Natrum chloratum. Liquor soda chloratae. Labarraque’s solution. Attenuations of the ***B.P. solution.
Clinical
Albuminuria. Chlorosis. Globus. Gravel (white and red). Haematuria. Headache. Hysteria. Inframammary pain. Metrorrhagia. Nephritis. Ovaries, affections of. Priapism. Scurvy. Smarting eruptions. Sub-involution. Tongue, shrivelled, swollen. Toothache. Uterus, sodden: water-logged. Vertigo caduca.
Characteristics
*Nat-hyp., the well-known disinfecting fluid, is one of Cooper’s additions to the materia medica. His proving has brought out some very characteristic features, although there is a close general resemblance to *Nat.mur. Cooper’s grand characteristic indication is: Water-logged uterus. The womb is sodden, heavy, low down in pelvis, bearing down in pelvis, with tendency to prolapse. The state of subinvolution after confinement corresponds very closely to this, and I have frequently seen *Nat.hyp. Do good work in such cases. The drug affects profoundly the entire organism, and causes rapid emaciation, fainting, weakness, with a flabbiness most pronounced along the mucous tracts, with a diffused hydrogenoid condition and a tendency to leucocytosis. Among the notable symptoms are: Vertigo causing falling. Paralysed feeling in brain. Sensation as if top of skull were about to float off, as though cranial bones were being crossed over each other. Swelling, neuralgic pains, and suppuration about jaws. Tongue swollen, or shrivelled at sides. Swelling of both hands in morning on waking. Gatherings on fingers. Swelling on both hands in morning on waking. Gatherings on fingers. Pain in hip-joint reflected from ovary. Drowsiness, cannot sit down without falling asleep. Swelling low down in abdomen, going up to chest and causing dyspnoea (a suggestion of hysterical globus). A weight seems to fall from pit of chest to pit of abdomen, with aching, dull sensation on vertex. The symptoms are worse by eating or drinking, worse lying on either side (thumping noise in ears), worse by warmth. Worse By drinking least drop of cold water (smarting of pimples, also worse By washing, and by warm drinks). worse Before each menstrual period. Worse Before stool, better after.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Pulsatilla (rheumatic and myalgic symptoms), Guaiac., (also, probably, the antidotes to Natrum mur.). Complementary: Sepia Compare: Nat-c., Natrum mur., Kali-chl., Chlorum In uterine bearing down, Helio., Sepia Womb feels as if it opened and shut (Sepia “clutching and relaxing “). Feels as if womb were pushed up when she sits down. Fe. i. Easily overpowered with heat, Sepia, Natrum mur., Nat-c. Bloated feeling after meals, worse by warm drinks, Lycopodium Uterine engorgement, Aurum n-m.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Much distressed, laughs, cries, talks in sleep, keeps her husband awake. Very low-spirited and depressed, could cry all day.
Head
Vertigo ceduca, constant and characteristic, with aching across forehead. Swimming feeling as though top of cranium about to float off, worse looking up. Paralysed feeling in brain, in all limbs, numb finger-tips, recurrent fainting. Feeling as though cranial bones were being crossed over one another, as if she must fall forward, silly feeling. Pain across forehead, extending down nose and up over entire head, great tenderness of scalp, thumping in ears worse lying either side, puts back of head against pillow to gain sleep _ Pain darting from temple to temple, coming and going suddenly. Throbbing headache in left temple immediately after midday meal, better after tea. Pain right side of head, from behind mastoid process to upper part of orbit “across the eye,” causes eye to feel stiff and weak, worse after sleep, but continuing day and night.
Ears
Pain under right ear when swallowing, with much pain, tenderness, and swelling up side of head, followed by a most painful gathering which broke and discharged strongly.
Nose
Influenza, much nasal discharge, sore places on inside of cheeks, beginning on left Epistaxis, dark-coloured blood comes away in clots by day and night (produced in a pregnant woman).
Face
Pain left side of face, shooting up from decayed tooth, worse first thing in morning and last thing at night, gumboils from one after another. Neuralgia left side of face, from lower jaw up, and across eyes and nose to forehead. Tugging left side of face, worse by warmth, coming every half-hour. Swelling affecting left upper and lower jaw, a swelling inside between gum and tongue, throbbing and shooting in the part extending up to temple and down left side of neck, better cold applications, worse by worry.
