Potassium carbonate, sometimes called "Vegetable alkali," exists in all plants, and was originally obtained from the ashes left after burning wood and vegetable structures. Potassium salts play a no less important part in the animal economy. Kali carb. may be regarded as the typical member of the Kali group of homoeopathic remedies, though Causticum has also claims on the title. The Potassium salts have more specific relation to the solid tissues than to the fluids of the body; to the blood corpuscles rather than to the blood plasma. The fibrous tissues are particularly affected, the ligament of joints, of the uterus, of the back. It corresponds to conditions in which these tissues are relaxed-joints give way; the back feels as if broken; the patient feels compelled to lie down in the street. Goullon (translation, H. R., xv. 327) calls attention to the importance of this polychrest in complaints of women, in which it rivals Sepia, differing from the latter in having menstruation "too protracted and recurring too frequently; the pains and troubles occur before the menses. The climacteric flushings of K. ca. are associated with disturbances of the heart. Palpitations are most violent. By quieting these K. ca. often serves as an excellent soporific. In addition to the uterus and heart, lungs, pleura, bronchi, and larynx all come under its action. Chronic laryngeal catarrh Goullon specially mentions as frequently cured by it. He places it in the front rank as a knee remedy. Among the grand characteristics of K. ca., three stand out above the rest: (1) Stitching, lancinating pains, also called jerking pains; < during rest, < lying on affected side. (2) Early morning aggravation: < 2 to 4 a.m. (3) The occurrence of bag-like swellings over the eyes, between the eyebrows and the upper lids. Relaxation of tissues is a great note of K. ca. It is suited to persons of soft tissues with tendency to be fat. Easy sweating may be placed in the same category, and when there is a combination of "sweat, backache, and weakness," the three, according to Farrington, constitute a grand characteristic. The backaches of K. ca. are very important. The pain often extends downwards to the buttock and even to the knee. Pain from hip to knee (more especially if right sided) has led to the cure of many cases of hip-joint disease. This symptom also led me to make a remarkable cure of another kind. A lady, 73, stout, short, pale, and of very soft fibre, had for four months suffered from "rheumatic pains," and an offensive vaginal discharge. A local practitioner of repute was consulted (the patient lived in the country, and I did not see her till a year or two afterwards) and pronounced it cancer of the womb in an advanced stage, and gave her four months to live. She described to me the pain as being all round the lower abdomen, and a "dull, heavy, depressing, dead pain, commencing at the inner part of the top of the right hip (iliac crest) and extending to the knee." The pain was so severe it made her feel quite sick and faint. The discharge was very offensive, like decaying meat. Great weakness and trembling accompanied the discharge; urine was almost like blood at times, and had a sandy sediment. K. ca. 1m. was given and at once improvement set in. In a few months all the bad symptoms had disappeared and never returned. The patient lived ten years after this. In connection with this case I may mention another. A man had an ulcer of right leg with swelling of ankle, and he complained of waking at 2 a.m. K. ca. 30 cured, but meantime he developed this symptom: "Great weakness of right thigh, as if it would give out when walking." This "giving-out" feeling is very characteristic of the remedy. "Constant backache, the patient feeling all the time that the back and legs must give out." K. ca. corresponds to many cases of lumbago, stitching pains, pulsations; > by pressure and by lying flat on the back. "Weakness, sweat, and backache" appear in many conditions of debility as from loss of fluids; after confinement or abortion (puerperal mania, fever, or spasms). Complaints after coition in males, especially complaints of the eyes. Weary and sleepy during and after eating. Yawns continually. The mental state of K. ca. is one of peevishness and irritability. Easily startled by any noise (especially if unexpected). Fear is prominent; fears to be alone. Intellect impaired, does not care for anything. Indifferent, with bodily exhaustion; when questioned does not know what to answer. The "touchiness" of the remedy is very marked: "Cannot bear to be touched; starts when touched ever so lightly, especially on the feet." K. ca. acts profoundly on the tissues. It causes fatty degeneration of the heart and other muscles. It affects the blood itself as well as the circulation, causing anaemia and haemorrhages. Throbbing of blood-vessels all over body and to ends of fingers and toes is a marked symptom. Irregularity of heart's action. A peculiar symptom is: sensation as if the heart were suspended by a thread. The digestion is very much disordered; flatulence, distension, constipation. Many symptoms come on when eating: Drowsiness; toothache only when eating. It has the fishbone