Borax veneta

Volume I — Main text

BORAX.

Natrum biboracicum, acid borate of sodium, NajB40^ioH30. Including bonkci<

acid and other borates,

I. Provings, — i. Hahnemann, Chronic Diseasn^ Part a of original, vol, of translation. Contains 460 symptoms from self and Schreter,

a. a, fiiKSWAKOER. — D.M—, act. 25, healthy, took borax in variaiti

fiORAX. 585

closes repeatedly without effect, ij drachms in cold water, taken fasting, caused in half an h. hawking, much cold saliva, and after 16 m. vomiting of a viscid fluid mass, with strong alkaline reaction. One day he took at 8 a.m. i drachm, the same at 8.30,9, 9.30 and 11 a.m. There occurred great nausea and weight in stomach, going off when walking in open air. In afternoon rumbling in belly and two scanty, pappy stools. On waking next morning head confused, sick headache, a pappy stool. On third and fourth day still pappy stools.

b. The same person took 5SS, and then 3J of B. acid, but nothing was observed except increased call to urinate. One m. he took 5J at 8 and again at 9 a.m. In f h. sudden violent nausea, retching or vomiting of i^ oz. viscid slime with watery fluid, with strong alkaline reaction. Till dinner weight and uneasiness in stomach. At 6 p.m. 3J. All day long there had been continued call to make water, and in e. a slight transient pain in ureters. The quantity of urine passed was greater by two thirds than the ordinary quantity ; it had a very acid reaction.

c. yj of B. tartarisata, in the course of 2 h., caused frequent urination and pappy stool. Next d. 5VJ in 6 h. caused one loose stool, m., and two in afternoon. The urine was increased by 16 oz. in 24 h.

d. First d., 3j of borate of potash in four doses did nothing. Second d., 58S ; third d., 3J. Always there occurred pressure and weight in stomach, nausea, increase of urine.

/. In the dose of 3J, borate of ammonia caused the same symptoms, but the stomach affection lasted one d. Urine increased somewhat.

Some time after commencing these provings with the alkaline borates, he observed on r. thigh an impetiginous eruption consisting of pustules, which grew larger, and were in the middle of spots the size of a sixpence, round which new pustules formed, which when they burst discharged freely. After two months this eruption (impetigo figurata) extended to r. leg, then went to 1. leg, and eight months after their first appearance, none of the drug having been taken for two months, all the ulcers had healed and left only dark red spots. {Pharm. fVurd. der Borsaure, ^c, 1846.)

II. Poisonings. — i. Dr. Golding Bird says, ''In women this drug (borax) cannot be used with impunity, as it certainly exerts a stimulant action on the uterus, and I have seen it in two instances produce abortion." A case is reported by Dr. Thorn, in which premature labour is stated to have been brought on by the administration of 30 gr. 3 times a d. for 16 d. The labour was natural, and the child was born alive. Similar testimony is furnished by Spengler. (Stills, op. cit.)

1. A man, aet. 62, suffering from catarrh of stomach and proctitis, sot for latter, twice daily, from December 8 — 24th, 1882, a clyster or B. acid, gr. 300 in 2^ per cent, solution. All went well till 23ra, when appetite departed, weakness set in, and temperature rose to 38*6^. On 24th he appeared pale and collapsed, was apathetic, complained of headache, vertigo, noise in ears, great weakness, loathing, and sweat in scrobiculus cordis, with occasional vomitine of greenish stuff. Tongue dry and furred, difficulty of moving it, and dryness in throat. Urine

S86

showed albumen and boracic acid. These symptoms condnued tmtil 26tb) only they were slighter ; urine free from albumen ; temp* lower* On Jan, and he was as well as before using the acid* (Schmidfs Jahr,y cxcvii, p. 28.)

1. A man of 25, after thoracentesis, was treated by washing out the pleural cavity with 5 per cent, boracic acid water, the operation lasting an h., and 15 quarts of the solution having been employed, a portion of which remained in the chest. Vomiting, weakness, increase of pulse and temperature, followed, and later an erythematous eruption on the face. Within a d. or two all these symptoms grew worse ; the erythema spread over body and thighs, pearly vesicles appeared over face and neck, vomiting continued, weakness increased, hiccup and dimness of vision followed, and finally, on the 4th d,, death. (Ibid,)

2. A patient, set. 16, suffered from an abscess in region of hip, which was washed out with a similar solution, a portion remaining in the cavity of the abscess. Within \ h. uncontrollable vomiting began, and patient died of exhaustion on 3rd d, {I^id.)

3. Dr. Gowers reports 2 cases occurring in his own practice, and one related to him by a friend, in which eruption of psoriasis resulted from the internal administration of borax for epilepsy. The drug was given in Dr, Gowers' cases in 15 — 20 gr. doses 3 times a d.,and tne eruption appeared in one after 2 years, in the other after 8 months of its employ* ment. In two of the cases the addition or substitution of arsenic caused it to disappear. It occurred on trunk and limbs^ but most on arms \ face was free. It occupied both flexor and extensor aspects of limbs. The patches varied in size up to ij in. in diameter. Their appearance was quite characteristic, but the scales were not so thick u they sometimes are in ordinary psoriasis » In no case was there 2 history of syphilis, and in one this could with certainty be excluded. {Lancet^ Sept. 24th, 1881.)

