Kali bichromicum (with the other Chromium preparations, Chro. ac. and Chro. ox.) owes its introduction into the homoeopathic materia medica to the late Dr. J. J. Drysdale, whose monograph upon it, forming one section of the Hahnemann Materia Medica, and now occupying pp. 457 to 573 of Materia Medica Physiological and Applied, is the most complete account of the remedy which we possess. The Bichromate of Potash, which is manufactured in large quantities from chrome-iron-ore, is the preparation from which all other salts of Chromium are derived. The native association of Chromium with Ferrum is worthy of note. The Bichromate is largely used in the arts in dying, calico-printing, wood-staining, in photography, and as a solution for producing the current in electric batteries. Many of the most remarkable symptoms were obtained from workmen engaged in the preparation of the salt. Some of these had been noted before Drysdale took up the study of the drug. The first proving was published by him in 1844 in the British Journal of Homoeopathy. The following year it was proved by the Austrian Society. The effects of the drug show profound action on the entire organism, and characteristic features of the utmost value to the prescriber have been brought out, rendering the drug one of the most important members of the homoeopathic materia medica. Among these keynotes of Kali bi. four may be named as pre-eminent: (1) Discharges from mucous membranes of tough, stringy mucus, or muco-pus, which adheres to the part and can be drawn out in strings. (2) The occurrence of pain in small spots. In connection with this is another feature showing a sharply defined action: (3) Punched-out, perforating ulcers, occurring on skin, mucous membranes, and affecting bones (e.g. vomer, palate). (4) Alternating and shifting conditions: pains wander from part to part; rheumatic pains alternate with gastric symptoms, or with dysentery; headache alternates with blindness; fibrinous deposits extend downwards. Among other leading characters, scarcely less distinctive are: (a) The formation of plugs or clinkers on mucous membranes, especially in the nose. (This may be regarded as an advanced stage of the stringy mucous secretions.) (b) Still another Variety of this is the formation of false membranes as in croup and diphtheria, with hoarse, metallic cough; and the formation of casts of the bronchial tubes in fibrinous bronchitis. (c) Yet another characteristic mucous discharge is one of "jelly-like mucus." (d) Indigestion from drinking beer; loss of appetite; weight in pit of stomach immediately after eating; flatulence. (e) Among peculiar sensations the "hair sensation" is marked in Kali bi. It occurs chiefly on the back part of the tongue and in the left nostril.—It can hardly be questioned that Chromium is the predominant partner in the action of this salt, but it would be wrong to consider the Kali element as of no account, and it would be still more wrong to disregard the very large proportion of oxygen. It is as an oxydising agent and disinfectant that K. bi. is chiefly known in general medicine, and it is probably to the oxygen element that the ulcerating properties of the drug are largely due. One of its effects is "odourless stools," and the oxygen element is probably accountable for this. Another point in this connection is that the antidotes to poisonous doses of Kali bi. are the same as the antidotes to the acids. The Kali parallels must be sought chiefly in Causticum and Kali carb. The general resemblance is great, but the minute correspondences are not very striking. One possible point of correspondence has been pointed out. Storer (Med. Adv., xxv. 98), cured with Kali bi. a case of asthma in a man who noticed that the attacks were caused by and always followed coitus. The Kali bi. was prescribed on other indications, but this symptom must be noted for future verification. Kali c. has marked "< from coitus," and also from emissions; and Caust. has stupid feeling in the head the day after an emission." Caust. has many symptoms of disordered vision; though it has not the "blindness followed by headache, the sight improving as the pain becomes worse" of Kali bi. This is very characteristic and has led me to many cures. Both Caust. and Kali bi. have many symptoms of ulceration internal and external. Nash relates a good cure with Kali bi. A woman had deep punched-out ulcers with regular edges. One of them had perforated the soft palate and threatened the whole palate. It had a syphilitic appearance, and the patient had been long under old-school treatment. There was also a stringy discharge, but not to a great amount. In three weeks Kali bi. 30 made a cure which proved permanent; the local condition entirely healed and the patient's general state improved correspondingly. Apropos of syphilis Drysdale quotes a long series of cases of syphilis in all stages treated by J. E. Güntz with "Chrome water." This consists of an artificial aerated water containing in 600 grammes of water Kali bi. 0.03 grms., Kali nit. 0.1 grm., Natr. nit., 0.1 grm., Nat. mur., 0.2 grm.; this mixture is incorporated with carbonic acid under the highest pressure, at low temperature, and kept some time before use. The dose given was from half to two bottles daily (each bottle containing 600 grammes) in five doses, given on a full stomach. Even in this dilution the mixture was sufficiently disgusting in taste, and to some quite intolerable. A number of the Kali bi. symptoms were produced, but on the whole very notable and evidently specific curative action was observed. Out of 100 cases of primary syphilis 64 remained without constitutional symptoms. In secondary and tertiary syphilis "chromo-water" was also remarkably successful. In strictly homoeopathic practice Kali bi. has been no less successful, as its symptoms correspond to a great variety of the manifestations of that disease, especially keratitis and iritis, ozaena, bone-pains and nodes, sore throat, syphilitic rheumatism and ulcers. Like Causticum it has some sycotic symptoms as well, including asthma, early morning <, gleety discharge, and, according to Farrington, scabs on fingers, often about the nails, and on corona glandis. J. B. Garrison records the rapid action of Kali bi. in two cases of intermittent fever (H. R., iii. 105), on an indication given him by Martin Deschere. The latter once took by mistake an overdose of Kali bi., which was followed by vomiting of a large quantity