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Materia Medica
Aceticum Acidum
Glacial Acetic Acid. HC2 H3 O2. (Distilled water is used for attenuations 1x and 1; very dilute spirit for 3x and up to 4; rectified spirit for 5 and higher.)
Clinical.-Anaemia. Anaesthetics, antidote to. Ascarides. Burns. Corns. Croup. Debility. Diabetes. Diphtheria. Dropsies. Fevers. Hydrophobia. Naevi. Narcotics, antidote to. Phthisis. Sausage-poisoning, antidote to. Scalds. Stings. Stomach, cancer of. Varicosis. Warts.
Characteristics.-The leading features of acetic acid are excessive wasting and debility; anaemia with waxy pallor of face; intense thirst; burning in throat; nausea, retching, and sour rising as met with in cases of cancer and debility. There are gnawing, ulcerative pains in stomach; pain and burning in abdomen. Profuse, exhausting diarrhoea. It has been used in diabetes. It corresponds to putrid and hectic fevers with night sweats; haemorrhages, varicose swellings, and dropsies. As a type of vinegar effects may be mentioned the following: A plump and blooming young woman took a small glass daily to reduce size. Soon lost flesh and colour. In a month cough set in with white concocted phlegm, fever, dyspnoea, night sweats, anorexia, dropsy, diarrhoea, death. Lungs after death were found stuffed with non-suppurating tubercles. A young German, after working twelve months in a vinegar factory, was obliged to leave from indigestion, dyspnoea, and ready fatigue. It is suited to children and old people; to lax, pale, lean persons. (Equal parts of vinegar and hot water make a refreshing sponge-down for many conditions of fever, with or without perspiration.)
Relations.-Compare: Apis, Ars. (but Acet. ac. has more preponderant gastric symptoms than either); Carbol. ac., Lac. defl., Lact. ac., Uran. nit. Large doses of Acet. ac. are best antidoted by Magnesia or Calcarea either as fluid magnesia or as lime-water. Antidotes to potencies are: For depressing, agonising feeling, Tabac., Acon.; for gastric, pulmonary and febrile symptoms, Nat. m., and afterwards Sep. It antidotes: Anaesthetics, Acon., Asar., Coffea, Euphorb., Ignat., Opium, Plumb. (colic), Sep., Stram., Tabac. It counteracts sausage-poisoning. It aggravates the effects of Bell., Merc., Arn., Lach. Disagrees when given after Borax, Caust., Nux v., Ran. b., Sars.: Scilla, Colch., and Sang. have more effect in curing some diseases when prepared with Acet. ac. than with Alcohol.
SYMPTOMS.
1. Mind.-Very dull and low-spirited; irritable.-Alternate stupor and delirium.-Confusion of ideas.-Grieves much; sighs often.-Horrible attacks of anxiety with difficult breathing.-Vertigo with feebleness and fainting.
2. Head.-Heaviness and dull pains in forehead and vertex.-Headache from abuse of tobacco, opium, coffee, or alcohol.
5. Nose.-Liable to frequent catarrhal attacks.-Nose-bleed, esp. from a fall or a blow.
6. Face.-Expression wild, pupils dilated.-Face pale, waxen, emaciated.-Left cheek (esp.) very red during fever.-Bright red flush on both cheeks.-Sweat on forehead in spots.
8. Mouth.-Teeth feel dull, breath foul.-Scorbutic ulcers; toothache.-Taste sour.-Epithelium of mouth quite white.-Tongue pale and flabby.
9. Throat.-Children thirsty, but swallow with difficulty even a teaspoonful of water.-White false membranes in throat.
11. Stomach.-Insatiable burning thirst.-Shrieks for water at night.-Intense thirst; nausea, and frequent vomiting.-Disgust for salted things and cold victuals.-Cold drinks lie heavy.-Vegetables, except potatoes, disagree, also bread and butter still more.-Contents of stomach feel as if in a ferment; violent burning pain in stomach and in chest, followed by coldness of the skin and cold sweat on forehead.-Indurations in stomach.-Scirrhus of pylorus.
12. Abdomen.-Distension of the abdomen; colicky pains.-Ascites.-Abdomen feels as if sunken in when lying on his back.
13. Stool and Anus.-Diarrhoea, with great thirst, drinking large quantities with apparent impunity.-Diarrhoea, with swelling of legs and feet (phthisical subjects).-Diarrhoea, with colic pains and tenderness of the abdomen.-Haemorrhage from bowels.-Chronic constipation.-Ascarides.-Chronic diarrhoea of children with great emaciation.-Constipation, with great thirst and excess of pale urine.
14. Urinary Organs.-Urine increased in quantity; pale; phosphatic; diabetes, with intense, burning, unending and unquenchable thirst and great debility.
15. Male Sexual Organs.-Weakening emissions; semen passes at stool.-Prepuce thickened, fissured, can't be retracted and itches fearfully.-Sexual passion, but feeble erection.
16. Female Sexual Organs.-Metrorrhagia; after parturition, with great thirst.
17. Respiratory Organs.-Hoarse, with laryngeal irritation.-Lining membrane of larynx and trachea covered with a fibrinous exudation as in true croup.-Hissing respiration, with rattling in the throat.-Croup-like cough; a hollow sound with each inhalation.-Haemoptysis.
20. Back.-Myelitis, with profuse urine; the pain in the back relieved only by lying on the abdomen.
21. Limbs.-Å’dematous swelling of the feet and legs.
24. Generalities.-Convulsions.-Jumps out of bed like a madman, and crawls on the ground, howling with pain.-Great emaciation.-Skin pale and waxen.-General anasarca and dropsical affections.-Burning in inner and outer parts.
25. Skin.-Sugillations.-Tetter-like eruptions.-Naevi; warts; corns.
26. Sleep.-Sleepless.
27. Fever.-Skin cold.-Slow fever with night sweats.-Profuse perspiration.-Hectic.-Putrid and typhous fevers.
