Lithium carbonicum

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Lithm Carbonas.) Pharmacology. — This is a white powder, sparingly soluble in water, and having a feeble alkaline reaction. It dissolves with effervescence in dilute sulphuric acid, and forms a freely soluble salt. It imparts to the flame of burning alcohol a carmine red color. Officinal Preparations. — Triturations to the 3d. Analogues. — Lack. Graph. Lyc. (?)

Mental Sphere. Disposition to weep about his lonesome condition. 0 The whole night anxiety and feeling of helplessness. Difficulty in remembering names.

Head.

° Heaviness in the sinciput, especially in the frontal eminence.

Toward evening, pain and heaviness over the brows, with restlessness in the stomach, unchanged by eating supper and by walking out, continuing until he goes to sleep.

Fullness in the right temple the whole afternoon.

Pressure in both temples from without inwards, with a pressing pain in the middle of the chest, extending outwards and toward both sides, in the region of the fourth rib.

° Tearing, sticking headache on the right side, worse on assuming the erect position and on motion, better during repose.

Early on awaking, violent headache in vertex and temples (after sudden cessation of the menses), second and third day; less on the fourth and fifth days, but on the sixth day, in the afternoon, again very severe in the left eye, temple and small spot in the occiput; in the temple and vertex very severe, with nausea.

Heavy weight upon the vertex, with pressure upon the left temple; the whole head is as if too large; at the same time it feels as if it were violentl}7 squeezed in a small spot, which greatly increases the nausea; could hardly keep the eyes open ; they pained as if sore from morning till noon; when looking at anything the headache grows worse; she can't continue lying down; it pains everywhere; somewhat better when sitting, relieved by going out.

0 Headache relieved or ceases while eating, but returns afterwards.

Eyes.

On the second day of the menses, after being obliged to get up from reading and go into the open air, she noticed on taking up the book again, an uncertainty of vision and an entire invisibility of the right half of whatever she looked upon; if two short words occurred in succession, the one toward the right hand was invisible; both eyes similar in this respect.

Pains internally in the globe of the right eye, above the external canthus.

° Pains in the eyes, as if little grains of sand were in them. Feeling of dryness in the eyes, although they were moist,

worse in the left. Throbbing, drawing pain about the right eye, around, outside,

above and deep in the orbit.

Ears.

Pain behind the left ear, in the bone, extending toward the neck ° Earache, left side, from the throat, with prosopalgia.

Nose.

Obstruction of the nose. Constant discharge of mucus in the evening. Dropping from the nose in the open air. ° Nose red, swollen and dry.

0 Nose, especially on the right side, somewhat swollen, red, sore internally — shining crusts form in it; it is dry and as if inflamed; (at the same time frequent urinating at night, disturbing the sleep.) {Hering.)

Mouth and Throat.

Toothache in the right lower back tooth, again in the left. Teeth seem dull, numb and loose, so that she cannot bite. Pains are more violent on the left than on the right side. ° In the evening sore throat on the right side. ° Sore throat extending into the ear, and from ear to throat. ° Hawking up of mucus in large quantities.

Stomach.

0 Nausea, with gnawing in the stomach, fullness of the temples and headache.

0 Acidity of the stomach relieved quickly by Lithium. Cannot bear the slightest pressure on the stomach. 0 When eating, the gnawing in the stomach goes away .(Zach.) Good appetite, with gnawing in the stomach.

Hypochondria.

0 Yiolent pain in the hepatic region, between ilium and the ribs.

Sticking pain in the left hypochondrium.

Pressure in the hepatic region and gentle pressing pain in the right side of the forehead; later over the eyes; the fore head pain extends to the left side, with nausea. Abdomen.

Abdomen feels swollen and as if distended with wind.

Violent pain across the abdomen, upper part.

Pain in the left abdominal ring, like a pressing from within outwards, with confusion of the head and dull pressure from without inwards in both temples.

Urinary Organs.

Sensitive pain and sharp pressure in the vesical region, more on the right side soon after passing water.

° Tenesmus (vesical) after micturition.

Pain in the region of the neck of the bladder.

