Category: Kent Materia Medica

Tarentula Hispanica
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 174 of 180
Source pages 3086–3101 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

This terrible poison should never be used except in attenuations.

Mind and nervous: The nervous manifestations of this remedy are almost indescribable and too numerous to mention.

Anxiety and restlessness are words that prevail through all the conditions in it. It is much like Ars. The anxiety is felt sometimes in the mind, sometimes in the whole body, sometimes in the limbs and in the stomach.

Cardiac anxiety is a strong feature. A strong aversion to colors, such as green, red and black. Depraved imaginations prevail through all the proving. Loss of all shame.

Desire to run about, to dance and jump up and down. Great fantastic dancing. Sometimes, music ameliorates all the symptoms and it other times it aggravates them. He becomes violently excited from music.

Emaciation is so marked that it may be said sometimes that the flesh falls off from him. Creeping and crawling in the skin all over the body. Paralysis of any part of the body, or of all the limbs.

Trembling and jerking convulsions. It has an appearance very much like St. Vitus’ Dance and hence has cured chorea when it was better from music. But it will also cure when worse from music.

The extreme restlessness of the limbs is like Ars., and it is a deep acting medicine like Ars., and it sometimes has cured where Ars. has failed, although it seemed well selected. Anxiety, restlessness, constant motion of the arms, legs, trunk and head. Restlessness of the limbs in the evening, in bed before going to sleep, like Ars. and Lyc.

It is full of pains in the body and limbs; pains in the bones; pains in the. arms and in the joints. Periodicity is so well marked that it has been a marked curative remedy in intermittent fevers with restlessness of limbs, with aching of the bones, with stitching pains, with the anxiety, especially when these come in the evening and the fever lasts all night.

Chill in the evening followed by fever without sweat is a marked feature.

Modalities: The patient himself is always sensitive to cold, so the pains in the limbs are worse in cold air and from becoming cold.

Cold damp weather aggravates all the symptoms. Walking in the open air when not cold ameliorates most of his symptoms. Open air ameliorates, rubbing ameliorates.

There is weakness of all the limbs. Violent pains in the bowels and in the bladder. Burning is a strong symptom, in many parts, but especially in the rectum; in the palms and soles and in the uterus. It is one of our high grade remedies for hysterical women.

He is inclined to walk in his sleep. Excessive hyperesthesia; all the symptoms are worse from grief and excitement. When choreic symptoms are present he can run better than he can walk.

Impairment of memory. Great irritability. In the hysterical symptoms she is better from music. Her motions are ludicrous and she is even lascivious in her conduct. Great excitement from music; she sings until she falls with exhaustion. Fox-like cunning and destructiveness. Paroxysms of insanity with restlessness of the legs and threatening words.

When questioned she does not answer. Frequently imagines that she has been insulted. Dementia with great sadness. Excitement with singing, dancing and weeping. She sees monsters, animals, faces, insects and ghosts. She sees strangers in the room. Tarentula patients feign all sorts of sickness, especially fainting. They not only imagine themselves sick, but they pretend to be sick when they are not.

Aversion to red, green and black and all striking colors. She pulls her own hair and presses her hands upon her head. Constantly, complaining and threatening; threatens her nurse and her attendants; she strikes her head with her hands; she strikes her body; strikes her attendants and her best friends.

Violence is a strong feature of the remedy. Violence with anger. Tears his clothing. Consolation causes weeping.

The mental symptoms are better in the evening after eating. Many physical symptoms are worse in the evening, especially the febrile conditions.

A desire to lie down in the dark and not be talked to. She has many insane ideas, one is that she wants to hide because she imagines that she will be assaulted. Angered from contradiction.

Frequent attacks of dizziness, even so great that she falls to the ground. Dizziness comes on in the night; when descending stairs. Dizziness with rush of blood to the head and dizziness when fixing the eyes upon objects.

Head: The head symptoms are also very numerous.

Contortions and jerking of the head. Constantly rubs the head against something, sometimes it is the pillow when in bed. Throws the head from side to side, here and there.

She has a sensation of hammers in the head. Burning heat in the head. Headache in the evening; in the morning on waking. Cannot open the eyes. Bending head forward aggravates. Pains are pressing and often wander around from place to place in the head; violent pain in the occiput and temples at the same time.

