Potassae bichromas. Potassic dichromate. Bichromate of Potash. Red Chromate of Potash. K2Cr2O7. Solution in distilled water. Trituration.
Clinical
Acne. Anemia. Asthma. Blotches. *Bone, *nodes on, *exostoses. *Bronchitis, *croupous. *Burns. Cachexia. *Catarrh. Climacteric flushes. *Coccygodynia. Conjunctivitis. Constipation. Cornea, opacities of. Coryza. Descemetitis. *Duodenum, ulcers of. *Dyspepsia. Ears, pains in, inflammation of, internal and external. Emaciation. Epilepsy. Epistaxis. *Eyes, iritis, *keratitis. Farcy. *Gastric ulcer. *Glanders. Gleet. Gout. Hay fever. Headache. Intermittent fever. *Intestines, ulceration of.
*Lumbago. *Lupus. *Measles.* Mumps. *Neuralgia.* Nightmare. *Nodes. *Nose, pressure at root of, soreness of.* Ophthalmia. *Ozena. *Polypus. Post-nasal catarrh. Pruritus vulvae. *Rheumatism. Rhinitis, atrophic. Sciatica. Scrofula. *Smell, illusions of. Sun-headache. Sycosis. *Syphilis. *Throat, hair sensation in, sore. Tobacco, intolerance of. *Trachea, affections of. Ulcers.* Urethritis. Warts. Whooping-cough.
Characteristics
*Kali bichromicum (with the other *Chromium preparations, *Chro- ac. and *Chro.ox.) owes it introduction into the homoeopathic materia medica to the late Dr. J. J. Drysdale, whose monograph upon it, forming one section of the *Hahnemann Materia Medica, and now occupying pp. 457 to 573 of *Materia Medica Physiological and Applied, is the most complete account of the remedy which we possess. The *Bichromate of Potash, which is manufactured in large quantities from chrome-iron-ore, is the preparation from which all other salts of *Chromium are derived. The native association of *Chromium with *Ferrum is worthy of note. The *Bichromate is largely used in the arts in dying, calico- printing, wood staining, in photography, and as a solution for producing the current in electric batteries. Many of the most remarkable symptoms were obtained from workmen engaged in the preparation of the salt. Some of these had been noted before Drysdale took up the study of the drug. The first proving was published by him in 1844 in the *British Journal of Homoeopathy. The following year it was proved by the Austrian Society. The effects of the drug show profound action on the entire organism, and characteristic features of the utmost value to the prescriber have been brought out, rendering the drug one of the most important members of the homoeopathic tertiary materia medica. Among these keynotes of *Kali-bi. four may be named as pre- eminent: (I) Discharges from mucous membranes of tough, stringy mucus, or mucopus, which adheres to the part and can be drawn out in strings. (2) The occurrence of pain in *small spots. In connection with this is another feature showing a sharply defined action: (3) Punched-out, perforating ulcers, occurring on skin, mucous membranes, and affecting bones (e.g. vomer, palate). (4) Alternating and shifting conditions: Pains wander from part to part, rheumatic pains alternate with gastric symptoms, or with dysentery, headache alternates with blindness, fibrinous deposits extend downwards. Among other leading characters, scarcely less distinctive are: (a) The formation of plugs or clinkers on mucous membranes, especially in the nose. (This may be regarded as an advanced stage of the stringy mucous secretions.) (b) Still another variety of this is the formation of false membranes as in croup and diphtheria, with hoarse, metallic cough, and the formation of casts of the bronchial tubes in fibrinous bronchitis. (c) Yet another characteristic mucous discharge is one of “Jelly-like mucus.” (d) Indigestion from drinking beer, loss of appetite, weight in pit of stomach immediately after eating, flatulence. (e) Among peculiar sensations the “hair sensation” is marked in *Kali-bi. It occurs chiefly on the back part of the tongue and in the left nostril. It can hardly be questioned that *Chromium is the predominant partner in the action of this salt, but it would be wrong to consider the *Kali element as of no account, and it would be still more wrong to disregard the very large proportion of oxygen. It is an oxydising agent and disinfectant that *Kali-bi. is chiefly known in general medicine, and it is probably to the oxygen element that the ulcerating properties of the drug are largely due. One of its effects is “odourless stools,” and the oxygen element is probably accountable for this. Another point in this connection is that the antidotes to poisonous doses of *Kali-bi. are the same as the antidotes to the acids. The *Kali parallels must be sought chiefly in *Causticum and *Kali-carb. The general resemblance is great, but the minute correspondences are not very striking. One possible point of correspondence has been pointed out. Storer (Medorrhinum Adv., xxv.98), cured with *Kali-bi. a case of asthma in a man who noticed that the attacks *were caused by and always followed coitus. The *Kali-bi. was prescribed