Potassium Iodide. Alterative emmenagogue. Uric acid solvent.
Uses.—Syphilis rheumatism, swellings, slow inflammations, excessive secretion of milk.
Dose.—2–10 gr. increased as required.
Potassium Permanganate. Dark purple opaque prisms. Soluble in water 1 to 16. Disinfectant, deodorant, antiseptic, astringent.
Uses.—As an injection in leucorrhœa and gonorrhœa, 1:5000 solution.
Purgatives. Simple purgatives produce free discharges from the bowels with some griping. Senna, aloes, rheubarb, castor oil, and calomel are examples. Saline purgatives are followed by profuse watery evacuations. Magnesia sulphate, and citrate, potassium and sodium tartrate, and sodium phosphate belong to this class.
Drastic purgatives bring about a violent action of the bowels with much griping and tenesmus. Such are jalap, colocynth, elaterium, and croton oil. Hydrogogue purgatives combine the results of the salines and drastics. They have much griping with profuse watery stools. The hydrogogues are elaterium, gamboge, croton oil, and potassium bitartrate.
Quinine Sulphate. (Derived from Cinchona bark.) Antipyretic, tonic, antiperiodic, antiseptic, emmenagogue and ecbolic.
Uses.—Valuable stimulant in a slow first stage. It is combined with castor oil to bring on labor at term. Castor oil 1 oz. and quinine sulphate 10 gr. is given as the first dose, followed in an hour by another 10 gr. of quinine, and an hour later by another.
Dose.—2–20 gr.