-M.L.Tyler.

Introduction:
Natrum sulphuricum, sodium sulphate, was discovered by Glauber in 1658, named by him Sal mirabile, and is commonly called “Glauber’s salt”. It occurs in many mineral springs, as Karlsbad, Marienbad, etc., and is used by old school as a laxative or purgative. But Homoeopathy has raised its status and established its great utility (inter alia) in pneumonia and asthma; it is here that we, personally, have seen its great work; but of course only in such cases as exhibit its peculiar characteristics, brought out by provings. We will speak of these later. With Grauvogl, that once great prescriber, it was his remedy par excellence of the “hydrogenoid” constitution, whose ailments arose from a chilly, damp environment. While Schuessler has laboriously explained the role it plays in the economy of life, where “by disturbance in the motion of its molecules, the elimination of superfluous water from the intercellular spaces takes place too slowly, and there arises hydraemia. The state of health of persons suffering from hydraemia”, he says “is always worse in humid weather, near water, in damp, moist underground dwellings, and improved by contrary conditions”. So here keen observation, theory, organic chemistry, and the results of the provings absolutely agree, as will be seen later on. Natrum sulph. is one of the remedies of marked PERIODICITY. In chest troubles-pneumonia-asthma-even phthisis, there is the characteristic early morning aggravation-4 to 5 a.m. This has again and again drawn attention to the remedy and caused it to be studied with happy results. Besides its 4 to 5 bad hour in pneumonia and asthma., Nat. sul. has a colic at 2 a.m., or 2 to 3 a.m. and a diarrhoea which comes on regularly in the morning, after rising, and returns quite regularly each day. There is excessive discharge of flatus with the stools . (N.B. Sulph. hurries the patient out of bed: the diarrhoea of Nat. sulph. occurs after rising.) Then again, in regard to its periodicity, it is one of the remedies that has “Worse every Spring” (Lach., Rhus, etc). It is notable as being one of the black-type remedies in that small group, “Worse warm, wet weather” (Lach., Carbo veg., and a few others; among them, curiously enough, Sil.; which is such a chilly remedy, and yet cannot stand warm, wet weather. Then, in chests, it picks out especially the base of the left lung. A pneumonia of lower left lung, with a morning aggravation at 4 to 5 a.m. (rise of temperature, etc.) puts in a strong appeal for Natrum sulph. We have published some cases showing how rapidly and brilliantly it acts in these patients. For remember, it is no use whatever to say, “I find Phos., Bry., Nat.sulph., or what not, simply wonderful in pneumonia!” They are all equally wonderful, but each in his own case; and they are all equally failures and “useless medicines” where not indicated by symptoms. The “splendid” the “wonderful” of the routinist depends on lucky hits, where the symptoms in patient and drug happened to match; and his shrug “I’ve tried it-it’s useless!” where they did not happen to match. All the same, a very great number of pneumonias in their symptomatology correspond to Bryonia, and a great number of cured cases, therefore, are laid down to the account of that drug; fewer to Natrum sulph. whose distinctions are less common. And, as said, its distresses and ailments are apt to start from damp cold. Nat.sul. cannot stand wet weather, damp dwellings, living near water-even by the sea; every change to damp weather. “Great dyspnoea with desire to take a deep breath during damp, cloudy weather.” It is one of the remedies for violent attacks of asthma: the sputum is apt to be greenish and copious, and always worse in damp, rainy weather. We will extract from DR. KENT, who gives the most arresting and practical hints as to the choice and employment of this truly Sal mirabile. He says: “It so disturbs the mind, as to fill it with direful impulses; impulses to self-destruction, hatred and revenge and disturbs the memory.” (All these things come out in its provings and can be used to guide us to its uses.) he notes “a struggle between the desire to die, and the desire to live. The patient has to struggle with himself and with the impulse to destroy himself. Wants to die, and yet does not want to die, which means sleepless nights and fighting days. “The smallest noises drive her wild: even music. Worse from gentle music, mellow lights (Aurum; but Aurum only desires to commit suicide, and has no desire to live).” Kent says that “Hahnemann always taught that the mental symptoms, in drug and patient, are the most important. And with the above, the morning aggravation, and the amelioration from cool air are most important. ” “Eye troubles, with catarrhal discharges green and thick. Similar discharges from the nose, and from the posterior nares. Green discharge everywhere; green leucorrhoea (Thuja). “Stomach troubles, with regurgitation of food (Phos.). ‘Food always welling up.’ Bitter taste; distension, weight, almost constant nausea. Patients who are always bilious, with disturbed livers. “Useful in cerebro-spinal meningitis (Cic.). Violent pains down neck and spine with opisthotonos. Must lie on the side; lying on the back impossible, in such cases. “Skin symptoms: (a great remedy for ‘Barber’s Itch’). And for warts. A gonorrhoeal remedy, with Thuja; and it has many symptoms in common with Thuja.” Nat. sulph. with us is classical for after-effects of injuries to the head, concussion: headache, loss of memory, twitchings, even epileptiform convulsions. Kent says, “Arnica for the neuralgias, but Nat.sul. for the mental symptoms following a blow on the head.” As he puts it, “A patient comes into the office, suddenly stops, breaks into a sweat, looks confused, embarrassed, comes to herself in a second and says, ‘Doctor I have always had such spells since I got a blow on the head.’ She must have Nat.sulph.” He says it has cured petit mal. “Nat.sulph. pains are worse when quiet like Rhus, but worse from motion like Bry. Restless.” Asthmatic conditions in children of sycotic parents. Kent says “Asthma is sometimes a sycotic disease, when cured in such cases it has been by sycotic remedies.” Nat.sulph. has also the Thuja warts about anus and genitalia. Nat. sulph. cannot digest starchy foods, and milk and potatoes disagree (Alum.). CLARKE draws attention to a peculiar symptom, “salivation with headache”; and he quotes several cases of asthma cured by Nat.sulph., among them one that brings out its characteristics, “Violent, spasmodic asthma; greenish, purulent sputa; a loose evacuation after rising the last two days.” And among the symptoms of the provings we find (Hering): “Short breath with piercing pain left chest. Great dyspnoea, desire to take a deep breath during damp, cloudy weather. Violent attack of asthma; greenish, purulent expectoration; loose evacuation immediately on rising. Asthmatic attacks for years: expectoration greenish and remarkably copious.” And so on. But Nat. sulph. is also a remedy for chronic rheumatoid arthritis. Its arthritic conditions are always due to, or worse from damp and cold. They compel motion, but the relief from change of position does not last long. Natrum sulph. has malarial symptoms; alternate creeps and fever. Ague with bilious vomiting, brought on, or always made worse by damp weather, or moist atmosphere at the seaside. Greenish-yellow vomit, or brown or black. NASH’S LEADERS for Natrum sulph. are: “Diarrhoea, acute or chronic; (<) in a.m. and on beginning to move (Bry.) with much flatulence (Aloe and Calc. phos.) and rumbling in abdomen, especially right ileo-caecal region. “Loose cough, with great pain in chest; (<) lower left chest. “Worse in cold, wet weather; damp cellars”; hydrogenoid (diarrhoea, rheumatism, asthma). “Mental effects from injuries to head. “Chronic effects of blows, falls.” He says: “This aggravation in damp weather is not confined to diarrhoea in Nat-sulph., but is especially present in cases of chronic asthma. I have seen very great benefit in such cases of this very troublesome and obstinate disease, and, as aggravation in damp weather very commonly occurs in cases of old asthma, this remedy is often indicated. “Loose cough, with soreness and pain through the left chest is very characteristic. This is one of the chief diagnostic points of difference between Bry. and Nat-sulph., that while with both there is great soreness of chest with the cough, with Bry. the cough is dry, while with Nat. sulph. it is loose. The patient springs right up in bed, the cough hurts him so.” He points out that “both spring up in bed with cough and hold the painful side.” and he says that he has “several times seen remarkably prompt relief and cure follow the administration of Nat. sulph. in pneumonia, when this symptom was present. This pain running through the lower left chest is as characteristic for Nat-sulph., as that of the pain running through right lower chest for Kali carb.” In regard to the diarrhoea (from cold damp) of Nat. sulph. BOGER in his Synoptic Key gives in capitals, “RUMBLING, GURGLING IN BOWELS, THEN SUDDEN