on other indications, but this symptom must be noted for future verification. *Kali-c. has marked ” worse from coitus,” and also from emissions, and *Causticum has stupid feeling in the head the day though it has not the “blindness followed by headache, the sight improving as the pain becomes worse of *Kali-bi. This is very characteristic and has led me to many cures. Both *Causticum and *Kali-bi. have many symptoms of ulceration internal and external. Nash relates a good cure with *Kali-bi. A women had deep punched-out ulcers with regular edges. One of them had perforated the soft palate and threatened the whole palate. It had a syphilitic appearance, and also a stringy discharge, but not to a great amount. In three weeks *Kali bichromicum 30 made cure which proved permanent, the local condition entirely healed and the patient’s general state improved correspondingly. *Apropos of syphilis Drysdale quotes a long series of cases of syphilis in all stages treated by ***J.E. Guntz with “Chrome water. “This consists of an artificial aerated water containing in 600 grammes of water *Kali-bi. 0.03 grms., *Kali-nit. 0.I grm., *Natr. nit., 0.19 m, *Nat-mur., 0.2, gr., this mixture is incorporated with carbonic acid under the highest pressure, at low temperature, and kept some time before use. The dose given was from half to two bottles daily (each bottle containing 600 grammes) in five doses, given on a full stomach. Even in this dilution the mixture was sufficiently disgusting in taste, and to some quite intolerable. A number of *Kali bichromicum symptoms were produced, but on the whole very notable and evidently specific curative action was observed. Out of 100 casts of primary syphilis 64 remained without constitutional symptoms. In secondary and tertiary syphilis “chrome-water” was also remarkably successful. In strictly homoeopathic practice *Kali-bi. has been no less successful, as its symptoms correspond to a great variety of manifestations of the disease, especially keratitis and iritis, ozaena, bone-pains and nodes, sore throat, syphilitic rheumatism and ulcers. Like *Causticum it has some sycotic symptoms as well, including asthma, early morning worse, gleety discharge, and according to Farrington, scabs on fingers, often about the nails, and on corona glandis. J.B. Garrison records the rapid action of *Kali- bi. in two cases of intermittent fever (*H. R., iii, 105) on an indication given to him by Martin Dischere. The latter once took by mistake an overdose of *Kali-bi., which was followed by vomiting of a large quantity of *bright yellow water, tasting very bitter. Garrison’s first case was a labourer, ill a month with fever, pains and paroxysm at I p.m. Just before Garrison saw him he had vomited ” a large quantity of bright yellow water.” *Kali-bi. Ix, one gr. dissolved in a tumbler of water, a teaspoonful every two hours, cured at once. Case ii. was that of a woman who had been nine months under allopathic treatment, had not been out of the house for two months, and had been told she could not recover. Among other symptoms was this: Vomited much more than she drank: in the morning vomited a large bowlful of bright yellow fluid. The *yellowness of *Kali-bi. secretions and excretions is noteworthy. *Kali-bi. is particularly suited to fat people, and Goullon (quoted *H. R., vi. 267) gives the case of an enormously fat man of “formless colossal body ” who complained of chronic accumulation of phlegm _ he seemed fairly filled up with it, especially in morning _ for which all domestic remedies and mineral waters had been given in vain. *Kali-bi. 2x was ordered, a few grains in hot water every evening. In two weeks the patient could resume his walks. He felt easy on his chest, the accumulation of phlegm disappeared, his bowels became regular instead of constipated. H.W. Champlin (*Medorrhinum Adv., xix. 393), cites a case of chronic rheumatism in an old lady over 70 confirming symptoms of *Kali-bi. She was restless and sleepless at night, and *Rhus relieved this somewhat, but closer investigation brought out this: (I) The pains *changed rapidly from one place to another, and (2) they occupied *small spots that could be covered with the point of a finger. *Kali-bi. cured rapidly. *Kali-bi. also causes: Rheumatic-like or shooting and pricking pains here and there. In one prover (Drysdale himself) the rheumatic pains were worse, and the gastric pains better, after eating. There were cramps in various parts, twitches in hands and feet, stinging pains all over. Pains in short jerks as if a nerve were suddenly pulled. Sudden pains. Pains appear and disappear suddenly. *Diagonal pains, right mamma and left elbow, left forearm and right occiput, right knee and hip, left breast & shoulder Rt. axilla, Lt. thigh, Rt. big. toe, left little finger, right forearm, left elbow, right foot, ankles, shin, left hip, arm, shoulder, right big toe and thumb, wrists and ankles.
