Carboneum sulphuratum
Carbon disulfide · Carbon bisulfide, carbon disulfide. · Human-made/chemical
People for whom Carbon sulph. is best suited seem unable to think clearly. They may be either loquacious or respond slowly to others, forgetting words. In severe cases, they can be affected by dementia alternating with excitement, associated with fear, biting, sudden rage, or delusions of grandeur. At the ultimate extreme, they progress to complete breakdown, especially in their relationships, with a loss of dignity and confused sense of self. They may even attempt suicide and require restraining.
This pattern of breakdown is reflected in the physical conditions for which Carbon sulph. is chiefly used. The body systems become “disorganized,” leading to muscle-wasting, jerking pains, visual disturbances with progressive vision loss and color blindness, widespread nerve inflammation, and digestive upsets. These symptoms may occur concurrently or in isolation.
Other important symptoms that may respond to the remedy include tinnitus, chronic sciatic pain and twitching, recurrent breathing difficulties, skin irritation, loss of sensation, and diarrhea or constipation.
Key symptoms
- Visual disturbances: myopia, color-blindness, optic neuritis
- Tinnitus aurium; Meniere's disease
- Diminished sensibility of arms, hands and feet
- Lack of vital heat; sensitive to cold
- Hallucinations of sight and hearing
- Impotence and peripheral neuritis
- Useful in patients broken down by abuse of alcohol
Worse (aggravation)
Better (amelioration)
Alcohol Sulphuris-Bisulphide of Carbon
This drug has a deep and disorganizing action and an immense range of action judging from the symptomatology. Very useful in patients broken down by abuse of alcohol. Sensitive patients worse cold, wasted muscles, and skin and mucous membranes anæsthetic. Special affinity for eyes. Chronic rheumatism, sensitive and cold. Lack of vital heat. Diarrhœa every four to six weeks. Paralysis with intense congestion of nerve centers. Tabes. Sensory difficulties in limbs.
Impotence, sciatica, come within the therapeutic sphere of this remedy. Chronic plumbism. Diminished sensibility of arms, hands and feet. Peripheral neuritis.
Mind
Irritable, anxious, intolerant; stupor. Sluggishness of mind. Hallucinations of sight and hearing. Changeable mood. Dementia alternating with excitement.
Head
Headache and dizziness. Aches as from a tight cap. Ears feel obstructed. Noises in head. Ulceration of the lips, anæsthesia of mouth and tongue.
Eyes
Myopia, asthenopia, and dis-chromotopia, cloudiness and atrophy of optic disc and central scotoma for light and for red and green not for white. Optic neuritis advancing toward atrophy. Arteries and veins congested. Retinal congestion; optic disc pale. Everything seems in a fog. Vision greatly impaired. Color-blindness.
Ears
Hearing impaired. Buzzing and singing noises like an æolian harp. Tinnitus aurium. Meniere's disease.
Abdomen
Pain with wandering swellings as from flatus. Distention, with soreness and rumbling.
Male
Desire lost, parts atrophied. Frequent profuse emissions.
Extremities
Herpes on dorsal surface of hands. Sore, bruised limbs; anæsthesia of arms and hands. Cramps in limbs. Lightning-like pains, with cramps. Fingers swollen, insensible, rigid, stiff. Gait unsteady, tottering; worse in dark. Feet insensible. Sciatica. Flying pains, returning regularly for a long time. Pain in lower limbs, with cramps and formication. Neuritis.
Sleep
Deep morning sleep with anxious, vexatious dreams.
Skin
Anæsthesia; burning; itching; ulcers; small wounds fester. Useful to restrain the growth of cancer. Furunculosis. Chronic skin diseases with much itching.
Modalities
Better, in open air. Worse, after breakfast; bathing. Sensitive to warm, damp, weather.
Relationship
Compare: Potass. Xantate--(Similar in action. Acts on cortical substance; loss of memory, marked blood degeneration; impotence and senility). Tuberculin; Radium; Carbo; Sulph; Caust; Salicyl ac; Cinch. In eye symptoms compare: Benzin dinitric. Thyroidin (progressive diminution of sight with central Scotoma).
Dose
First attenuation. Locally in facial neuralgia and sciatica.
Modalities
The complaints aid symptoms of Carbon bisulphide are worse in the morning, forenoon, afternoon, evening, night, before midnight.
It is a remedy of great depth of action, frequently indicated and long neglected. Strong desire for open air and the open window; better in the open air but worse from a draft.
It is our most useful remedy in patients broken down from the long use of alcoholic stimulants. Weakness and suffocation from ascending stairs. Bathing brings on many symptoms. Many symptoms are worse after breakfast. It is a most useful remedy to restrain the growth of cancer (like**Graphites) and it bas cured lupus.
He is extremely sensitive to every change of weather, especially to warm damp weather. A condition not unlike chlorosis is produced by this drug. It is very useful in chronic rheumatism, especially of the joints. Extremely sensitive to the clothing. It is sensitive to both cold and heat. Cold in general aggravates or brings on many symptoms.
Carbon Bisulphide. Alcohol Sulphuris. Alcohol Lampadii. CS2. Solution in rectified spirit.
Clinical
Acne. Amblyopia. Anæmia. Apoplexy. Burns. Clergyman's sore throat. Glandular swellings. Goître. Gout. Heartburn. Hemiplegia. Hernia. Herpes phlyctenoides. Herpetic dyscrasia. Impetigo. Itch. Liver affections. Memory, lost. Menière's disease. Noises in the head. Progressive muscular atrophy. Rheumatism. Scalds. Sciatica. Spinal sclerosis. Tetanus.
Characteristics
Carbon. sulph. combines many characters of its two elements. It was first brought into notice by its effects on workers in rubber works. Here is an acute case: a girl, aged 15, employed in vulcanising works, was exposed to the fumes one whole day. Before this, she had had from the fumes, frontal pains and heaviness of the head. After this, the pains became more violent, and were accompanied by painful contraction of masseters, then by stiffness of neck and vertebral column; finally of legs and arms. The contracture was generalised, but nowhere …
Phatak's chapter on Carboneum sulphuratum is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