GUSHING, NOISY, SPLUTTERING STOOL; after rising, in a.m.” and says Nat .sulph. is complementary to Ars. and Thuja. And, by the way, Kent, speaking of Nat. sulph. for asthmatic conditions in children, at puberty, etc., emphasizes that “sometimes the wheezing, the frequency of the attack, and the prostration would lead to Ars., but Ars. will only palliate, and the case will come back more frequently for palliation; whereas the curative remedy will postpone the attacks until they are ultimately cured.” Observe that the in Repertory Glauber’s Sal mirabile (Nat. sulph.) is one of the small group of remedies especially indicated for the asthma of children, viz. Acon., CHAM., IPEC., Mosch., NAT.SULPH., PULS., SAMB., with a few more in lowest type. Curious that Old School should know practically nothing of Nat.sulph., save as a purgative! NATRUM SULPH. would seem to need further provings in the potencies. But we will subjoin italicized symptoms from Allen and Hering. Depressed. Irritable. Worse mornings: hates to speak or be spoken to. Satiety of life; must use all self-control to prevent shooting himself. Pressure in forehead, worse p.e.; as if forehead would burst. Better pressure of hand: quiet: lying; worse thinking. Hot feeling on top of HEAD. Brain feels loose when stooping; falls towards left “temple”. Jerk in head: throwing it towards right side. Violent pains in head, especially base of brain and back of neck: after injuries to head. Chronic effects from injuries to head; simple concussions, and injuries without organic affections. EYES, large blister like granulations, with burning tears. Crawling in eyes. Chronic conjunctivitis with granular lids, green pus, terrible photophobia. Lids heavy as if leaden. Stuffing of NOSE, with dryness and burning. Nose bleed before menses, after menses. Catarrhal discharge, green-yellow; green. Dirty, greenish grey, or greenish brown coating on root of TONGUE. Tongue burns as if covered with blisters. Tip burns. Blisters on tongue and palate. Palate so sensitive, could hardly eat. Anything cold taken into mouth relieved it. Thirst for something very cold: desire for ice, or ice-cold water. Disgust for bread, of which she was fond. Diarrhoea from vegetables, fruit, pastry, cold food and drinks and farinaceous food. Vomiting of bile; of sour, then bitter fluid. Acidity. Tension and sticking pains LIVER region when walking. When taking a deep breath, a sharp, violent stitch right ABDOMEN, as if in liver, as if it would burst open there: worse sitting. Unchanged by pressure, at 4 p.m. Great sensitiveness in liver; very painful when touched. Tearing pain round umbilicus, with flatulence. Collection of flatus in abdomen, with pain, without evacuation of it. Grumbling and rolling around in whole abdomen, with sudden pinches; then diarrhoea. Loud grumbling in abdomen, with emission of very fetid flatus. Flatulent colic: flatus passed with difficulty; caused belly- ache, and bruised pain in small of back. Wakes her at 2 a.m. Cannot bear tight clothing about waist. Liver: swollen and tender. Engorged, worst lying on left side. Bilious colic. Excruciating pains. Vomiting of bile. Bitter taste. Jaundice from vexation. Diarrhoea in wet weather; in a.m.: after farinaceous food: in cold, evening air: from vegetables, pastry, cold food or drink. Alternating with constipation. Comes on regularly every morning and return quite regularly each day. Chronic DIARRHOEA. Tuberculosis abdominalis. URINE burns, is less in quantity. Polyuria, esp. if diabetic. Short breath, with piercing pain in l. side of CHEST. Great dyspnoea, desire to take a deep breath during damp, cloudy weather. Pressure on chest, as of a heavy load. Oppression in chest. Stitches l. chest when sitting, yawning, during inspiration, running up from abdomen into l. chest. Excruciating pain in rt. Hip joint, worse stooping and from some motions. When stretching or walking feels nothing. Most felt when rising from a seat, or moving in bed. Plenty of pain in limbs, hand, fingers. Panaritium, pain more bearable out of doors. After striking head, FITS driving him to destruction, never knew when they were coming on: epileptiform. Very irritable; wanted to die. Constant pain in head: photophobia. TIME: Violent colic at 2 a.m. 2 to 3 a.m. flatulent colic. 4 to 5 a.m. asthma. 9 a.m. diarrhoea. MALARIAL SYMPTOMS: alternate creeps and fever. HYDROGENOID CONSTITUTION: feels every change from dry to wet; cannot tolerate sea-air, or eat plants that thrive near water. Feels best on a dry day.

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