Eyes: Eyes are staring, spasmodically wide open.

Dim vision usually worse in the right eye. Severe pain in the right eye. Sensation of sand or splinters in the eyes. Itching in the eyes. Burning, worse in the right eye.

Photophobia is marked. It will therefore be seen that the right eye is more affected. Many symptoms of the body are confined to the right side.

Ears: Discharge from the cars profuse.

Violent pains in the ear. Stinging in the meatus. Dullness of hearing. Dull pains in the right ear; tearing pains in the right ear.

Buzzing and whizzing and dizziness. Ringing as of bells in the ear on waking in the morning. The right ear is most affected.

Nose: It has many catarrhal symptoms in the nose.

Dryness and burning; sneezing with the coryza and bleeding from the nose.

The acute and chronic nasal symptoms are worse on the right side.

Face, mouth and throat: The face looks sickly and has the appearance of terror.

Tearing pains in the teeth. Pain in the angle of the inferior maxilla as if the teeth would fall out.

There is inflammation of the throat and tonsils, worse on the right side.

Pain in the right tonsil extending to the ear.

Shooting pain in the throat. Pain and constriction on swallowing. It has cured Diphtheria. The throat is much swollen externally and there is high fever.

Stomach: Aversion to food; aversion to meat especially, though craves raw food.

Thirst for cold water. Has nausea and vomiting. Has bitter eructations. Has an empty all-gone feeling in the stomach, an anxious feeling in the stomach. Vomits all food taken. Burning pain in the stomach.

There is burning in the abdomen that extends down through the intestines. Burning in the rectum. Sharp pain in the spleen.

The liver is painful to touch and is swollen. Pain in both sides of the abdomen. The abdomen is distended with flatus. Subject to much colic. Shooting pains in the abdomen, anus and vagina at the same time.

Women who have been poisoned by the Tarentula were found to have fibroid tumors in the abdomen and uterus. Severe pains in the lower abdomen.

It has cured most terrible and alarming constipation after cathartics and injections failed to effect a movement. The symptoms that guide to it are the continual tossing, anxiety, restlessness, rolling from side to side and rubbing the head against the pillow.

There is no desire for stool. With the stool there is much blood. In the rectum there is pain, smarting, tenesmus and in the abdomen colic. Most difficult stool. It also has diarrhoea with nausea and vomiting.

Diarrhoea has been brought on after washing the hair attended with dark foetid stool.

Many toxicological symptoms are found. Sugar in the urine and it has cured diabetes; diabetes with grief, anxiety, weakness and bruised pain all through the body.

Kidneys and bladder: There is involuntary urination when coughing.

Many pains in the kidneys. Most difficult urination and it has cured renal colic. In the pathogenesis the symptoms are much like cystitis and it has cured inflammation of the bladder.

In keeping with these general symptoms there is spasmodic action of the bladder; spasmodic retention of urine; copious urine with emaciation and sugar. Pain in the urethra, drawing after urination. Copious sand in the urine, and the urine is foetid.

There is uncontrollable sexual desire and he seems in a state of mind wherein he has no desire to control himself and his sexual passions; lasciviousness almost to insanity. Onanism followed by prostatic troubles.

Seminal emissions; semen is bloody; pain in the genitals; testes relaxed and painful; pain in the groin; the penis is swollen; tumor in both testicles; pains in the spermatic cords and testes, with swelling; drawing pains in the spermatic cords.

Women: In the female also there is violent, uncontrollable sexual erethism.

Menstrual flow too early and copious. Violent itching of the genitals extending far up into the vagina, worse at night. Pain and violent cramps in the uterus. Nymphomania has been cured by this remedy.

Coition intensifies the desire and is followed by no relief. Extreme hyperesthesia of the genitals. Fibroid tumors have been cured. Great relaxation of the muscles and displacement of the uterus. Strong bearing down feeling in the pelvis. Burning in the uterus; swelling and induration of the uterus.

Violent cramps with burning in the uterus with nausea and vomiting. The uterus is extremely sensitive to pressure. Contracting pains of the uterus are labor-like and such as are often found in abortion. Shooting pains, in the genitals.

Air passages: It has been a very useful remedy in complaints of the air passages.

Constantly scraping of larynx and trachea to clear them of MUCUS. Loss of voice and hoarseness; loss of voice when talking. Dryness in the larynx and trachea. Burning from the throat down into the chest.

