Salicylicum Acidum

Salicylic Acid. H^CrjHj^O^.

Found in nature in Spiraea blossoms, Wintergreen (Gaultheria), etc.

Fragmentary provings by Lewi, H. K., vol. 20, p. 106; Macfarlan (recorded in Thesis of G. W. Shaffer, March, 1877) common symptoms of 20 provings^ See Allen's Encyclopedia, vol. 8.

Clinical Authorities Meniere's dkease, McClatchey, Horn. Rev., vol. 21, p. 736; Hah.

Mo., vol. 13, p. 57; Deafiiess, Claude, B. J. H., vol. 36, p. 356^ Canker of mouth, Hoffman, M.

I., vol. 5, p. 66 ; C7.se in diphtheria, Grosvenor, Mass. Trans., vol. 4, p. 659; Fontheim, A.

H. O., vol. 13, p. 112; Indigestion^ Goullon, A. H.

Z., vol. 94, p. 86; Dyspepsia, Hale, N. A. J.

H., vol. 25, p. 354; Flatulent dyspepsia, Hale, M. I., vol. 2, p. 326 ; Whitman, M.

I., vol. 5, p. 229 ;. Inflammation of stomach and boivels, Hoffman; Flatulence, Hale, Am. Hom , vol. 1, p. 94;

Diarrhoea, CEhme, N. E. M. G., vol. 12, p. 412;

Cholera infantum, Hale, N. A. J. H, vol. 25, p. 354;

Catarrh of bladder, Hale, M. I., vol. 4, p. 156;, Septiccemia, Hale, N. A. J.

H., vol. 25, p. 354; Septic fever (2 cases), Hale, M. I., vol. 5, p. 142; Sciatica, Goullon, Hah.

Mo., vol. 12, p. 371; Foot siveats, Pagi, N. A. J.

H., vol. 25, p. 404 ; Acute articular rheumatism, Goullon, Times Ret., 1877, p. 3; H. K., 1876, p. 69;

A. H. Z., 1876, p. 76; Times Ret., 1876, p. 118;

Acute rheumatism, Thompson, Hom. Times, vol. 4, p. 108; Rheumatism, Hale, N. A.

J. H., vol. 25, p. 355; Griswold, Cal. Med.

Times, vol. 1, p. 5 ; Koeck, N. A. J.

H., vol. 26, p. 124; Arthritis, Molin, B. J. H., vol. 36, p. 356 ;

Chronic caries, Hom. Rev., vol. 22, p. 415.

' Mind. Anxiety ; worrying, restless, yet mild.

Melancholic ; wants to lie quiet ; feels faint.

Excited mood.

Delirium ; stupid, can hardly collect his ideas, then he laughed without cause, talked incessantly and discon- nectedly, frequently looked about him with apparent hallucinations. ^ Sensorium. Stupefaction ; dulness of head. '

Vertigo ; inclines to fall to 1. side, while surrounding objects seem falling to right.

■ Meniere's disease; vertigo which comes and goes, often from no observable reason ; tendency to fall to affected side, while objects seem to fall away to opposite side ; headache frequent but not always present; noises in ear ; defective or absent perosseous hearing ; absence of gastric symptoms, or so slight as not to account for the other symptoms; indeterminate giddiness in hori- zontal position, but considerable when raising head or sitting up.

181 SALICYLICUM ACIDUM.

^ Inner Head. Rush oi blood to head.

Severe headache ; piercing, in both temples. Headache, commencing on top or in back of head, running down sterno-mastoid (more r. side), which is tender to touch. "* Sight and Eyes. Diminished acuteness of vision.

• Plastic iritis following inflammatory rheumatism, the pupil would contract notwithstanding the local use of a one per cent, solution of Atrop. sulph. ; the nightly- pain was most agonizing, temporarily > by hot appli- cations. '^ Hearing and Ears, l Deafness, with noises in ears. Nervous deafness. Diminished hearing. I Roaring in ears, with difficult hearing. -Disturbs hearing when given for rheumatism (large doses).

■ Tinnitus dependent upon hypersemia.

I Auditory nerve vertigo; a troublesome nausea accom- panying head symptoms. Roaring in ears and difficult hearing; hears music; rush

of blood to head ; excited mood. I I Purulent, fetid otorrhoea. ' Smell and Nose. Wants to sneeze.

llncipient catarrh, patients, especially children, sneeze all day. ^ Upper Face. Dull, heavy aspect ; face flushes quickly on

slight excitement. '^ Taste and Tongue. Taste: as of something burnt; bitter;

food has no taste. ^^ Inner Mouth. Mouth and throat dry ; burning and dry- ness of mouth and pharynx. I I Redness of buccal cavity and fauces. ^Diphtheria.