of bright yellow water, tasting very bitter. Garrison's first case was a labourer, ill a month with fever, pains and paroxysm at 1 p.m. just before Garrison saw him he had vomited "a large quantity of bright yellow water." Kali bi. 1x, one grm. dissolved in a tumbler of water, a teaspoonful every two hours, cured at once. Case ii. was that of a woman who had been nine months under allopathic treatment, had not been out of the house for two months, and had been told she could not recover. Among other symptoms was this: Vomited much more than she drank: in the morning vomited a large bowlful of bright yellow fluid. The yellowness of Kali bi. secretions and excretions is noteworthy. Kali bi. is particularly suited to fat people; and Goullon (quoted H. R., vi. 267) gives the case of an enormously fat man of "formless colossal body" who complained of chronic accumulation of phlegm—he seemed fairly filled up with it, especially in the morning—for which all domestic remedies and mineral waters had been given in vain. Kali bi. 2x was ordered, a few grains in hot water every evening. In two weeks the patient could resume his walks. He felt easy on his chest, the accumulation of phlegm disappeared, his bowels became regular instead of constipated. H. W. Champlin (Med. Adv., xix. 393), cites a case of chronic rheumatism in an old over 70 confirming symptoms of Kali bi. She was restless and sleepless at night, and Rhus relieved this somewhat, but closer investigation brought out this: (1) The pains changed rapidly from one place to another, and (2) they occupied small spots that could be covered with the point of a finger. Kali bi. cured rapidly. Kali bi. also causes: Rheumatic-like or shooting and pricking pains here and there. In one prover (Drysdale himself) the rheumatic pains were <, and the gastric pains >, after eating. There were cramps in various parts; twitches in hands and feet; stinging pains all over. Pains in short jerks as if a nerve were suddenly pulled. Sudden pains. Pains appear and disappear suddenly. Diagonal pains; right mamma and left elbow; left forearm and right occiput; right knee and hip, left breast and shoulder; right axilla, left thigh; right big toe, left little finger; right forearm, left elbow; right foot, ankles, shin, left hip, arm, shoulder; right big toe and thumb; wrists and ankles. Shifting pains and sudden pains. "Indolence" is a characteristic of many conditions—indolent ulcers; indolent inflammation about and of the eyes; slow scrofulous or sycotic ophthalmia, soreness of the canthi, pustules round the eyes, lids adhering and puffed, whites of the eyes yellowish. The face is bloated and blotched; may be yellowish; acne accompanies headaches and gastric conditions. The tongue is thick and broad and takes the imprint of the teeth. The stomach symptoms are very distressing. Painful vomitings; sour, and mixed with clear mucus; may be bitter from the presence of bile; vomiting caused by every attempt to eat or drink, with distress and burning rawness about the stomach. This corresponds to the vomiting of drunkards, especially in beer-drinkers; also to gastric ulcer. The abdomen swells up immediately after a full meal. Food lies like a load as if digestion were suspended. There is aversion to meat; and longing for beer; and for acid drinks. It removes the chronic effects of drinking too much malt liquor, especially lager beer. Some of the workmen found they could not drink coffee as it made them worse, and they were obliged to take to tea instead. (This bears out Hering's dictum that "wine-drinkers should take coffee and beer-drinkers should take tea." Coffee antidotes wine and tea antidotes beer; so as Kali bi. corresponds to beer effects tea will be likely to agree with it better than coffee). Kali bi. causes great prostration, discomfort, debility, and desire to lie down. The neuralgic attacks sometimes recur every day, at the same hour. Epilepsy has been cured by it when there was flow of tough, stringy fluid from the mouth in the attacks. In very weak solutions (about 1 to 2,000) Kali bi. has been used with much success as a local application for ulcers, especially when they are very painful. Lord and Moore had good success in treating horses for farcy, using the remedy both externally and internally. In the cough of Kali bi. the stringy, difficult expectoration, and early morning < will generally indicate; or a pain from mid-sternum through to back. But there is also a cough caused by eating. W. J. Pierce (H. W., xxx. 567) records the case of James S., 40. For four months past, as soon as he swallowed food (not liquids), a tickling in throat excited a severe cough, which stopped only on vomiting, and was followed by a watery coryza. This was so distressing that for two months he had eaten only two meals a day. There was pharyngeal catarrh with stringy mucus hanging from naso-pharynx. Kali bi. 1, a tablet every two hours, was given. He had no more vomiting, and only coughed twice in the next five days, and was soon quite cured. Kali bi. is credited with the cure of a case of Descemetitis [inflammation of the internal (Descemet's) membrane of the cornea] with redness of right eye, brightness of the lid and lachrymation. Kali bi. removed the spots and relieved the other symptoms. Kali bi. is especially suited to fair-haired, fat persons, especially fat, chubby children; fat, sluggish people. Most of the symptoms appear in the early morning or are < then 2 a.m. heat in pit of stomach; awakes with oppressed breathing with a start. 2 to 3 a.m. croup; early morning cough; morning diarrhoea; 9 a.m. pain in head begins; goes off in afternoon. Shooting from root of nose to external angle of eye begins morning, increases to noon, and ceases towards evening (sun-headache). Affections of autumn and spring. Complaints of hot weather are particularly likely to want Kali bi., but at the same time there is "great liability to take cold in open air"; and "moderately cold air is felt very unpleasantly." Eruptions begin in warm weather (opp. Rhus). Open air > symptoms generally, especially vertigo; but < gastric complaints and chilliness. Uncovering <; wrapping up >. Warmth > cough; undressing < cough. Cold weather > itching of eruption. < By eating; eating = cough weight in stomach. Touch < most symptoms; but pressure >. But pressure = pains to shoot along sciatic nerve. Moving the affected part > the pain. Most symptoms are < at rest and > by motion. Stooping <; sitting <.