Synonym. Sodium Sulphate. Common name. Glauber’s Salts. Sulphate of Soda. Preparation. Triturations.
GENERAL ANALYSIS.
The physiological effects of this drug are not well understood. Its action is undoubtedly directly upon the blood, through which it produces an irritating and disturbing influence upon nearly every tissue of the body, more especially upon the mucous and fibrous tissues, which are involved, respectively, in catarrhal and rheumatic inflammations. Dr. Von. Grauvogl considered it especially useful in patients who were hydraemic, and whose symptoms were always aggravated by damp influences, it thus being a remedy for the “hydrogenoid constitution,” according to his classification. He also looked upon it as representing that condition known as sycosis, and held that a gonorrhoeal taint could also be discovered when it was indicated.
CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS.
Mind. Depressed; tearful; music makes her sad (Natr. carb., Sabina). Very irritable, ill-humored; worse mornings.
Head. Vertigo; confusion and dullness. Vertigo at 6 P.M., then vomiting of sour mucus. Pressure in forehead, particularly after meals, as if forehead would burst (Bryonia). Heaviness in the head. Boring pain in forehead and left temple. Irritation of brain after lesions of the head.
Eyes. Sight dim; eyes weak, watering. Pain in evening when reading by artificial light, with heaviness of the lids. Sensitiveness of eyes to light, with headache. Burning in right eye; lachrymation; dim sight; worse near fire; burning of edges of lids. Agglutination in morning with photophobia (Calcarea c., Graphites, Sulphur). Itching on edges of lids mornings.
Ears. Ringing in the ears, as of bells. Piercing pain in right ear inward; lightning-lie stitches in the ear; worse going from cold air into warm room; worse in damp weather, living on wet ground, etc.
Nose. Nosebleed during menses (Bryonia, Hamamelis); stops and returns often. Nose stopped up; sneezing with fluent coryza.
Face. Face pale and wan. Tearing pain in left zygoma.
Mouth. Blisters with burning pain on top of tongue. Toothache, better from holding cold water in the mouth (Pulsatilla, Coffea). Burning in mouth as from pepper, or highly seasoned food; mouth dry; thirst; gums red. Dirty grayish-green coat at root of tongue. Blisters on palate; sensitive, can hardly eat; better from cold things. Much saliva after meals.
Throat. Dryness of throat; no thirst (Nux moschata, Pulsatilla). Hawking of mucus mornings; salt mucus. Tonsils and uvula inflamed and swollen; ulcers on tonsils.
Stomach. Great thirst in the evening for ice or ice-cold water. Squeamishness in stomach before meals. Constant rising of sour water. Waterbrash with stitches in right groin. Nausea not relieved by vomiting, salty, sour water.
Abdomen. Stitches in region of liver and sensitiveness, when walking in open air; also with tension, as if hepatic region would burst open. Region of liver sensitive to touch, stepping, deep breathing, or sudden jar. Tearing pain around umbilicus, with flatulence, before breakfast; relieved by eating. Great flatulence; much rolling and rumbling; incarcerated, especially on right side, causing great pain; relieved by emission of flatus (Aloe, Lycopodium). Inflammation of right groin; typhlitis. Piercing pain in right flank, with nausea.
Stool. Diarrhoea; worse in wet weather; in morning; after vegetables and farinaceous food; also in cold evening air. Stools fluid, yellow, with flatulence. Hard, knotty stools, streaked with blood, accompanied and preceded by smarting in the anus; often with scanty menses. Emission of foetid flatus in large quantities. Knotty, wart-like eruption on the anus and between the thighs; sycosis.
Urinary Organs. Urine scanty; burns while passing; brick-red sediment; dark and passed more frequently, had to get up several times at night.
Male Organs. Desire excited in evening; also in morning, with erections. Itching of genitals. Gonorrhoea. Sycosis.
Female Organs. Scanty menses too late; knotty stools. Nosebleed before the menses.