■ Stomatitis, the mouth is hot and dry, tongue covered

with burning vesicles. Foul breath and oflensive expectoration. Mouth dotted with white patches, burning, scalded feeling;

ulcers on tip of tongue.

■ Canker sores, with burning soreness and fetid breath.

I I Canker of mouth, stomach and bowels; patient rapidly sinking. 13 Throat. Burning in throat.

■ Tonsils red, swollen, studded white.

Violent efforts to swallow, with difficulty in swallowing, woke him from sleep ; the pain and difficulty became confined to r. side, with sticking along Eustachian tube into ear ; swelling of r. tonsil noticeable externally, with sensitiveness to touch and increased temperature in

SALICYLICUM ACIDUM. 182

vicinity ; mucous membrane of throat and posterior fauces reel, swollen, with ulcers size of head of a pin ; after a while a small lump of cheesy matter of strong odor was expectorated.

■Scarlatina anginosa; diphtheritic form.

I I Little or no fever, but great weakness, difiicult degluti- tion, much inflammation, the exudate soft. ^Diphtheria.

iDiphtheritis; violent fever; entire fauces covered with a white exudate ; in two cases hoarseness and barking cough (affection of larynx). *^ Hiccough, Belching, Nausea and Vomiting. Nausea, gagging, waterbrash.

Frequent vomiting. ^^ Scrobiculum and Stomach. Ecchymoses and ulcerations in mucous membrane of stomach and bowels.

Burning in epigastric region.

Weak nervous sensation in stomach.

I I Flatulent and fermentative dyspepsia.

■ Distension and formation of gases in stomach and bowels

after meals. I I Excessive accumulation of flatus and acidity of stomach,, with much belching of gas, anaemia and great irrita- bility with despondency. ^Dyspepsia.

■ Dyspepsia with putrid eructations and much accumula-

tion of gas on stomach.

I I A young lady of bilious temperament, wasted from a fleshy, strong girl to an emaciated, bony creature ; as soon as she would eat, no matter how simple the food,, her stomach would bloat up so that it would be neces- sary to loosen her dress ; region of stomach looked like an inflated bladder; after from one to two hours suff'er- ing in region of stomach from this extreme distension,, was a putrid flatus belched up, accompanied by collapse of stomach and temporary relief; frequent vomiting characterized by putrid fermentation ; severe headaches ; extremely nervous ; sleep fitful and unre- freshing ; bowels constipated ; urine heavily loaded with sediment ; fermentation and decomposition seemed to commence as soon as food reached stomach. ^Flat- ulent dyspepsia.

I I Woman, set. 30, of very unhealthy family; always suffering from indigestion ; daily, some hours after dinner, has diarrhoea; sometimes looks very badly; least error in diet shows effect in an aggravation of the- diarrhoea.

I I Girl four years old, had relapse from malignant scarlet, fever ; inflammation of bowels supervened, with im- mense distension of abdominal region.

183 SALICYLICUM ACIDUM.

"" Stool and Rectum. Diarrhoea; stools green; flushes easily as in hectic; acid, sour, or putrid smelling. Costive ; stool dry, hard ; then diarrhoea, watery, sour, yel- low, with great weakness. ■ Cholera infantum or other diarrhoea in children, when eructations have a peculiarly putrid and offensive odor, j In a case where tsenia solium had existed for nine years four doses of 0.5 acid Salicyl. a dose every hour, followed by half an ounce 01. ricini, caused in half an hour discharge of taenia ten yards long, with head entire. ^^ Urinary Organs.

Diabetes mellitus (two cases). Albuminuria ; rheumatic diathesis.

Urine very offensive, largely composed of mucus ; micro- scope revealed pus, blood and an abundance of mucous epithelium. ^Catarrh of bladder. Urine: scanty, clear, brown ; three hours after its passage it has a green tinge and deposits a feathery precipitate, consisting of oblong, six-sided, silvery-white crystals of Salicyluric acid ; if these are removed the urine becomes at once putrid ; if not the urine remains fresh for above a week. 2^ Female Sexual Organs. 1 1 Large leuco-phlegmatic woman, ffit. 45 ; constant dull, heavy pain in cerebellum ; great forgetfulness, excessive irritability and frequent hot flushes of fever. ''Pregnancy.

