An Improved Remedy for Diseases of the Stomach, such as Catarrh, Acute or Chronic, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Cholerine, Cholera; Useful also as a Remedy for Purifying the Blood.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Remedy for Diseases of the Stomach, such as Catarrh,
Acute or Chronic, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Cholerine, Cholera;
Useful also as a Remedy for Purifying the Blood.
I, ALEXANDER VON WAGNER of No. 5 Henrietten Strasse Chemnitz in the
Empire of Germany, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-*
This invention relates to an improved remedy for diseases of the stomach such
as catarrh, acute or chronic, diarrhoea, dysentery, cholerine, cholera, useful also as
remedy for purifying the blood.
Many observations and trials which I had made on myself in consequence of
repeated heavy sickness, and having studied chemistry for many years has led
me to the discovery of a sure and perfectly innocuous remedy against the diseases
above mentioned.
This remedy consists of a mixture of
Quick lime (calcium oxide or CaO) afterwards slaked lime (calcium hydroxide
or CaO, HO or Ca(OH) and pulverized iron (ferrum pulveratum or Fe).
Quick lime (calcium oxide) is moistened with a little water or slaked producing
slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and is pounded-after having cooled--to a fine
powder so that it has the appearance and the soft touch of meal. This lime-powder
is mixed with pulverized iron (ferrum pulveratum) in such a proportion that the
mixture is composed of :-
9 parts by weight of such lime powder and
1 part
"
"
iron powder.
The materials having been thoroughly mixed, a quantity say about cubic inch
is put in a glass with to litre of lukewarm water. This is well stirred so
that the lime iron powder is proportionally distributed in the water, and is then
given to the patient to drink. According to the severity of the respective disease
this procedure is repeated every quarter or half hour until after the use of some
doses the diarrhoea will cease, and the improvement in the state of the health of
the patient will commence. Whilst for a common cold on the stomach a single
or double dose will be sufficient in most cases, it will be necessary to take more
doses if the disease is of a heavier character, for instance dysentery or cholera.
The healing effect of the remedy will immediately appear and become remarkable,
the diarrhoea, the vomition and the feeling sick will diminish and finally cease
entirely. The excreta does not become bard, not even when the patient has taken
nourishment shortly before taking the remedy and as the excrements will always
be soft, pappy and dry, no stoppage in the intestines takes place while the activity
of the kidneys is supported and increased.
This healing effect of my remedy can be well explained theoretically. From
observations and trials I have ascertained that the carbonic acid, being produced
in the stomach, is actually the origin, and source and main condition of the above
mentioned diseases, respectively the condition of existence and augmentation of
the bacteria by which all fermentation and putrefaction in the stomach and in the
intestines is caused. I found as a proof for this fact, that diarrhoea appeared or

page_text: was always increased by taking such nourishment which is known to transform
with great ease into carbonic acid, and that the effect of my remedy was paralysed
by taking nourishment or drink that contained acetic acid as the acetic acid
delivers again the carbonic acid of its chemical combination with the lime.
All above named diseases consist in a more or less great fermentation process-
in the greatest measure in cholera-in the stomach and in the intestines, whereas
carbonic acid is produced in great mass, as is the case at every fermentation, and
wherefrom the bacteria enter into the blood. Now if the carbonic acid is taken away
then the bacteria cannot exist and cannot increase. The quick afterwards slaked
lime energetically forces the carbonic acid to enter with it into a chemical
combination, even the lime delivers for this purpose the carbonic acid from other
combinations already formed, the lime forms then with the carbonic acid a salt-chalk,
which is not soluble in water. The carbonic acid produced in the stomach of the
patient is forced in the same manner to combine chemically with the lime and is
removed from the body, in the natural way by the stool, as chalk-not soluble and
therefore innocuous.
The pulverised iron which is one of the constituents of the mixture effects, first
of all, a more agreeable taste of the remedy in covering the taste of the lime.
Further it results by the joint presence and the joint action of iron and lime a
specific sanative effect and a specific chemical behaviour of the iron, resulting from
the presence of lime and caused exclusively by the chemical influence of it on the
iron, as will be seen by the following explanation:
Iron belongs to the class of the electro-positive or water dissolving metals, which
have the peculiarity to dissolve in diluted acis and to extract the oxygen,
necessary for their oxidation, from the water. A further peculiarity of the iron
is that its low grades of oxidation, viz. :-the protoxide and the protoperoxide as
well as their hydrates, possess strong basic character, by which they are enabled
to enter into chemical combination with carbonic acid. The higher grades of
oxidation on the contrary behave exactly in the opposite way, ferric acid (FeO³)
possesses acid character and the peroxide (Fe2O3) has not the power to keep
combined with the carbonic acid but sets it free.
By the influence of the acids in the stomach of the patient and of the water,
the iron powder is oxidized and becomes protoxide (FeO) but is prevented by the
lime from combining also with the carbonic acid as the lime possesses a greater
affinity to the carbonic acid and enters itself in combination with the latter. The
iron protoxide is absorbed by the blood (a well known fact on which is based the
cure of drinking ferruginous waters, for instance such of the chalybeate springs of
Pyrmont, Spaa etc.) iron is, as is known, a fundamental constituent part of the
blood (principal part of the red fluid hemoglobin) the iron protoxide combines
during the circulation of the blood with the carbonic acid contained in the blood,
and with the morbid matter adhering to this acid and when arrived with the blood
in the lungs, the iron protoxide comes in contact with the atmospheric air.
Greedily absorbing oxygen from the air, the protoxide is converted into the oxide
which has no longer the power to keep combined with the carbonic acid and the
latter is thrust out of the body by breathing. It is evident that by the addition of
more iron to the blood there must take place an increased secretion of carbonic
acid by the lungs and the bacteria, already entered in the blood of the patient,
must be destroyed in the same proportion as the blood is purified and delivered of
carbonic acid.
Without the lime the iron powder would be transformed into carbonic acid and
iron protoxide and so there would be added still more carbonic acid to the blood
of the patient already overladen with this acid in consequence of the disease and
the result would be that there would be added to the blood still more morbid
matter. Already saturated with carbonic acid before entering into the blood, the
iron would have lost the capacity to purify the blood and to cure. On the other
hand if used without the iron powder, the lime alone would not be able to cause
the sccretion of the morbid matter also from the blood to the same extent, but,

page_text: only principally from the stomach and the intestines. Both constituent parts of
my remedy must act jointly for effectuating the cure.
The further employment of the remedy as a clyster will be advisable in serious.
cases. Of course, the greater the fermentation process and the greater in
consequence the production of carbonic acid, the more lime will be necessary for
neutralizing the carbonic acid, but as explained above there is no objection to that
and no danger in it. In such cases, where more lime is introduced into the stomach
than the quantity of carbonic acid requires, the surplus of lime will form with the-
fatty substances of nourishment in the stomach another chemical combination which
is also not soluble and therefore also innocuous. Concerning the iron in this respect.
it is under all circumstances innocuous.
Finally I would remark that my remedy exercises a very favourable effect on
the appetite and good health in general.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1.) An improved remedy prepared substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
(2.) An improved remedy consisting essentially of about 9 parts by weight of
lime powder and 1 part by weight of pulverized iron.
Dated this 6th day of January 1897.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.