It is very rich in cough symptoms. Dry frequent cough, worse in the evening dry spasmodic cough with retching, with gagging, on every effort to expectorate; cough with involuntary urination; cough with smarting in the larynx and bronchial tubes; night cough.

Again dry cough in the morning. It has a loose cough with thick yellow expectoration in the morning.

It has great difficulty in breathing very much like that which is found in cardiac troubles, such a pressure upon the chest with panting respiration and suffocative catarrh. Oppression in the chest when raising the arms and when lying on the left side. Rheumatic pains. Many pains through and in the chest.

It has numerous heart symptoms. It has cured palpitation with mitral murmurs and sensation of trembling in the heart with irregular pulse; extreme anxiety. in the heart; tumultuous beating of the heart sudden thumping in the heart as from fright but when not frightened.

Constant want of air and desire for fresh air and sensation as if the heart turned over; a sensation as if the heart were squeezed or compressed. It has cured angina pectoris and it has many symptoms of the heart like angina pectoris.

Back and limbs: Upon the back there are boils, abscesses and carbuncles, especially on the back of the neck and between the shoulder blades.

Violent pain in the lumbar region. Violent pains under the scapula, worse from motion.

Rheumatic pains in the whole back. Pain in the shoulder blades. Neck is stiff and painful on motion. It is a great remedy for soreness of the spinal column, or spinal irritation, pressure aggravates and touch aggravates.

The symptoms of the limbs are too numerous to mention; only a few can be spoken of.

Weakness, numbness and restlessness are always present. Rheumatic pains are numerous. The pains of the limbs are so great that he cannot stand the weight of the clothing. Heaviness and numbness of the upper limbs.

Pain in the arm as if squeezed. Heart pains and many pains of the shoulders. Burning pains are very numerous; rheumatic tearing pains. Must move the hands constantly and pick the fingers from nervousness.

There is numbness of the left upper extremity and right lower. Paralysis of the lower limbs with pain in the back on motion. Restlessness of the lower limbs with constant desire to cry. (Ars.).

Fatigue and pain in the evening. In the lower limbs there is numbness which changes to a drawing in the muscles. Restlessness in the lower limbs with aching pain during the chill in intermittent fever.

Hard pain in the hips during the night. Pain in the hips and coccyx in the evening while sitting; strong desire to jump. Pains in the nates beginning at 6 A.M. and lasting until evening. Pain in the thighs, as if bandaged when walking, shooting pains in the thighs.

He is moving the legs constantly; heaviness in the legs; bruised pains in the legs; shooting pains in the right tendon-Achilles, he must walk the floor in the evening, like Ars. It is much like Ars., going from chair to chair and from bed to bed, walking the floor.

Sleeplessness before midnight is very marked.

Itching, biting and creeping all over the body marked in the limbs.

Itching and burning. It has cured a dry itching eczema of the extremities and other parts of the skin after Ars. and Sulph. have failed. It is a very deep acting, long acting remedy and a most useful remedy in skin affections.

Secale Cornutum
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 159 of 180
Source pages 2818–2827 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

The best provers of Secale, those who are most susceptible to its action, are scrawny people, and they are the ones who will most likely need it as their curative remedy.

Aspect: Of course, it is not necessarily contra-indicated in fat people. Certain constitutions are mentioned in connection with a remedy as being suited to it, but it must not be inferred that no action will result in others when the symptoms agree. Scrawny people are especially related to Secale.

Emaciated, withered, wrinkled, unhealthy appearance of the skin; purplish, bluish skin, general or in spots; purplish I spots on withered skin, especially where the circulation is feeble as on the back of the hands and feet and on the tibia.

These parts become numb, tingle and wither. The extremities prickle, burn, and tingle; creeping and crawling, as of insects under the skin, as if between the skin and the flesh; numb, dead, wooden sensation in the fingers and especially in the toes.

The toes become black, gangrenous. A senile withering, such as is found in feeble old people; the blood-vessels close up; no blood goes to the toes and they become numb and black, devoid of sensation. Hence, Secale improves the circulation of the aged and postpones senile gangrene.

Burning: is a feature of this remedy; the skin burns; the extremities burn, sensation of burning when the parts feel cold to the touch and really are cold, a sensation of heat with coldness.