Parturition. Lactation, i lA primipara, delivered on 9th of May of a large male child ; slight lesion of vagina; a piece of membrane as large as finger- nail was torn up ; membranes unusully tough and ex- tensive and a small shred was left in utero ; on third day chill, followed by fever; pulse 120, temperature 105; lochia offensive. ^Septic fever. I I Confined with second child on May 15th, delivered with forceps owing to the great size of the head ; no apparent lesion; lochia not offensive, disappeared on tenth day; considerable hemorrhage after labor, and I suppose a small clot or clots became impacted in uterine blood- vessels and owing to access of air (perhaps) underwent decomposition, and this septic material was absorbed ; on eleventh day severe chill, repeated twice next day ; pulse 130, temperature 104; chills alternated with febrile heats, and chilliness was excited by slightest touch of anything cold or a swallow of cold w^ater, and she was very thirsty; some pain and swelling of one breast and one knee. ^Septictemia. '^Respiration.

Respiration hurried, sometimes deepened, sometimes shallow or sighing and almost panting, as if laljored, but no complaint of difficulty of breathing.

SALICYLICUM ACIDUM. 184

"" Cough. Dry cough, of a hard, racking, spasmodic char- acter, < at night in old people. "^ Inner Chest and Lungs. Spasmodic, flatulent asthma ;

fetid bronchitis ; gangrene of lungs. " Heart, Pulse and Circulation. Pulse small, rapid, weak. 3^ Upper Limbs. ' l Rheumatic gout or rheumatoid arthritis, occurring in some women during climaxis; the pains disappeared, the engorgements and nodosities of fingers subsided, and the hands could again be used. ^ Lower Limbs, l ' Formerly had foot sweats, and since their suppression is more liable to rheumatic pains ; attacks especially at night ; after an hour's sleep the pains force him to leave bed ; he changes to sofa but must soon leave it again, and thus he passes a sleepless night; the seat of pain corresponds exactly to exit of 1. ischiatic nerve, goes from behind forward and downward to knees and toes ; pain is drawing, shooting, at the toes burning, or as he expresses himself, " as if foot were on an ant-hill " and as if the foot would like to perspire ; no fever; can hardly ascend stairs, must look for some sup- port or he might fall. ^Sciatica.

I Copious foul-smelling foot sweats. ^* Limbs in General. iHeat, redness, soreness and swelling about joints; < in knees, with acute piercing pains; < on motion, > from dry heat. ^Rheumatism. ^ Rest. Position.

Motion. Lying : indeterminate giddi- ness. Wants to be quiet : melancholic. Forced to leave bed : sciatica.

Sitting up : considerable giddiness.

Motion: rheumatism in joints <; exquisitely painful, rheu- matism of affected limb causes soreness. ^^ Nerves. Weakness, faintness.

^* Time. Night : dry cough < ; attacks of rheumatic pains <. *^ Temperature and Weather. Hot applications : rheuma- tism >. Dry heat: rheumatism of joints >. Sitting near open window in a hot room : rheumatism. 'J'ouch of anything cold : excited chilliness. *" Fever. "Slight chill, crawls in spine; yawning; chill in finger tips. I Fever continuous, burning, then sweat with relief; fever

again, with exacerbation of symptoms. Sweat at times more, at others less profuse. Profuse but short-lasting sweat. Weak, faint after fever and sweat. Flushes easily, as in hectic. : Rheumatic fever.

185 SALICYLICUM ACIDUM.

*^ Attacks and Periodicity. Daily : some hours after dinner, has diarrhoea.

Nightly : agonizing rheumatism. *'^ Location and Direction. Right : difficulty of swallowing ; swelling of tonsil ; severe pain in several joints ; pain in deltoid and gastrocnemius.

Left: inclines to fall to side, vertigo; severe pain in all joints; ankle and knee pains; elbow and wrist enor- mously sw^ollen; pain in wrist and forearm. ** Sensations. As if foot w^ere on an ant-hill ; as if foot wanted to perspire ; as if head were squeezed between two beams.

Pain : in shoulder and elbow, then in lumbar region ; in r. deltoid and gastrocnemius.

Terrific pain : in knee joint.

Severe pain: in all the joints on 1. side and several on r. side.

Acute piercing pain : in joints.

Piercing pain : in head.

Shooting pain : in lower limbs.

Burning pains : in toes.

Sticking: along Eustachian tube into ear.

Drawing pain : in low^er limbs.

Rheumatic pains: in hands ; exit of 1. ischiatic nerves to knees and toes.

Dull, heavy pain : in cerebellum.

Dull, aching distress: in stomach.

Soreness: about joints; in r. deltoid and gastrocnemius.

Burning : of mouth and pharynx ; of vesicles in mouth ; of canker sores ; in throat ; in epigastric region.

Painful stiffness : of neck.

Dulness : of head.

Weak, nervous sensations : in stomach.