Respiratory Organs. Short breath when walking; gradually relieved by rest. Frequent cough with some expectoration, if he coughs while standing he feels a sharp stitch ion left side of chest; with shortness of breath. Dry cough, worse morning after rising; worse at night; relief from sitting up and holding chest with both hands. Pressure on chest, near lumbar region; worse from motion and pressure. Stitches in left side of chest.
Neck and Back. Soreness up and down spine and neck. Bruised pain in small of back.
Limbs. Drawing, tearing pains in limbs and joints.
Upper Limbs. Tingling in arms and hands; they feel as if paralyzed. Symptoms like those of panaritium.
Lower Limbs. Pain in right hip-joint; worse from stooping, rising from a seat, or moving in bed. Suddenly, when walking, unbearable stitch in left hip; cannot walk.
Generalities. Prostration; tired, weary, especially knees. Attacks come on suddenly. Sore across abdomen, sides and back.
Skin. Eczema, moist and oozing profusely. Itching while undressing. Wart-like, raised, red lumps all over the body.
Fever. Chilliness, with shuddering, evening. Internal coldness, with stretching and yawning. Sudden flashes of heat, toward evening.
Aggravation. From dampness; damp change of weather; from lying on the left side.
Amelioration. In open air; after dinner; from motion; at night.
Conditions. “Hydrogenoid ” constitution; sycosis.
Compare. Bryonia, Dulcamara, Kali. c., Natr. mur., Pulsatilla, Rhus tox., Staphysagria, Thuja.
THERAPEUTICS.
The remarks as to the hydrogenoid constitution of this remedy in the “General Analysis” should not be overlooked, and consequently its usefulness not only in sycotic and gonorrhoeal diseases, but in all other conditions where there is a decided aggravation from dampness, other symptoms agreeing. Catarrhal and rheumatic affections in general, in sycotic and hydrogenoid patients. Granular conjunctivitis, sycotic subjects;. dim sight, lachrymation, photophobia. Earache, with lightening-like piercing pains, from exposure to damp. Nasal catarrh, bloody, offensive discharges. Ozoena syphilitica, beginning with ulcers in fauces; no foetor (with foetor, Aurum). Inflammation of tonsils; of uvula; of pharynx; hawking of much thick, salty mucus. Acid dyspepsia, with heartburn and flatulence. Chronic hepatitis and other liver complaints with sensitiveness of hepatic region, worse when lying on left side. Jaundice. Lead colic. Typhlitis. Sometimes useful in a diarrhoea of fluid, yellow stools, coming on in damp weather and after vegetable and farinaceous food, always worse in the morning after moving about, with great flatulence, soreness of the liver, etc. Constipation, hard knotty stools, especially with scanty menses. A general remedy in lithaemia. Uric acid deposits. Enlarged prostrate. Chronic bronchitis, with symptoms already given. Asthma with young people, from a general bronchial catarrh; worse after every change to damp weather, and other symptoms. non-tubercular phthisis in sycotic constitutions; muco-purulent expectoration, loud rales, lower lobe of left lung mostly affected. Panaritium, pain better out of doors; patient pale and sickly from living in damp region, damp houses, etc. Neuralgia and other affections of hip-joint, with symptoms already given.
ALLEN CORSON COWPERTHWAITE was born at Cape May, New Jersey, May 3, 1848, son of Joseph C. and Deborah (Godfrey) Cowperthwaite. He attended medical lectures at the University of Iowa in 1867-1868, and was graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1869. He practiced his profession first in Illinois, and then in Nebraska. In 1877 he became Dean and Professor of Materia Medica in the recently organized Homeopathic Department of the State University of Iowa, holding the position till 1892. In 1884 he accepted the chair of Materia Medica, Pharmacology, and Clinical Medicine in the Homeopathic Medical College of the University of Michigan. He removed to Chicago in 1892, and became Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College. From 1901 he also served as president of that College. He is the author of various works, notably "Insanity in its Medico-Legal Relations" (1876), "A Textbook of Materia Medica and Therapeutics" (1880), of "Gynecology" (1888), and of "The Practice of Medicine " (1901).