Mouth
Teeth become loose, right lower jaw swollen, sore, tongue swollen left cannot chew, pain worse night (in a phthisical patient, suppuration took place in two weeks). Teeth become brittle. Tongue white, shrivelled at sides, taste as after sucking alum, appetite for meat fall off. Tongue furred in morning, putrid taste throughout day. Aphthae. Sore pimples inside lips.
Throat
Throat red and sore. Sore irritable spot in throat and along both sides of tongue. Sore throat with difficult swallowing, flat ulcer to tongue far back towards root.
Stomach
Nausea, sick feeling when lying down. A weight seems to fall from pit of chest to pit of abdomen, with aching, dull sensation on vertex (after each dose).
Abdomen
Swelling low in abdomen going up to chest and causing dyspnoea, worse after eating, with much flatus. Bloated, tight feeling across upper abdomen, after eating and drinking, not better by loosening clothes, with sick feeling. Aching left side of waist preventing sitting upright. Fearful pain in lower abdomen which settled in right hip-joint and spread over whole abdomen (lasted a week and left her cured of the following: Tenderness of abdomen, a pain in right hip-joint with inability to flex hip or abdomen for the pain, voiding “white gravel” with great pain. These she had twelve months, and they followed on the cessation of menorrhagia, the primary cause being probably ovarian).
Stool & Anus
Cutting pain like knives in anus, comes between 6 and 7 a.m. and goes away during the night. Constipation for three days, then a large, hard, offensive motion is passed, _ Great exhaustion as if about to die before bowels act, sudden and forcible expulsion, with consequent complete relief.
Urinary Organs
Within twenty-four hours, diffuse nephritis, urine scanty, smoke-coloured, then black, contain ing blood, much albumen, and casts. Vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, coma (dies on fourth day, man, drank ten drachms). Scalding when urinating, with itching and smarting of vagina. Excessive action of kidneys after each dose. Red sand in urine. White gravel (cured).
Male Sexual Organs
Almost unconquerable desire after each dose, with priapism.
Female Sexual Organs
Opening and shutting sensation in womb. Uterine bearing down, severe backache and headache, light-headed, sickish, worse night. Bearing down, uterus congested, enlarged, sensitive, constant oozing of blood, worse any exertion. Violent metrorrhagia. Menses come on at once, a week before time. Menses clotted, black. Period a week over time, during first day more than usual aching in back. (ovarian affection with pain in right hip supervening on suppressed metrorrhagia) _ Leucorrhoea. Water-logged uterus. Subinvolution. (Seemed to cause prolapsed uterus to rise out of its place). Feels as if womb were pushed up when she sits down (Farrington). Swelling in left ovarian region at time of menses. Pruritus. Left inframammary pain.
Respiratory Organs
Cough, distressing, with little phlegm, constant during day.
Chest
Tightness with dyspnoea, weight in front of chest. (Feeling as if something gnawing in front of chest). Pain across upper chest off and on, with pain across hypochondria and pains extending down both sides of waist to womb causing phlegmy discharge. Pain under left axilla and left breast, worse lying down, with sickish, giddy feeling, obliged to keep sitting down when walking about. Left inframammary pain, affects left side chest, shoulders, and vertex.
Heart
Pain under heart with catching inspiration.
Back
Much pain across small of back, worse morning on rising, with want of appetite for breakfast, has fair appetite for supper.
Limbs
Aching in all limbs, feels bereft of all power, as though would faint on slightest movement.
Upper Limbs
Both hands swollen every morning (in three cases). Left had swollen one morning, next morning only right Small gatherings on fingers of both hands.
Lower Limbs
Pain in both hip-joints and calves of legs with tingling extending to toes. Extreme weakness in ankles and knees.
Generalities
Rapid emaciation. Seems quite overpowered. Very weak, shooting pains all over body and in limbs, especially between scapulae and at their inferior angles, worse morning before rising, shooting pains worse in anus and very bad in bed, worse by day. Drowsy and lazy. Strange life-less feeling, with apprehension of fainting. Exhaustion before bowels act, better after. Symptoms worse before menstrual period. The nervous symptoms come on very irregularly.
