Ammonium Carbonicum

[carbonate of ammonia.]

Carbonate of ammonia; also sesquicarbonate of ammonia, or subcarbonate of ammonia, volatile or smelling salt ; also baker's salt, so-called from the fact that bakers sometimes resort to it as a sub- stitute for yeast in the manufacture of the finer kinds of bread.

If the sesquicarbonate is exposed to the air, it changes to the bicarbonate, which is not near as pungent as the carbonate.

The carbonate of ammonia is a hard, translucent, striated mass, having a sharp, urinous taste ; unless well kept in bottles proyided with ground glass-stoppers, it becomes opaque, loses its pungency and likewise its medicinal properties.

Wibmer, the distinguished toxicologist, experimented with this salt upon himself. He found that a grain and a half produced on himself no remarkable effect ; three grains increased the frequency of the pulse from sixty-eight to seventy-two beats per minute, with throbbing headache. In other experiments, in which he took from six to twelve grains (in some repeating the dose at short intervals), the effects were usually, but not constantly, increased frequency of the pulse, with disorder of the brain, manifested by pain, heaviness, throbbing, etc. In one instance, he says, disposition to cough and increased secretion of bronchial mucus were remarkable.

Huxham mentions the following case illustrative of the ill-effects resulting from the long-continued use of ammonia: "I had lately under my care," he observes, "a gentleman of fortune and family, who so habituated himself to the use of vast quantities of volatile salts, that at length he could eat them in a very astonishing manner, as other people eat sugar and caraway seeds. The consequence was that he brought on a hectic fever, vast haemorrhages from the intes- tines, nose and gums ; every one of his teeth dropped out, aud he could eat nothing solid ; he wasted vastly in his flesh, and his muscles became as soft and flabby as those of a new-born infant, and he broke out all over his body in pustules.

His urine was always excessively high-colored, turbid and very fetid. He was at last persuaded to leave off this pernicious custom ; but he had so effectually ruined his constitution, that, though he lived on in a miserable manner for several months, he died, and in the highest degree of marasmus. And I am persuaded he would have died much sooner, had he not

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constantly drank very freely of the most fine and generous wines, and daily used large quantities of asses' milk, and anti-scorbutic juices, acidulated with juice of lemon."

Large doses of this salt, thirty grains or more, may cause vomit- ing, abdominal pains and other symptoms of inflammation, convul- sions and other phenomena indicative of its action on the nervous system.

Dr. T. S. Hoyne (U. S. Med. and Surg. Journal, Oct., 1873,) gives the following characteristics of the carbonate of ammonia:

Great aversion to water, cannot bear to touch it. Makes mistakes in writing and speaking. Pulsations, beating and pressing in the forehead; shocks through the head when gnashing the teeth. With other symptoms, milky or watery complexion as in other alkalies.

Child's nose stopped up, starts from sleep; rattling of phlegm in the trachea and bronchia. Pressing the teeth firmly together sends shocks through the head, eyes, ears and nose. Nausea and vomiting after each meal ; soreness at the stomach after eating. Bleeding haemorrhoids and itching of the anus, are both worse when the menstrual flow comes on.

Discharge of blood from the rectum before and during menstruation. Haemorrhoids are worse during the menses. Menses too short and scanty ; quite ill at that time. During menses must lie down, because of extreme debility.

Scanty menses, always attended with frontal headache. Violent and acrid leucorrhoea. Cough at 3 or 4 a. m. Incessant cough, excited by a sensation as if there were down in the larynx, aggravated after eating and on lying down.

A small knot, like a pimple, on the breastbone ; when slightly touched, it feels as if a splinter was therein. The hands look blue and the veins distended, after washing in cold water. Violent starting in the sleep. Nightmare every night ; sometimes in a sweat, when awaking.

Skin very sensitive to cold. Exanthema, like that of scarlet fever. A heaviness in all internal organs. Aver- sion to being washed.

Adapted to scurvy and spanaemic diseases.

This remedy acts upon the spinal and ganglionic nervous system. It affects the female sexual organs ; the lungs ; the skin, the blood, and, according to Baehr, the brain. Dr. Douglas says : " Its great peculiarity doubtless, is its direct action on the blood.

It seems to be established that a small portion of ammonia in the blood is the ingredient which preserves its fluidity. An excess destroys the blood corpuscles, and the coagulability of the blood, and produces a scorbutic state, melaena, haemorrhages, morbus maculosus, etc., and

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hence it is homoeopathic to many diseased conditions characterized by blood deteriorations. This is abundantly confirmed by clinical experience." (if. S. Jour, of Horn., May, 1860.)

The known action of this drug upon the organism leads us to use it in

IRRITATIONS OF THE AIR PASSAGES, with oppression, racking cough, expectoration of mucus and soreness ; the pulse may be somewhat irritated, the temperature of the body rather increased, and there may be slight tendency to perspire.