Burning, especially of internal parts. Dryness with burning; burning in the stomach and bowels; dryness and burning in the mouth and throat, the nose and air passages; burning in the lungs.

This remedy produces ulceration even to sloughing. Old ulcers take on a strange, withered appearance; dryness with no, granulations; a shiny, blackish aspect and all at once blackish granulations shoot out, indolent, and finally forming a black sphacelus which slowly separates; the part is dry; there is no discharge except now and then a little bleeding of black blood.

Oozing of black, liquid blood, oozing when there is no inflammation; nose-bleed of dark, venous, offensive, fluid blood, bleeding from the throat, lungs, bladder, and rectum, of dark blood; urine like ink.

Women: Prolonged uterine haemorrhage so that one menstrual nisus runs into another; withered subjects; considerable flow on the first day, fluid, and blackish; this goes on for a couple of weeks and then a dark watery flow comes on which lasts until the next period.

Then comes the thick, black, fluid, horribly offensive flow again. Such a state is found in the woman who has taken ergot to produce abortion, or in sensitive women who have been dosed with it to facilitate delivery. Of course, if the woman is not sensitive you will not get the lingering provings,

Some women are so insane that though they die they will get rid of their offspring. On all hands women say,

“I have had no health since I aborted.”

The worst state of health is produced by ergot; it establishes a miasm as deep as psora itself. The duke to destroy the offspring is an engraftment on psora and by ergot she takes on a miasm as dangerous as sycosis or syphilis.

I have patients who took ergot to cause abortion, and I can do nothing more than palliate them. They have Secale symptoms, sequelae, and their psoric symptoms are suppressed, held down, just as syphilis holds down psoric manifestations; only by covering the Secale miasm and getting at the psora can we help the patient.

They have placed themselves beyond the help of the physician and the ergot will shorten their lives many years unless they are fortunate enough to have careful prescribing continuously while they live.

Modalities: The general constitutional state is aggravated from heat; there are only a few exceptions to this.

Wants cold though the limbs are cold as ice, wants to be uncovered, wants the windows open; a patient with hemorrhages wants the covers off though the room is cold. A patient with ulcers wants to be uncovered; in inflammatory condition of the stomach and bowels, wants the abdomen uncovered.

At times there is a lingering state of heat of the skin and the patient wants to be covered up; there are also sharp, stinging neuralgic pains, which burn like fire and cut like a knife and are relieved by the application of beat; headache worse in cold air.

But the general state is ameliorated from uncovering, in a cold room, and from cold air blowing on the patient.

Violent inflammation of any part of the body; gangrenous pneumonia; gastritis; peritonitis; inflammation of the uterus and ovaries. In inflammatory conditions it competes with Ars.

The symptoms are so nearly alike in both that it is difficult to differentiate; both have violently distended abdomen; tympanites; burning like coals of fire; violent thirst; extreme sensitiveness and tenderness to touch, so that motion or jar is unbearable; vomiting of blood; expulsion of blood-clots; horrible, offensive, bloody discharge from the bowels; but they are different in the generals. Ars. wants to be covered up, to be kept warm, to have hot applications, either wet or dry, while Secale wants to be uncovered, wants the cold air.

Convulsions: of single parts or of the whole muscular system; opisthotonos; cramps in the calves, thighs, soles of the feet, and hands, hysterical contractures, a hysterical diathesis.

Convulsions begin in the face. Active manias with great excitement; exposes her body and tears at the genitals; puts her finger in the vagina and scratches until the lips bleed; all idea of modesty lost.

The spasms, nervous, and mental symptoms are worse while she is flowing, so that a puerperal convulsion comes on in the midst of a hemorrhage.

From the hemorrhagic tendency and the ability to destroy the red blood corpuscle, there is anemia. The face looks like dried beef, wrinkled, shrivelled, scrawny, as if it had not been washed; as if grey dirt had dried on the skin, and this especially on the extremities a dirty, grey appearance.

Catarrhal affections of all mucus membranes; they are dry and bleed; blood oozes from the catarrhal surfaces, liquid, black, and offensive, coagulating slowly or not at all.

“Nosebleed, blood dark, runs continually, with great prostration, small thread-like pulse; in old people or drunkards; of young women; from debility.”

Those poisoned by ergot become victims of opacity of the lens as in senile debility; cataract of old persons.