Before passing water, flashes of pain in the region of the bladder, inferiorly^ more toward the right; after urinating, pains extending into the spermatic cord, more on the left.

0 Quick, strong tenesmus, with sensitive pain in the middle of the urethra.

° Frequent and copious urination.

On rising to urinate, a pressing in the region of the heart,

which did not cease until after urination. Turbid urine, with much mucus deposit.

Urine scanty and dark, very acrid; it pains when being passed,

which is difficult. * Very frequent urination, disturbing in sleep. Dark reddish brown deposit in the urine.

Stool and Anus. Soft stools early in the morning. 0 At night diarrhoea, which is very offensive. Diarrhoea immediately after drinking chocolate. Discharge of flatus in the evening, which is offensive. 0 Soft abundant stool in the morning; it had for a long time

been hard and difficult. Violent, painful, dull stitch in the perineum near the anus,

from above downwards, from within outwards; when

walking, being sharp, quick, short, itching in the anus in

the evening.

Generative Organs.

(Female.) Menses suddenly cease and headache comes on. Menses four days later and diminished.

When taken before the menses, the symptoms were most violent on the left side; when taken after the menses, on the right side.

(Male.) * Burning in the urethra.

0 Pains on the right side in the urethra and through spermatic

cord into the testicle. Voluptuous titillation in the urethra at night on waking. Erection after urinating at night.

Pains in testes, and when sitting, with stitches in the penis.

Thorax.

0 On inspiration, the air feels so cold that it seems to be felt unpleasantly, even in the lungs, in heart disease.

Pressive pain in the middle of the chest, from within outwards toward both sides.

Violent cough late in the evening, while lying down, compelling to rise, without expectoration; the irritation which provokes the cough is in a little spot posteriorly and

inferiorly in the throat; cough consists of very quick shocks, which do not seem to come out of the chest, but out of the throat, and to be very violent and prostrating in short paroxysms. Constriction of the chest when walking out, after breakfast, then expectoration of mucus in great quantity brought up by hawking; the mucus seems to come from the middle of the sternum.

Heart.

Pains in the region of the heart, throbbing, like a dull stitch.

As she bent forward over the bed, in the morning after rising, a very violent pain in the region of the heart.

Pressure in the region of the heart on rising to urinate, passing away after urination.

° Rheumatic soreness in the region of the heart.

° Pains in the heart before and at the time of the commencement of the menses.

° Often, in deficiencies of the valves especially after mental agitation of a vexatious character, to which she is very subject, a trembling and fluttering of the heart, distressingly painful in the heart and as far as between the shoulders; it extends upward also into the head where it is felt as an equally painful throbbing; at the same time the air, on inspiration, seems so cold that it is felt unpleasantly cold even in the lungs. (Neidhard.)

Back.

Pain and weakness in the sacrum.

Feeling of prostration in the sacrum at night.

In the morning, on rising, a feeling of soreness on the right side near the spine, below the loins, upon a spot not larger than the point of the finger, sensitive to pressure, lasting all day.

Upper Extremities. Pain on the anterior side of the right shoulder joint, near the

point of insertion of the pectoralis major muscle on the

margin of the same. Burning stitch in the ball of the hand.

Itching, throbbing, very sensitive pains in all the fingers,

especially in the second and third fingers of the left hand, as if it were in and upon the bones, extending from the hand to the end of the fingers, only during repose; it ceases upon pressure, when grasping and during motion.

Left middle finger very painful, through and through.

Soreness at the margin of the nail, redness and pain, more at the external angle, first of the left thumb, then of the right fourth finger, then of several fingers of the left hand, then of the right middle finger, lasting several weeks. Lower Extremities.

Itching, burning pain in a small spot on the right hip, then on the thigh, then on the little toe; all on the external aspect of the limb.

Itching, burning pain internally on the left thigh, and at the left knee.

Occasional rheumatic pains in the lower extremities. Great weakness of the knees, with pain, especially on going up stairs.

0 Painfulness of the feet, ankles, metatarsus, all the toes, especially at the border of the foot and the sole as if it were gouty.

Ankle joints pain when walking, first the right then the left. Itching, burning of the feet.

