Proved by W. Eggert, S. Swan, D. A. Babcock, etc. See Encyclopedia, v. 3. Poisoning, by E. W. Berridge, N. Y. J. H., v. 2, p. 307. " Prepared by passing a stream of chlorine through absolute alcohol, until it comes over unchanged. The thick fluid remaining behind is chloral. The simple addition of water converts chloral into its hydrate." The first therapeutic application of this substance was made by O. Liebreich, of Berlin, who conceived that the transformation of chloral into chloroform might be expected when it reached the blood of a living animal. On coming into contact with its alkalis the chloral would separate into chloroform and formicic acid. W. W. Keen, of Philadelphia, has made use of chloral as an antiseptic and deodorant in the dissecting room and in surgical practice. CiiiNiCAii Authorities. — Melancholia and headache, J. H. Sherman, X. E. M. G., V. 9, p. 412; Mania-a-potu, J. C. Wilson, K E. M. G., v. 6, p. 160; Ophthal- mia, Dyce Brown (2 cases), B. J. H., v. 32, p. 509; Conjunctivitis, (2 cases), Dyce Brown, B. J. H., v. 32, p. 510 ; Conjunctivitis and Keratitis on left eye, Dyce Brown, B. J. H., v. 32, p. 510 ; Toothache from decayed teeth (2 cases) Excelsior, N. A. J. H., V. 23, p. 123; Odontalgia traumatica, Hale, N. E. M. G., 1872; Colic of children, Hale, Symptomatology; Ascites, Bishop, Med. Inv., v. 11, p. 139 ; Enuresis, Oehme, Kaue's Path., p. 691, also El. Crit. Med., Aug., 1874; Incontinence of urine (5 cases), E. Vechetti, Horn. Kev., v. 18, p. 571, Leonardi, N. A. J. H., v. 22, p. 408 ; Chordee, E. M. Hale, N. A. J. H., 1870, p. 244; Dysmenorrhcea, Excelsior, N. A. J. H., V. 23, p. 122; Pruritus vulvce during pregnancy, Dyce Brown ; Inefficient labor pains. Excelsior, N. A. J. H., v. 23, p. 123; Puerperal convidsions, F. A. Lord, U. S. M. & S. J., V. 7, p. 360 ; Puerperal eclampsia, D. Baumetz (from Lancet), Horn. Kev., V. 17, p. 310; Infantile tetanus. Hale (see Sympt.) ; Typhoid pneumonia with sleeplessness, J. C. Neilson, N. E. M. G., v. 6, p. 161; Palpitation during phthisis, Swan, Am. Ob., v. 10, p. 136 ; Foul-smelling foot sweats, Ortega, N. A. J. H., v. 26, p. 412 ; Violent hysterical fit, J. C. Neilson, N. E. M. G., v. 6, p. 161 ; Chorea, Strange, N. A. J. H., V. 23, p. 123 ; Chorea during pregnancy, J. Russell, N. A. J. H., v. 23, p. 123 ; Idiopathic tetanus, M. L. Sircar, Calcutta Journ., v. 3, p. 389 ; Ana- sarca from valvular disease of heart. Swan, A. H. Obs., 1873, p. 135 ; Preventive to sea-sickness, Geraldis, A. O. ; J. C. O. Will, Horn. Rev., v. 16, p. 561, Ober, N. A. J. H., V. 24, p. 567 ; Urticaria and Pruritus, Dyce Brown, B. J. H., v. 32, p. 512; Urticaria (2 cases), Dyce Brown ; J. C. Burnett, H. M., v. 13, p. 56 (2 cases) ; A. C. Clifton, H. R., v. 21, p. 526. ^ Mind. Comatose for days, ending in cerebral congestion. Melancholia, idiocy and insanity. vol.. IV. — 6. CHLORALUM. 82 Fixed despair of recovery ; believes he will give his imagi- nary disease (syphilis) to others. Confusion of mind, inability to concentrate thoughts, impaired memory ; could not keep the thread of sermon. I Mental diseases, and general paralysis of patients suffer- ing from mental diseases. I I Constantly hears voices. ■Sleeplessness at night, with restless irritability; headache, confusion in head; melancholy; inclined to wander and hide herself, avoiding shrewdly the vigilance of her friends ; would then return, unable to give any ac- count of where she had been. I He walks hurriedly up and down the room, talking to himself in an excited manner, and holding conversation with imaginary beings. ^Acute mania induced by se- vere mental excitement. Jumps out of bed with fear, cold sweat, screams as if in mortal terror ; night terrors of children. Gorgeous visions of arches, tapestry and colors, pass before the eyes when shut, or open in the dark. I ! Wild delirium changing to a busy delirium ; visions of fantastic objects ; a great deal of fever; pulse 120 most of the time. ^Delirium tremens. Delirious, she hurls a hot water bottle at an imaginary figure at foot of bed. I I Boisterous mania. ': Delirium of typhus. I I Delirium tremens, when brain is congested. I I Puerperal mania, with sleeplessness. Hydrophobia. ^ Inner Head, i ' Cephalalgia. I Hard, full, pressing pains in head continuing a long time without relief. ^Dysmenorrhoea. Dull, heavy, aching pain in forehead and occiput all day, < by motion. Severe pain in frontal region over supraorbital ridge, which nothing relieves, < by motion. Headache in forehead, extending to occiput. Headache over both eyes, running down into eyes, 1. side worse, with feeling as if eyes were constricted. I Neuralgia of temporal region. Feeling as if a hot band was drawn across forehead from temple to temple directly over eyes, with sensation of a burning ring around each eye. Dull, heavy headache in occiput and forehead over eyes; a feeling of weight and soreness, which seems wholly within cranium; < by moving about and lying down, slightly > by going into open air. 83 CHLORALUM. 