The cough, for which you will find the ammonium carbonicum especially useful, is characterized by an incessant tickling as from down in the larynx ; hoarseness ; tendency to asthma. In

INFLAMMATORY IRRITATIONS OF THE BOWELS, with pains in the bowels, feverishness, bloody and mucus discharges, colored urine which has a strong ammoniacal odor ; in

DYSMENORRHEA, or painful menstruation, with chilliness and feverish erethism of the circulation ; the blood is dark and has a strong smell, owing to the presence of ammonium, which is evolved in unusual quantities during painful menstruation.

Dr. J. C. Sanders (Cin. Med. Advance, July, 1877,) gives: Pains in the abdomen, back and teeth, and between the shoulder-blades ; swelling and itching of the vulva ; flowr black, scanty and too brief ; acrid, watery leucorrhcea ; constipation ; paleness ; sadness ; forget- ful ness. We may use it in

MENORRHAGIA when the flow appears prematurely, is black in color ; colicky pains in the abdomen and pains through the loins ; acrid leucorrhcea ; irritability of temper ; smell of ammonia of the menstrual or urinary discharge. The

LEUCORRHCEA of ammonia is extremely acrid ; headache after walking in the open ah*. Best suited to sickly, delicate women of a moody, sad, irritable disposition. Retires early to get a good night's sleep ; if not, she is awake and restless all night. Odor of ammonia in the discharges. In

SCORBUTIC CONDITIONS of the system, in putrid fevers, when characterized by symptoms of decomposition of the vital fluids, haemmorrhage from the intestines, nose and gums ; wasting away of the muscles ; hurried, feeble pulse, loss of strength, habitual diar- rhoea consisting of foul mucus and blood ; fetid urine.

EPISTANIS requires this remedy when the nose bleeds in the morning while washing the face ; nosebleed accompanied with

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pressure in the forehead and a sensation as if the brain were being crowded from within outward.

A woman of twenty-three years, who had epistaxis for several years, usually com- ing on while washing her face in the morning, was cured by amnion, carb.* (Chap- mann, Allg. Horn. Zeitg., xxxix, 9).

A weak young man of fifteen years had the measles lightly. A few months, after a protracted indisposition, a flow of bright red blood from the right nostril showed itself, with rapid pulse and heat of the body. The epistaxis continued for four days, in spite of aconite, arnica and other means. On the fourth day he felt violent pressure in the forehead, as if the brain would be crowded out of the cranium.

After one grain of ammonium carbon.3 a marked increase of the haemorrhage showed itself, followed after three or four hours with a lessening of the flow and an appearance of the measles, {/did.)

An excellent remedy in certain types of nursing sore mouth. In a very stubborn case which this drug cured, the following were prominent symptoms : Great prostration, hollow cough, burning in the tongue ; the whole buccal cavity was filled with vesicles and ulcerated depressions, and the tongue swollen, stiff and very sensitive to cold air and drinks. In

PUTRID TYPHUS where the symptoms of decomposition of the blood and general marasmus constitute the chief indications from the outset, although not fully developed ; fever, heat and dryness of the skin, throbbing pains in the head, foul breath, foul discharges from the bowels ; fetid urine may be present at the first invasion of the disease.

CONVULSIONS. — Carbonate of ammonia mav be a useful

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remedy in convulsions, tetanic or epileptic spasms, arising from cerebral irritation, violent cerebral congestions. It is doubtful whether we can do more, in many cases of this kind, than simply palliate the attack for the time being. It may be used to rouse the patient in hysteria, syncope, eclampsia, preparing the way for constitu- tional treatment.

SOFTENING OF THE BRAIN.— Dr. Lilienthal mentions it among the remedies for softening of the brain, quoting from Allen the following symptoms : Gloomy and uneasy mood, aggravated by cloudy weather ; low spirits with considerable excitement ; very forgetful and headache when reflecting; absenseof mind, with anxiety; speaks aud writes incorrectly ; weight and confusion of the head ; vertigo, as from intoxication ; great lassitude ; most severe muscular con- tractions, spasms; violent rheumatic drawing pains 'through all the limbs, hands, feet, nape of the neck, etc.

SCARLET FEVER.— It is used in scarlet fever, when this, dis- ease assumes a dangerous putrid form, like putrid typhus. There

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will be, in all cases where ammonium carbon i cum is required, a tendency to putrescence which you cannot mistake, and a marked disposition on part of involved structures to become gangrenous. All of the eruptive troubles for which ammonium carbonicum is indicated, are marked by great burning, smarting and itching, and a scorbutic state of the system.

As regards the dose, I am confident that Hahnemann's direction, to use the 30th attenuation in all diseases is impracticable. In acute attacks, when the symptoms of organic reaction are prominently developed, we may use a few drops of the first or second attenuation in a tumblerful of water, in table-spoonful doses every hour or two ; but in conditions of the system setting in after the organic reaction has become exhausted, and where the symptoms correspond with the primary action of the drug intensified, as it were, a larger dose may be necessary ; I do not mean scruple doses of the salt, but a few drops of a strong solution in a tumblerful of water. A strong solu- tion is prepared by dissolving ten grains in an ounce of water.

The best antidote of poisonous doses of carbonate of ammonia is diluted vinegar, or diluted lemon-juice.