Dryness : of mouth and pharynx. ^' Tissues. Pieces of spongy bone became soft as leather in a few^ days when placed in a half per cent, solution, while compact bone tissue is very slowly softened ; enamel of teeth is very slightly affected bj'' it, but the dentine, when it is exposed by caries, is rapidly destroyed.

The increased amount of the salts of lime in the urine soon after Salicylic acid has been taken shows that the acid deprives living as well as dead bone of its lime salts.

Causes a sort of necrosis, especially of tibia.

1 1 Ulceration of mucous surfaces.

1 1 Acute articular rheumatism.

■ Rheumatism: acute articular; chronic; gonorrhoeal ; diphtheritic.

SALICYLICUM ACIDUM. 186

I Acute, inflammatory, articular rheumatism attacking one or more joints, especially elbows or knees, with great swelling and redness, high fever and excessive sensi- tiveness to least jar; motion impossible.

• Muscular rheumatism.

■ Severe pain in all the joints on 1. and several joints on r. side ; large joints on 1. side were attacked, except hip and shoulder, while on r. side the wrist and ankle alone suffered.

I lA tall young man, set. 16, suffered from severe acute articular rheumatism ; knee joint especially was seat of terrific pain ; painful stiffness of neck ; excessive per- spiration, followed by miliaria; great lassitude; pulse full, soft, very frequent; went out too early and a relapse set in, with same weakening sweats ; patient looked ansemic and emaciated ; hurried pulse, remind- ing one of heart's beat in beginning of phthisis.

I 1 A teacher suffered from acute articular rheumatism ; a relapse followed from carelessness, attack being very severe, with profuse sour-smelling sweats and extensive eruption of miliaria ; very nervous, urine showed heavy •■ sediment; desquamation set in just as after scarlet fever in hands and feet; pains first in shoulder and elbow^, then in lumbar region, so that the patient could hardly move ; during relapse hands greatly swollen, could not be used ; sleeplessness or sleep interrupted by frightful dreams, as if his head were squeezed between two beams (stiffness of neck) ; constipation. : Acute gout.

1 I Rheumatism after sitting near an open window in a hot room, so that she felt hot on one side and chilly on the other ; 1. ankle and knee joint, elbow and wrist enor- mously swollen, of a pinkish color, very sensitive, every motion exquisitely painful, pulse 120, high temperature, sweat, etc., even in bed, shocks passed from thigh down to foot so that she had to scream.

I I Polyarthritis rheumatica, temperature 105; pain in- tense, tenderness excessive.

1 I Soreness and pain in r. deltoid and r. gastrocuemius, changing next day to 1. wrist and forearm ; some sensi- tiveness to touch and great soreness on moving limb; no heat ; on following day pain had removed to inside of 1. forefinger ; when the pain appeared in one part it dis- appeared in the part which had previously been painful

I I Purpura hemorrhagica, with hemorrhages from all mu- cous membranes, accompanied by a constant dull ach- ing distress in stomach and occasional vomiting of blood and mucus.

187 SALICYLICUM ACIDUM.

I Has a specific action upon serous membranes and should be very useful in dropsical effusions ; should be tried in hydrocephalus, hydropericardium and renal dropsy.

Ma}^ prove useful in caries and necrosis. *^ Touch. Passive Motion. Injuries.

Touch : top or back of head tender; tonsil sensitive; arm sensitive ; limbs tender. *^ Skin. Skin red ; points on skin like flea-bites.

Skin red and sensitive ; rheumatism.

I Urticaria.

Sprinkled on indolent or inflamed ulcers is said to induce rapid healing. " Stages of Life, Constitution. Healthy-looking child, set. 5 weeks, suffering over two weeks ; diarrhoea.

Girl, set. 12; rheumatism.

Young man, set. 16, tall; rheumatism.

Woman, set. 30, coming from a very unhealthy family ; indigestion and diarrhoea.

Man, set. 80, robust, formerly had foot sweats, and since their suporession is more liable to rheumatic pains; sciatica. *^ Relations. Compare: Colchic. (rheumatism, also subse- quent weakness); Kreos.

(piercing in temples; throat; diarrhoea ; ulcers, antiseptic properties) ; Carh. ac. (mind; throat ; weakness, especially at stomach ; hectic ; anti- septic properties ; topical use ; urine) ; Salicyl. of Soda (tinitus aurium, confusion and deafness ; rheumatism) ;

Nitr. ac; Arsen. ; Phosphor, (bones); Lac. ac.

(bones, throat); Omc/iona (preventing sepsis ; fever; ringing in ears).

SAMBUCUS NIGRA. 188