Kalium hypophosphoricum

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Kali Hypophos.)

Hypophosphite of Potassa is a white, deliquescent salt, opaque, very soluble in water and alcohol. Its greater tendency to absorb moisture renders it less eligible for prescription than the lime salt. Its composition is KO + 2HO PO.

Officinal Preparations. — Aqueous solution 10 grs. to gtts. 100; aqueous dilutions to the 3°, then alcoholic.

Analogues. — Galcarea carbonica, Calcarea phosphorica, Kali carbonicum, Phosphorus, Phosphoric acid, Iodide of Potassa, JRumex, Sanguinaria, Sulphur.

(No provings.) Special Indications.

• Melancholy and hypochondria.

0 Great debility, especially when attended by marasmus, and wasting of muscular tissue.

• Muscular debility, with myalgia and loss of muscular tonicity. 0 Extreme prostration from profuse expectoration.

0 Under its use the cough reappears, when it has ceased from debility.

0 Deep thoracic pains; shortness of breath; muscular and arthritic pains in the limbs, the result of excessive teadrinking and want of phosphatic food.

• A painful feeling in the anterior part of the thorax.

° Asthmatic difficulties occurring in phthisis or chronic bronchitis, always with great muscular debility (many cases). 0 Chronic bronchitis, with scanty, tough expectoration. 0 Chronic pneumonia, with myalgic pains. 0 Useful in all cases of loss of the phosphates, namely, from

long lactation ; leucocythsemia and general anaemia; den tition of strumous children; catarrhal and leucorrhoea! discharges; all inordinate secretions of pus; dyspepsia. ° Pleurodynia, from muscular debility.

° Ailments from nursing; pain and stitches in the back, chest, and abdomen; dimness of vision; nausea at the sight of food; despondency and a painful sense of dragging in left breast; (cured by one grain three times a day.) {Taylor.)

° Obstinate chronic bronchitis, with thick, foetid expectoration. {Sherwood.)

° Oxaluria, with dyspepsia, increased density of urine, despondency, impoverished blood, emaciation, and an abundance of crystals of oxalate of lime in the urine, {lb-)

° Diseases of children, characterized by debility, fretfulness, diarrhoea, want of firmness in the bones, non-appearance of the teeth, and delayed closing of the fontanelles; relieved promptly by the 2d dilution, five drops in milk, three times a day. {Hale.)

° Ailments from excessive tea-drinking: shooting pains about the chest and scapulas, tenderness on the hypochondrium, bilious vomiting, constipation, painful flatulence, despondency, aversion to food, palpitation of the heart, etc.; (one grain, three times a day, cures nearly all cases. {Ib.)

0 Anmmia; pains through the chest and limbs; palpitation; short breathing; giddy on rising in the morning; can scarcely dress herself; pulse 60, slow and weak; countenance pale; catamenia irregular; (removes these symptoms in a week or two generally).

0 Great debility and nervous prostration after parturition, with non-appearance of, or scanty milk, cold and damp skin.

° Ilydrocephaloid disease in debilitated, emaciated, poorly nourished children.

0 Incipient tubercular meningitis in thin, pale children.

0 Chronic myalgia — commonly called "chronic muscular rheumatism."

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

nervous and vascular systems are in an excited and irritable condition, and congestions or spasms, or both, are threatening, I prefer the Calc. brom. to any other preparation of lime.

Since the last edition there appeared in the i( Hahnemannian Monthly” a proving of Hypophosphite of lime, by A. R. Barrett, M.D., of Richmond, Va., which I give entire :

I had just been reading a pamphlet upon the use of Hypophosphite of lime in phthisis, and having some of the 2d decimal trituration, I experimented a little with it. A friend was in my office at the time who took some also ; we each took one grain. The symptoms, which followed within an hour, and continued possibly an hour or more, are these: We first felt a dull heavy pain, pressive, on top of the head, across the whole top, between the frontal and occipital bones ; it gradually increased and we correspondingly grew gradually more depressed in feelings ; then followed great fulness and sensation of oppression around the heart, and a fulness throughout the whole thorax and head, the veins upon the hands, arms, neck, and head standing out like cords ; no flushing, no perceptible increase in pulse ; had a difficulty of breathing, must have window open ; profuse sweat all over; limbs perfectly powerless; unable to arise from the chair, or move either arms or legs in the least ; gradually we found ourselves unable to speak except in low monotone, evidently from muscular inability. There seemed to be a total loss of all desire, together with inability, to move or make any muscular exertion. These symptoms were perhaps an hour reaching this point, lasted about half an hour, then began gradually to pass off. As they did so the pain left the top of the head and passed to the forehead ; pain extending from right to left temple throughout the extent of the whole frontal bone, a dull pressive pain ; the muscular system gradually recovered its power of action ; sense of dilatation and oppression around heart and thorax passed away, and finally we were left with only a sense of mental depression.