1 I Cerebro-spinal congestion. I I Cerebral congestion following a condition of extraordi- nary depression of nervous system. Congestion of brain with some mental excitement. * Outer Head, l Great heaviness of head; cannot lift it. Erythema of head and neck. ^ Sight and Eyes. Retinal hypersesthesia. Sensitive to light. Colors are unusually bright. Objects look white; color blindness. Dark spots before the eyes. I Dimness of sight. Eyesight weak, dim, globe congested, lids swollen and sometimes partially paralyzed. Peculiar dimness or weakness of sight; must read with one eye at a time — for a minute or two with each ; if one eye was used longer than a minute, the words and letters became blurred and indistinct. If one eye only is used until objects fade, the other sees objects plainly for awhile. Can see small objects only for a few moments, they fade away. Eyeballs feel too large. ■ Burning in eyes and lids. Sensation of a burning ring around each eye. Feeling as if eyes were constricted, with headache. Sharp pain in the eyeballs. Redness and watering of eyes. Watery eyes, especially when looking at anything. ■ Conjunctiva congested. ■ Eyes injected and bloodshot, constantly watering. ■ I Face and eyelids so swollen that he could hardly see. ^Urticaria. Conjunctivae injected, face has a puffed and swollen appear- ance, especially below eyes. ■ Ocular and palpebral conjunctiva of 1. eye much injected, with considerable pain ; a small ulcer on cornea reduced to size of a pin point. ■Right eye much injected, with great pain; 1. eye also slightly injected. ^Conjunctivitis. ■ Conjunctivitis of r. eye, which is very red and painful, deepcut ulcer in centre of cornea ; of a strumous family. ■ Conjunctivitis and corneitis on 1. eye; cornea is diru; in r. eye considerable redness of palpebral and ocular con- junctiva at one point ; great photophobia. ■ Conjunctivitis of both eyes; small ulcer on .1. cornea; feeling of sand in eyes, but almost no photoj)hobia ; is a very strumous patient. CHLORALUM. 84 B Catarrhal ophthalmia; there are one or two phlyctenee on r. eye, at edge of cornea ; severe circumorbital pain and photophobia. ■ Intense itching of inner canthi and edges of lids. I Puffy swelling of lids. Eyelids feel so heavy he can hardly lift them. Ptosis (in a man who took it for overtaxed mind). ^ Hearing and Ears. Great sensitiveness to noise. ^ Upper Face. Dark scarlet flushing and heat of head and face, from roots of hair to ramus of lower jaw, neck and chest, including eyes, persistent under pressure; blotchy in places. I I Face red and swollen. ^Urticaria. Face erysipelatous ; swollen so he could not see. i Neuralgia of infraorbital branch of fifth nerve. ^ Lower Face. Lips covered with sordes and dried blood. Swelling of parotid and submaxillary glands. I I Blueness of lips. ^° Teeth and Gums, l l Neuralgia from decayed teeth. I I Odontalgia traumatica from pressure of filling ; pain unbearable; <C when lying down. I Excruciating toothache from decayed teeth, with neural- gic affection of jaw. ■ Neuralgia of inferior dental branch of fifth nerve. " Taste and Tongue. Deeply coated tongue. A black streak along centre of tongue as though ink had been rubbed over it. ^^ Inner Mouth. Lips, mouth and fauces red and raw, gums spongy, tongue blistered and ulcerated. ^^ Throat. Spasm of throat. Partial paralysis of oesophagus. I I She could not utter a syllable and swallowed with diffi- culty. ^* Appetite, Thirst. Loss of appetite. Thirst. ^^ Vomiting, l Vomiting and nervous irritability during course of cerebro-spinal meningitis. ^^ Scrobiculum and Stomach, i i Feebleness of stomach. 1 Sense of sinking and oppression at pit of stomach. Sense of emptiness shortly after eating. ^^ Hypochondria, l l Hepatic and renal colic, dependent on passage of calculus. I Gall stones. Atrophy of liver. ^^ Abdomen. ■ Severe colic of children, when the pain threat- ens to cause spasms. ■Ascites attendant upon supposed case of phthisis pulmo- nalis. 