4. In one case where the i, trlt« of borax was given freely for catarrhal fever there seemed to result an engorgement of the uterus, with bcaring*do>'»-n paint aod prolapsus ; this condition was attended by increased heat in vagina, and was ^nallr relieved spontaneously by a profuse discharge of albutninoua leucorrhcca, clear ana glutinous. (Woodward, U, S. Mid, Irt^,, viii,495.)

Ill* Expertmcnts on Ammali, — 1, A terrier was poisoned with repeated doiet of borax. He had vomiting of slime and bile, and seemed to be in great pain. He fo* killed. The P.M. showed softening of the m.m. of pylorus^ some inflamed patches in upper third of ileum, also inflammation of muscular layer of bowel and softeniflg of m.m*, includin|f that of ilio-ca?cal valve. (BinswangeRi op, cit,)

». Rabbits poisoned with B. acid had quick breathing and heart's beats, which gradually grew weaker, they cowered and ran about, and were purged, the excrementi soft and ilimy. One, after J h., discharged milky urine, alkaline reaction, another had slightly tinted neutral urine* AiW. showed in one the mucous covering of the stomach very thick, the second had almost no mucus, the m.m, of stomach soft, the capillaries full of blood. The entire m,m. of small intestine inflamed, its epithelial covering detached and turned into mucus, in one pale, in the other coloured rtd. The caecum little altercdi but contained much mucus, and the capiUanes injected, (MfTSCUERLiCH, Dt add, acit.i oxaiic, ^r., ffutu m ammalihu i>bsgr*vam, Bcrolini,

Volume IV — Appendix

BORAX. (See vol. i, p. 584.)

II. 6. a. In our first cases we commenced with 30 gr. in the 24 h., and pushed it, as fast as we could, up to 180 gr. } but we had to suspend the medicine very frequently owing to gastro-intestinal disturbance— slight vomiting and abdominal pain, with sore lips and tongue. In the later cases, therefore, we have been content as the maximum with 30 gr. 3 times a d. after meals. Even thus its administration is attended with certain unpleasant symptoms. The most constant of these is an affection of the lips, which in its most typical and fully developed form results in swelling, chiefly of the lower lip, upon which small vesicles make their appearance, and become larger by coalescence ; the contents then become milky, some of the vesicles burst, while others dry up, and the result is a scaly chapped condition of the lips, resembling that commonly seen in cold weather. Other cases develop the chapped condition without the previous formation of vesicles. In 2 cases the tongue became sore and denuded of epithelium at one or two points ; 2 had slight eczematous patches on the skin close to the angles of the mouth, in addition to sore lips, and one — a little girl of 4 — had also an inflammatory condition of the mucous membrane of the nose with slight purulent discharge, and psoriasis guttata scattered over trunk and extremities.

b. Another case developed a curious erythematous condition of the hands. Fingers, backs and palms of hands, and lower fourth of forearm, were of a bright red hue, and looked slightly swollen ; the redness disappeared on pressure, and there was no pitting. The parts affected gradually became more dusky, so that in a few d. they were almost purple in colour, and about this time a few bright red patches, looking almc»t like extravasations, but disappearing on pressure, made their appearance on his face. Tongue also became very red, sore, and denuded of its epithelium in several places.

c. Another case developed an eruption of small punctiform papules, resembling the condition seen in sudamina more than anything; else. The eruption was scarcely perceptible at times, vrYiWc a.t ad\«t wtcttft \.

vpould be more marked, intensely irritating, and accompanied liT redness of sitin, which looked a little swollen, and was sweating. The parts chiefly affected were the palms and soles, but patches were ilso seen on parts exposed to friction, such as waist, neck, axilla, &c. Aftrt the condition had lasted a week or morCj very slight desquamation wa) observed on palms and soles.

d. Another had an abundant crop of small papules all over face, especially on forehead, below eyes, and along naso-labial folds, after be had been taking drug for lo weeks. Associated with the papules wn a reddish-coppery, petechial eruption, which did not disappear on pressure. No discomfort was complained of.

e. A considerable number of the patients became somewhat enU' ciatcd and pulled down physically after they had been on this treatment for any length of time ; but in no case was there any sign of mental depression.

f. A young woman of 25 was attacked with pleurisy while taking the drug. The symptoms were pain, short hacking cough, and rise of temp. } and a well-marked friction rub could be heard on auscultition. At no time was there any evidence of effusion, though there were several relapses after the first manifestation of the disease. The patient had never had a similar attack before, and as no history could be obtained of the usual causes of pleurisy, it might be suggested that the affection of this serous membrane was similar to that which we had seen in skin and mucous membranes, and depended on the biborate of soda. (Russell and TAyLOR, " Treatment of epilepsy by biborate of soda," Lanctt^ 1890, i, 1061.)