Zincum Picricum.

A DICTIONARY OF PRACTICALMATERIA MEDICABy John Henry CLARKE, M.D.Presented by Médi-T ®

Zincum Picricum.

Picrate of Zinc. Zn[C6H2(NO2)3O]2. Trituration.

Clinical.─Bright's disease; headaches of. Exhaustion. Facial paralysis. Headaches. Nymphomania. Paralysis agitans. Priapism. Satyriasis. Seminal emissions. Spinal weakness.

Characteristics.─Hale gives this indication of Zn. pi. Cerebro-spinal troubles of the erethistic character." Hugh Pitcairn (quoted H. W., xix. 366) gives these indications: (1) Brain-fag. (2) Nervous exhaustion from over-worked brain or sexual excess. (3) Chronic occipital headaches, periodic. (4) Headache occurring in Bright's disease. (5) Threatened cerebral paralysis, especially in children. (6) Profound neurasthenia, when nervous exhaustion has passed beyond stage of erethism. (7) Seminal emissions. (8) Erotomania. He gives this case: Mr. M., 36, merchant. Above ordinary intelligence. Single; correct in his habits, but subject to seminal emissions since early manhood, occurring about 3 a.m. every third night, leaving him very weak and debilitated; < every change of weather, especially in hot weather and before and during thunderstorms. Never masturbated. Complains of loss of memory and energy; dull, heavy feeling in head; sticky, pasty mouth; dry throat, poor appetite. Belches torrents of tasteless flatus after eating, followed by relief and diarrhœa. At other times inclined to constipation. Languid, heavy feeling throughout body. Dull, aching pain in back. Zn. pi. 2nd trit. caused steady improvement, the emissions being reduced in frequency to one in six weeks. Halbert (Clinique; H. W., xxxiv. 511) reports: (1) A case of recent facial paralysis from cold cured by Zn. pi. 3x) and (2) Paralysis agitans in lady, 45, very greatly improved by the same.

Relations.─Compare: Fag, Pic. ac., Fe. pic., and picrates generally.