia, total blindness of right eye and great impairment of vision of left.
Head
Sudden attacks of vertigo while sitting. Headache and vertigo. Dull, muddled feeling in forehead as if contracting. Frequent attacks of fainting. Pressure most in forehead. Headache of a compressive character with severe heavy pain in forehead and temples as if the head were compressed in a vice or supporting a heavy weight. Violent headache, increasing till the mind is affected. Very sharp pains in head, through temples, nearly every day, notably after dinner, numbness through to vertex. Headache in the temples and occiput. Severe pain in the occiput. Headache as if the head was opening and shutting. Penetrating pain worse shaking head and heavy steps. Fluctuations in head worse moving head. Painful, heavy feeling in head after breakfast. Brushing hair is painful. Itching on head, pimples sore to touch.
Eyes
Dim sight, objects fade away. Vanishing of sight. Dimness of vision with vertigo. Dimness of vision as from a fog or mist before the eyes. Dimness of vision, objects appearing green, then red and foggy. Makes mistakes as to form of objects. Diplopia. Complete achromatopsia. Contraction of field of vision for white and blue, red and green totally absent. Central scotoma for red. Central scotoma for white and colours. Dazzled by bright light. Constant flashes and spots before the eyes. Muscae volitantes. Appearance as of a spider’s web before the eyes. Reading brings tears to eyes. Slight insensibility of the conjunctiva to touch. Pupils dilated and sluggish. Fine, floating filaments and specks in the vitreous. Deposit of whitish, shining nodules in the macula lutea. Ischemia of the optic papilla. Atrophy of the optic Papillae. Optic disc pale, deeply cupped, less transparent than normal. Congestion of the optic discs. Retinal congestion, arteries and veins tortuous. Dilation of retinal veins, arteries too small. Small zone of circumscribed retinitis along the retinal vessels, blood-vessels have a double contour. Vision better in the twilight. Vision better by eating, worse when fasting, could often read after a meal. Obliged to wink to see clearly. Vision better in the evening. Pustule on upper lid, itches and burns. Lids heavy, sore on moving, quivering.
Ears
Stitches in ears, after stool. Pain in left ear when swallowing. Ears as if stopped up. Ringing lasting several days. Singing and buzzing like an Aeolian harp when walking in morning. Deafness.
Nose
End of nose burns, is pink red, burning as if raw. Tickling in tip with irritation to sneeze. Eruption. Diminution of sense of smell. Epistaxis.
Face
Paleness of face. Bewildered expression. Eruption like the acne of drunkards on nose and cheeks. Lips dry and burning. Contractive feeling in muscles of lower jaw. Lockjaw.
Teeth
Tartar accumulates on teeth. Toothache brought on by warm food.
Mouth
Lisping, stammering speech like that of a child. Saltish taste of phlegm hawked up. Dry mouth with unquenchable thirst. Salivation with nausea, glutinous saliva. Accumulation of water of a sweetish taste in the mouth.
Throat
Tickling back of palate after lying down. Burning in throat extending to stomach. Sensation as if a hair had lodged in throat, as if a piece of bone had lodged in upper oesophagus. Swallowing difficult, causes pain in left ear.
Appetite
Voracious appetite. Hunger with aversion to eating. Loss of appetite and heavy satiety when eating. Great thirst, desire for beer. Many symptoms come on after eating. Acrid burning eructations after eating.
Stomach
Sour belching with passage of much sour flatus, better from belching. Inclination to vomit when entering a room or going into open air. Vomiting of bitter water. Vomiting followed by immediate relief. Pressing, stitching, burning pains in stomach. Feeling in stomach as if tied together. Extreme tenderness. Heartburn.
Abdomen
Vomiting, pains in the belly, painful cramps followed by such muscular weakness he could not stand. Liver complaint with dropsy of feet. Cutting in bowels. Navel drawn in with pain. Twisting, rolling, rumbling, distension, abdominal walls sore. Strangulated hernia.
Stool and Anus
Very offensive and frequent passage of flatus. Stools: thin, papescent, small, yellowish, frothy, sour-smelling, fluid, with tenesmus and colicky pains, navel drawn in, came on in night. Chronic diarrhoea coming on every four to six weeks and lasting one or two days. After stool: headache, stitches in ears, pressure in stomach, burning, weakness and trembling. Bright red blood with stool. Constipation: with belching, with hunger. Burning and itching at anus.