85 . CHLORALUM. ^ Stool and Rectum. Soft, lumpy, strong smelling stools twice a clay, and frequent passage of fetid flatus. I I Diarrhoea at night with excessive nervous excitement. ^Dentition. Cholera without vomiting or diarrhoea. ^^ Urinary Organs. ■ i Nephritic and hepatic colic dependent upon passage of calculus. I 1 Increases urine when given for anasarca from heart disease. ■ Urinated copiously in bed without knowing it. I Nocturnal incontinence of urine ; in * children in latter part of night, even if they have urinated during night and drank no water. Frequent and profuse urination of dark amber color, clear and without odor. ^^ Male Sexual Organs. Loss of sexual power; no desire or erections; impotence. iChordee during gonorrhoea. ^ Female Sexual Organs. If taken immediately before onset of catamenial discharge, it entirely checks it. I I Menses irregular. ^Urticaria. ■ Severe spasmodic pains in and about the uterus. ^Dys- menorrhoea. ■Pains very severe and labor-like. ^Dysmenorrhoea. I I Thick, yellow leucorrhoea, tinged sometimes with a little blood. ^Urticaria. ^ Pregnany, Parturition, Lactation. ■ Troublesome pruritus during pregnancy. ■ Tedious labor lasting over eighteen hours; nervous, irri- table, hysterical condition; the pains which are appar- ently normal and forcible have no effect on the uterus. : Severe labor pains. I I Puerperal convulsions. 1 I Severe case of chorea during pregnancy. ^ Voice and Larynx. Trachea and Bronchia. • Bronchitis. ^ Respiration. I Gasping breathing and confusion of thought; sinking at stomach. ■ Great dyspnoea, a sense of suffocation; oppression at base of chest (in front), with urgent thirst. I I Slow resjDiration, with imperceptible pulse. Laborious respiration, occasional deep inspiration, with a sighing expiration. Wheezing respiration. Stertorous breathing, with loud snoring during sleep, in any position. When lying on back, the inspiration was through the nose, while the ex23iration was blown from the lips as in apoplexy. CHLORALUM. . 86 ■Asthma; the nightly paroxysms are very severe; he is bent forwards^ can hardly catch his breath. ^ Cough. I I Hard, difficult cough. ^Chest affections. Spasmodic cough accompanying last stage of phthisis. I I Labored cough of bronchitis and phthisis. Whooping cough. Croup. ^^ Inner Chest and Lungs. Pulmonary congestion. I I Constriction at base of chest, with dyspnoea, in organic heart affections. Sense of weight on chest in region of sternum at night, causing expiration to be easier than inspiration. Singular sensation of fulness of chest, not as if it w^as filled up as a person experiences after a meal, but rather as if all the tissues were hypertrophied, producing an inde- scribable sense of tightness and pressure on the lungs, causing very labored breathing and redness of face. I I Great dyspnoea with labored action of lungs. ^Dropsy. I Congestive bronchitis with spitting of blood; painful and audible breathing. I 1 Severe attacks of typhoid pneumonia ; unable to sleep from nervous irritation, dyspncea and cough. ^ Heart, Pulse and Circulation. Heart's action regular but with increased frequency and diminished force. ■ Increased action of heart and oppressed respiration. I I Violent palpitation with dyspnoea. ^Hypertrophy with dilatation. I I Palpitations so violent that they can be heard ; great difficulty of respiration, patient requires constant fan- ning. ^Phthisis. Palpitation accompanies hypersemic condition of skin ; < from wine, beer or spirits. Heart dilated or weakened, with peculiar fulness and lightness of chest and sense of emptiness in stomach. i Angina pectoris. Valvular disease of heart with anasarca. I I Diminution of heart's action in organic affections, with dyspnoea and constriction of base of chest. I I Heart beats become feeble, irregular, very rapid. I I Heart feeble, pulse weak ; could not lie down ; general anasarca. Cardiac neurosis. I I Threatened paralysis of heart. ^Pericarditis. I 1 Pulse frequent, irregular, weak, intermittent, heart act- ing regularly but with increased frequency and dimin- ished force. Weak, irritable pulse, threatening paralysis of heart. Imperceptible pulse, cold extremities, slow respiration. Pulse 88. 87 CHLORALUM. ^^ Neck and Back. Erj^thema of head and neck. A purple discolored band, two inches wide, along each side of vertebral column. I I Large patches of redness with urticarious wheals about neck, trunk and extremities. At base of skin large greenish spots. ^^ Upper Limbs. Upon red surface of 1. arm a piass of minute points of a deeper red. Left arm swollen and indurated. Erythematous inflammation, desquamation and ulceration around border of nails; pain, great sensibility to touch. ^ Lower Limbs. Sensation and motion paralyzed in both legs. Foul smelling foot sweats. ^ Limbs in General. Wandering rheumatoid pains. I I Cold extremities, with blueness of lips, slow respiration, imperceptible pulse. I I Large red patches on arms and legs, exactly like nettle rash, in large raised wheals, with intense irritative itching. ^ Rest. Position. Motion, i ' Limbs extended, head low, appearance of impending death. Lies in a state resembling catalepsy ; hysteria. Lying down : < headache ; < toothache ; impossible on account of weak action of heart. Lying on back : inspiration through nose, expiration, through lips. In any position : stertorous breathing. Bent forward : in asthma. Could neither lie nor stand ; chorea.