sensation in the throat, which is part of the general tendency to stitching pains. Another feature is easy choking; food easily gets into windpipe; pain in back when swallowing. The cough has peculiarities in addition to that of time aggravation 2-4 a.m. It is dry, paroxysmal, loosens viscid mucus or pus which must be swallowed. Or spasmodic with gagging or vomiting of ingesta. The expectoration consists of hard, white, or smoky masses, which fly from the throat when coughing. Globules of pus may be contained in it. Hahnemann said that persons suffering from ulceration in the lungs could hardly get well without this antipsoric. I have frequently had occasion to verify its value in such cases. The stitching pains, sweat, and weakness are leading indications, also the locality of the affection. K. ca. is more a right than a left-side medicine. The base of the right lung is more affected than any other part. Goullon says also the apices. K. ca is a remedy often called for in sick-headache. "Violent headaches about the inner temples; violent stitching or jerking pains, on one side of the head or both." One-sided headache with nausea. One case which I cured was > by lying down, > by a tight band round the head. Pressure and drawing in forehead extending into eyes and root of nose. Congestion to head and heat of face often accompany the headaches. "Drowsy whilst eating" is a very characteristic symptom of K. ca. Ide, of Stettin, Germany, has recorded a case (translated by McNeil, Med. Adv., xxiv. 294) which well illustrates this. A lady, 65, suffered from chronic bronchial catarrh and emphysema. In November, 1886, she had asthmatic complaints, depriving her of sleep, with cough and mucous expectoration difficult to raise. Always when eating she was so weary she fell asleep, and could not finish her meal. After eating still very tired. In the morning passed much flatulence. K. ca. 10 removed the condition in a few days. The following March after a cold there was a recurrence, but without the weariness, and K. ca. failed, whilst Ars. 15 rapidly cured. In the same patient K. ca. manifested its power in another set of symptoms: Toothache alternating with tearing, stitching pain in left breast and under left false ribs. The side pains were < at night, especially in evening as soon as she lay down; < lying down, particularly < lying on right (i.e., painless) side. Not influenced by pressure or motion. K. ca. is a chilly medicine. There is great tendency to take cold, and < of symptoms when body temperature is low; aversion to open air. I have often relieved with K. ca. blotchy eruptions of the face which were < in a wind or cold air. Among the notable sensations of the remedy are: Feeling of emptiness in whole body as if it were hollow. Sensation of a lump rolling over and over on coughing; rising from right abdomen up to throat, then back again. Lump in throat. Feeling as if the bed were sinking under her. Pulsative pains and throbbings. Burning sensation and burning pains. K. ca. appears to have alternating symptoms: it has cured a case of toothache which alternated with tearing, stitching pains in left breast and under left false ribs. It has also pulsations in the back alternating with pains in the back. The pains in the side were < evening, on lying down, and especially on lying on right (painless) side (Med. Adv., xxiv. 295). The nervous excitability of K. ca. may go as far as pronounced hysteria; sudden shrieking; cannot bear to be touched. Spasms (puerperal convulsions) and paralysis. Twitching of muscles; rigidity of muscles; muscular atony, disposition to easy overlifting. Oppression of breathing accompanies most complaints. Anaemia with great debility, skin watery, milky white. Dropsical affections. Ulcers bleeding at night. K. ca. is suited to the aged, rather obese, lax fibre; to dark-haired persons of lax fibre and inclined to be fat; to diseases after parturition; after loss of fluids. The symptoms are: < At rest; < on lying down (cannot get breath). Unable to remain lying at night, > during the day when moving about; < lying on right side (pain in chest; heart feels suspended to left ribs); < by stooping; > raising head. > Sitting bent forward; > raising head (stitches in forehead). Motion = headache with vertigo; < pain in tumours of scalp; wobbling in stomach; stitches in loins. < By sudden or unguarded motion. Walking > obstruction in nose; and < most other symptoms. Coughing < pain in haemorrhoids. Debility = desire to lie down. The chief time aggravation is from 2 to 4 a.m., or any time between. In general the symptoms are < in the morning. > By day; < at night. < Evening on lying down. < After midnight. Heat > most symptoms; cold air and open air <. Open air > obstruction of nose. Change of weather and damp weather <. Washing face = nose-bleed. Cold air < stitching pain in right side. Cold and damp = chronic bronchitis. Warm drinks < sweat. Warm applications = pain to move to other places. Drinking cold water > jerking in head; drinking cold-water when overheated = dyspnoea and pyrosis. Hunger = palpitation. Touch <. Pressure < most symptoms; > pain in abdomen; dull stitches in chest; glandular swelling of neck. < From coitus.