The copper liniment, also known as linimentum ceruginis, oxymel cupri sub acetas, unguentum, Zgyptiacum, is a stim ulant, detergent, and slightly-escharotic preparation, made by dissolving 1 ounce of cupric diacetate in 7 ounces of dis tilled vinegar, and then adding 14 ounces of honey.
Physiological Action,—All the copper salts are more or less astringent both in substance and solution, the difference for the most part being those of degree; applied to abraded surfaces, they are caustic. Internally they are gastro-intes tinal irritants. Though often tonic in minute doses, they are not generally well borne for any length of time, but, like the ingestion of single large doses, pro voke nausea, perhaps vomiting, and sali vation and purging of blood and mucus. They are also depressant to the nervous system; to the respiratory action, which is likewise accelerated; and to the heart's action, causing a small, weak, rapid pulse. Minute doses augment all the secretions. All are but slowly absorbed and even slower eliminated, this process taking place by way of the prima vice, the sali vary glands, the kidneys, and liver, and there is always a tendency to accumulate in the latter organ.
Copper salts probably exist in the blood as alburninates. Some Observers have noted a gain in flesh in animals and man after a course of copper, but when persisted in too long the salts give rise to symptoms similar to plumbic poison ing, viz.: constipation, paralysis, etc. Biddle ("Afat. Med. and Therap.," '96).
Internally copper leaves the irritabil ity of the muscles unaffected, but dimin ishes the total amount of work they are able to do, and also causes powerful contraction of the blood-vessels. Arm strong (Foster's "Prac. Therap.," '96).
People who work in the copper mines are liable to a peculiar greenish colora tion of the hair, regardless of its original hue. The beard and moustache are first affected, then the hair of the scalp; and the metal can be demonstrated in the hirsute growth chemically, and under the microscope the color is seen to be uni formly distributed.
It will be observed that the physiolog ical action of copper salts within the economy is largely speculative; they are not employed therapeutically sufficiently often to excite special studies in this di rection, thaugh such are g,reatly to be desired.
Poisoning by Copper Salts.—Here the arsenical copper salts must be excluded, as they partake of the nature of arsenic (see AusExic). As regards the others, this action is pretty nearly coincident and uniform, and chiefly exaggerations of their effects in large medicinal doses. The symptoms are: vomiting, pain in bowels, cramps in lower extremities, strong coppery taste in mouth, diarrhcea, convulsions, paralysis, insensibility, and death; marks of inflammation in the stomach and intestines are often noticed at the post-mortem, and, where the case has been protracted, there is often a green tinge of the lining membranes of the prima vice and a jaundiced appearance of the skin.
Acute poisoning results from the in halation of copper fumes, eating fruits cooked in copper utensils, or from an overdose of a copper salt. When in haled, the first symptoms are those of bronchial catarrh and irritation. In ternally admini-tered the symptoms do not usually appear at once; but after an hour's interval there are manifest a strong metallic ta-te in the mouth, burning and constriction of the pharynx and fames, salivation and vomiting of greenish matter, and purging, the pas sages after awhile containing mucus streaked with blood. There are present, also, burning in the epigastrium and griping, colicky pains. A characteristic symptom is a green line on the gums. Sometimes jaundice may be present; and headache, convulsions, suppression of urine, cardiac depression, and hurried respiration are among the more grave symptoms. Butler ("'I'ext-book of Mat. Med., Pharm., and Therap.," '96).
In four eases, all with a previons his tory of good health, there \vas a sudden onset of gastric disturbance more or less severe, speedily- followed by pains ac companied by dyspliagia, cramps, head ache, and vertigo. Vomiting terminated the severity of the symptoms. Gentile (La Riforma Med., No. 42, '96).