Sulphuric acid appears in 12 of the 13 classic books on Similia. Each was written to do a different job — here is what each adds on this remedy, with the opening of its entry.
- Allen HC — The keynotes that separate this remedy from its nearest neighbours.
“Sulphuric Acid. (HNO4.) Adapted to the light-haired; old people, especially women; flushes of heat in climacteric years. Unwilling to answer questions not from obstinacy, but inaptness. Feels in a great hurry; everything must be done quickly (Arg. n.). Pain of gradual and slowly-increasing intensity which ceases…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Sulphuric acid, H2 Preparation , Dilutions with water. Authorities. (From Hahnemann, Chronische Krankheiten).”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Sulphuric Acid The "debility" common to acids shows itself here, especially in the digestive tract, giving a very relaxed feeling in the stomach, with craving for stimulants. Tremor and weakness ; everything must be done in a hurry. Hot flushes , followed by perspiration, with trembling. Tendency to gangrene following…”
- Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“BLOOD SEPSIS, etc. BLOWS, shocks, thrusts, crash, explosions, etc. (Comp. Shattered): CHANGE OF TEMPERATURE, weather, seasons, oncoming storms, etc. Agg. CLIMAXIS, Agg. COLD AND HEAT, Agg. DIRECTION of sensations, Diagonally HEAT of fire, sun, overheating, etc., Agg. HEMORRHAGE, bloody discharges INJURIES, wounds…”
- Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“DIGESTIVE TRACT. blood. Blood-vessels. Left side. Open air. Cold. Spirits. Injuries. ODOR OF COFFEE. Climacteric. Toward evening. Excessive heat or cold. Hot drinks. Hands near head. Moderate temperature. Suited to topers, old age, etc. Disproportionate weakness. TREMOR; INTERNAL; wants to be held. Sourness. Erosion…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Sulphuric acid. H 2 SO 4 . Dilution. Acidity / Alcoholism, chronic / Aphthæ / Back, stiffness of / Bowels, looseness of / Brain, concussion of / Breath, offensive / Cancer / Cancrum oris / Chafing / Chilblains / Climaxis, sufferings of / Constipation / Corns / Diabetes / Diarrhœa / Diphtheria / Dyspepsia / Erythema…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Sulphuric Acid. SO 3 . Introduced by Hahnemann, proved by himself, F. Hahnemann, Franz, Gross, Langhammer, and Ng., Chronische Krankheiten, vol. 5, p. 405. Toxicological reports are numerous ; see Allen's Encyclopædia, vol. 9, p. 417 . CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Mental dejection , Russell, B. J. H., vol. 14, p. 550 …”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“Sulphuricum Acidum The sensation of quivering all over the body and in the limbs without visible trembling is a very strong symptom of Sulphuric acid, and especially if it is associated with weakness that has been of long standing. The exhaustion, excitability and hurried feeling are constant factors. The hemorrhagic…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Restlessness and irritability. Changeable disposition; from seriousness he changes to great hilarity. Inclination to weep. Sensation as if the brain were loose in the forehead, and was falling from one side to the other; worse when walking in the open air; better when sitting quiet in the room. Painful shocks in the…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: sulphuric acid. In contusion and laceration of soft parts it vies with Calend. (A.). Perspiration from every motion (Bry., Calc., Chin.). Variableness (Ign., Kali-S., Puls.). Stitches in the joints (Berb., Bry., Kali-B., Nit-Ac., Sil.). Small, weak, pulse (Verat.). Tight, dry, cough with slight hacking…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Extreme weakness, with sense of internal trembling, which is not observable to others. Hemorrhages from every outlet of the body, with ecchymosed spots under the skin. Child smells sour all over, despite the actual cleanliness. Sour, acid vomiting. Adapted to the light haired, old people, especially women; flushes of…”