A paralytic stiffness in all the limbs and in the whole body. Prostration of the whole body, especially in the knee joints

and in the sacrum. Over the whole body, as if beaten, stiff and sore in all the

bones, joints and muscles.

Sleep.

Anxious and restless at night.

Voluptuous dreams, tenesmus (vesical,) and erection which

subsides after urination, on awakening. Offensive diarrhoea awakening from sleep. Sleep disturbed by the pains in the feet and sacrum.

Fever.

Coldness of the feet, especially of the soles, then sudden heat beginning in the soles of the feet and extending over the whole body.

General feeling of heat in the body; sweat on the back of the hands and very copious sweat. [No skin symptoms of importance.]

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

The Carbonate of lithium is not very -widely diffused in the mineral kingdom. Lithium, in some form, is, however, found in certain mineral springs, namely, the Carlsbad, Franzensbrunn, Weinbrunn, in Europe, and the Gettysburg water of this country.

Hering, among other reasons why the Lithium should be proven, says that Uric acid is sparingly soluble in water, — one part in ten thousand. Carbonate of lithium is soluble in water, one part in one hundred. But this one part renders soluble four parts of Uric acid, increasing its solubility four hundredfold. Uric acid calculi have been corroded by a solution of Carbonate of lithium (one in one hundred) to such an extent as to lose five grains in five hours. It has been recommended, and I believe used successfully, as an injection into the bladder, to dissolve such calculi.

In commenting on the provings, Hering calls especial attention to the eye-symptoms, the heart-symptoms, and the renal-symptoms.

It certainly causes some very marked eye-symptoms, such as hemiopia, — the right half of objects are invisible.

A Dr. L. Kenyon reports two cases of ophthalmia , with redness of the sclerotica, muco-purulent discharge, sticking pains in the eyes, photophobia, and a sensation as of a veil before them. Cured by Lithium 12th.

I have frequently used Lithium in a peculiar soreness of the end of the nose — such as is described in the proving — and have cured obstinate cases that have annoyed persons for years. I used the 6th.

The gastric symptoms are not unimportant. It is said to cure obstinate acidity of the stomach.

It causes a disagreeable gnawing in the stomach, with pains in the temple and orbit. This gnawing was relieved by eating. So were the pains. Lachesis has a similar symptom.

I advise you to study the pathogenesis in cases of renal and

cystic disorders, not amenable to ordinary remedies. Dr. T. C. Fanning reports a case of disease of the right kidney and bladder (“American Homoeopathic Review,” vol. v), with the following characteristic symptoms: “Soreness of the bladder, and sharp, sticking pain in the neck of the bladder, on right side, with soreness there; frequent urination ; pain in right kidney, and other symptoms found in the pathogenesis.”

This case was cured by Lithium carb. Dr. Fanning thinks Lithium will cure ovaritis and dysmenorrhoea, especially when connected with the above symptoms.

Dr. Neidhard gave it in a case of heart disease, with “induration (ossification) of the aortic valves,” with a “ bruit de scie,” followed by a bellows’ sound within a small space in the region of the aortic valves ; sharp pains shot through the back, through shoulder and arms ; arm as if paralyzed. After taking Lithium, the case appeared aggravated, followed by improvement for many days.

Hering says it relieves pain in the heart , before and at the time of the menses; also that in cases of deficiencies of the valves , aggravated after mental agitations of a vexatious character, with trembling in the heart, painful, extending to the shoulders and into the head, as a throbbing, the Lithium gives prompt relief.

Neidhard says it has cured “ rheumatic soreness in the region of the heart.” I have never had occasion to use it in heart diseases.

Theoretically it ought to be useful in rheumatism and gout. But the only clinical experience I can find is that of a Dr. Whitey, quoted by Hering, who cured “ painfulness of the feet, ankles, metatarsus, and toes ; also on the border of the foot and sole.”

There is a kind of sore throat, in which the pain seems to extend up to the ear (through the Eustachian tube) and back again. Lithium has this symptom.

Before the Bromide of lithium was used, Hering predicted that it would be useful for ear and lung diseases, and advised a proving of it.

The Gettysburg water has been partially proved, but no important symptoms elicited.