Trick or Treatment—The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine (Electronic book text)

This is the entry for the homeopathic remedy Aceticum acidum, taken from William Boericke’s Materia Medica. It offers numerous curious statements about Aceticum acidum, such as ‘Counteracts sausage poisoning’ and recommending its use for people worried about business affairs.

Aceticum Acidum

Glacial Acetic Acid

(Acetic Acid)

This drug produces a condition of profound anæmia, with some dropsical symptoms, great debility, frequent fainting, dyspnœa, weak heart, vomiting, profuse urination and sweat. Hæmorrhage from any part. Especially indicated in pale, lean persons, with lax, flabby muscles. Wasting and debility. Acetic acid has the power to liquefy albuminous and fibrinous deposits. Epithelial cancer, internally and locally (W Owens). Sycosis with nodules and formations in the joints. Hard chancre. The 1X solution will soften and cause formation of pus.

Mind

Irritable, worried about business affairs.

Head

Nervous headache, from abuse of narcotics. Blood rushes to head with delirium. Temporal vessels distended. Pain across root of tongue.

Face

Pale, waxen, emaciated. Eyes sunken, surrounded by dark rings. Bright red. Sweaty.

Epithelioma of lip. Cheeks hot and flushed. Aching in left jaw-point.

Stomach

Salivation. Fermentation in stomach. Intense burning thirst. Cold drinks distress. Vomits after every kind of food.

Epi-gastric tenderness. Burning pain as of an ulcer. Cancer of stomach.

Sour belching and vomiting. Burning water brash and profuse salivation. Hyperchlorhydria and gastralgia. Violent burning pain in stomach and chest, followed by coldness of skin and cold sweat on forehead. Stomach feels as if she had taken a lot of vinegar.

Abdomen

Feels as if abdomen was sinking in. Frequent watery stools, worse in morning. Tympanitic. Ascites. Hæmorrhage from bowels.

Urine

Large quantities of pale urine. Diabetes, with great thirst and debility (Phos ac).

Female

Excessive catamenia. Haemorrhages after labor. Nausea of pregnancy. Breasts painfully enlarged, distended with milk. Milk impoverished, bluish, transparent, sour. Anæmia of nursing mothers.

Respiratory

Hoarse, hissing respiration; difficult breathing; cough when inhaling. Membranous croup. Irritation of trachea and bronchial tubes. False membrane in throat.

Profuse bronchorrhœa. Putrid sore throat (gargle).

Back

Pain in back, relieved only by lying on abdomen.

Extremities

Emaciation. Œdema of feet and legs.

Skin

Pale, waxen, œdematous. Burning, dry, hot skin, or bathed in profuse sweat. Diminished sensibility of the surface of body. Useful after stings, bites, etc. Varicose swellings. Scurvy; anasarca. Bruises; sprains.

Fever

Hectic, with drenching night-sweats. Red spot on left cheek. No thirst in fever. Ebullitions. Sweat profuse, cold.

Relationship

Acetic acid is antidotal to all anæsthetic vapors. Counteracts sausage poisoning.

Compare

Ammon acet (Profuse saccharine urine, patient is bathed in sweat).

Benzoin oderiferum — Spice-wood (night sweats). Ars; China; Digitalis; Liatris

(General anasarca in heart and kidney disease, dropsy, and chronic diarrhœa).

Dose

Third to thirtieth potency. Not to be repeated too often, except in croup.