There was no pain anywhere except that mentioned. We are both under 40 years of age (between 85 and 40), weigh about 120 or 125 pounds, light complexion, light hair, nervo-sanguine temperament, both in good health. I have never seen any proving of Hypophosphite of lime.

It seemed evident to me that the nerve centres were powerfully affected, and that the symptoms were of a paralytic nature. When the symptoms had passed off our lips seemed dry and cracked as from fever, and we had considerable thirst, but the pulse showed no variation from its normal condition (75 to 80), except possibly being a little more feeble than usual, part of the time ; temperature was normal.

HYPOPHOSPHITE OP POTASSA,

This salt has a different range of action from the Calc, hypophos. The latter acts by preference on the nervous and bony

structures, on the glands and the assimilative functions, while the former acts on the muscular system , as well as on the nervous, and while it has some action on the same tissues and functions as the lime, that action is not as intense.

The potash-salts are all muscular-tissue remedies. Study the action of Kali carb. and Phosphorus, and you will find pictured forth in them the salient features of this salt.

A characteristic indication for the use of this remedy is “ great debility, especially when attended by marasmus and wasting of muscular tissue.” Another, equally characteristic, is the presence of that condition so thoroughly described by Dr. Inman, namely, myalgia, or a painful condition of the muscles of the whole body. Under this name is included all those conditions which are erroneously called chronic muscular rheumatism, pleurodynia, spinal irritation, lameness, cramps, and it even simulates peritonitis!

The potash-salt affects the bronchial mucous membrane in preference to the parenchyma of the lungs, and is most useful in asthma and chronic bronchitis. In lung affections, attended with severe thoracic pains, it is, like Kali carb., a splendid remedy. It relieves the pains from excessive coughing, and brings back a cough in patients whose thoracic muscles have become so weak that they cannot cough.

Like Phosphoric acid and China it restores the health, when broken down by loss of fluids, especially the muscular weakness from undue lactation , from loss of semen, loss of the phosphates (in the urine), and profuse expectoration in phthisis.

It is an excellent remedy in that condition known as oxaluria , with dyspepsia, lowness of spirits, emaciation, etc.

It is one of the best of the few antidotes we have for the effects of excessive tea-drinking, or rather for the excessive use of tea, without a proper amount of nutritious food at the same time. Tea, even green tea, can be used largely without injurious effects, if an abundance of nitrogenous food, such as beef, mutton, fat, eggs, etc., is taken with it. The potash takes their place to a certain extent, and prevents further waste for a time.

In anaemia with emaciation , this salt should always be given with the preparations of Ferrum, for it aids the action of Iron greatly. In anaemia or chlorosis, without loss of flesh, but a

bloated or dropsical tendency, the Calcarea, or Natrum salt, is more appropriate.

The remedies which alternate or follow with good effect the Kali hypophos. are China, Hydrastis, Helonias, and Aletris. In pulmonary affections it is often alternated with Rumex, Sanguinaria, and Sulphur, with good results.

The Hypophosphites of soda (Natrum), of Iron, of Ammonia, and Zinc, have been used, but not very extensively, except the Soda salt, which is a great favorite with me in general nervous debility, uncomplicated with other ailments. A reference to Vol. I will show that in the conditions mentioned the Kali hypo, has usually been given in doses of one quarter to one or more grains several times a day. In my practice I use the aqueous tincture and the first and second decimal aqueous dilutions in doses of ten to thirty drops. It cannot be triturated owing to its deliquescent character. The mother tincture is made by adding one drachm to nine drachms of distilled water.