The withered scrawny person with tendency to ulcerations, unhealthy skin and aggravation from heat, is striking in both acute and chronic states.

Chronic diarrhoea exhaustive, watery discharges, cholera. It is related to Camphor, Scrawny people take cholera, skin cold and blue; better from cold. Violent and continued thirst.

Diarrhoea and hemorrhages are likely to come together; diarrhoea of bloody water or dark liquid blood.

Large doses produce such contractures of the uterus that its contents are expelled and an exhausting hemorrhage follows; expulsion of large clots and in the early stages mixed with some red blood, but the most striking feature is liquid, black discharge.

“Asiatic cholera with collapse, sunken, distorted face, particularly the mouth, crawling sensation as of ants.”

Paretic condition; paralysis of lower extremities; of one side; of one arm or one leg; paralysis of the upper extremities with tingling, numbness, and prickling. Numbness and burning down the whole length of the spine; general emaciation or only of diseased part.

Eruptions, abscesses, boils carbuncles; green pus discharged; a green, purplish appearance; boils small with green contents, mature and heal slowly.

Establishes sterility; so weak is the uterus that it can never hold the foetus, hence the value in sterility and repeated abortions.

Dwindling of the mammae. Absence of milk after confinement.

“Thin, scrawny children with shrivelled skin, spasmodic twitchings, sudden cries, feverishness.”

Purpura hoemorrhagica. Paralysis of the extremities. Spinal irritation. Cachectic females with rough skin, pustules tending to gangrene.

Theridion
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 175 of 180
Source pages 3102–3107 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

Hysterical sensitivity with extreme aggravation from noise, motion and exertion marks this remedy as unique.

The pains are aggravated from noise, and motion, and the nerves are in such a state of sensitivity that a painful thrill passes over the body in waves and nausea follows. Nausea from noise is strikingly strange.

It cures the most stubborn cases of spinal irritation, when the symptoms agree. Chronic catarrh of the nose. Necrosis of bone. Quick consumption. Emaciation. Enlargement of glands. Constant hunger and thirst. It was a remedy with the old masters for scrofulous conditions. Great lassitude.

Complaints are ameliorated by warmth, and during rest. Fainting from least exertion, Chilliness, trembling and anxiety. So restless that she must keep busy, though she accomplishes nothing. The bones are sore.

Sadness and mental depression. Hysterical conduct, hilarity. Aversion to work, and to his business. joyousness and singing with headache.

Vertigo on closing the eyes, from motion, from stooping, on board a vessel, from every noise, with nausea, vomiting, and cold sweat. Awakens at 11 P.M. with vertigo and slow pulse. Vertigo with dim vision and pain in eyes. Vertigo and nausea from closing the eyes when kneeling in church. Vertigo like sea-sickness.

The headache is most violent, aggravated on motion, aggravated talking, aggravated from warm drinks, with nausea and vomiting. Sensitive to light and noise. Pain in forehead extending to occiput, aggravated from noise, motion, and cold air. Headache on beginning to move. Sensation as if vertex did not belong to her, as though she could lift it off.

Pain deep in eyes. Complaints from sunstroke. Pressing pain in temples. Pulsating pain over left eye and across forehead. Cannot lie down with the headache. Itching of scalp, and nape in evening.

This remedy cures many nervous eye symptoms. Flickering, even when eyes are closed. Like a veil before the eyes. Double vision. Sensitive to light. Diplopia. Fluttering. Nausea, and cold hands. Pressing pain behind eyes. On closing eyes, nausea and vomiting.

The hearing is very acute, Every least noise penetrates the whole body, especially the teeth, aggravates vertigo and causes nausea. Rushing noises in ears like a waterfall. Pressure about the ears.

Fullness behind the ears. It has cured most obstinate catarrh of nose with offensive thick yellow or greenish yellow discharges.

Pressing pain at root of nose, Dryness in nose. Paroxysms of violent sneezing.

The face is pale and sickly. Lockjaw in morning on waking. Foam at mouth with chill. Teeth sensitive to cold water and shrill sounds. Toothache causes weeping. Burning in teeth. Salty taste in mouth. The tongue feels as if burnt. Mouth feels numb, Taste impaired.

Desires wine and sour drinks. Much thirst. Desires food, but does not know what. Nausea with many complaints and from many causes. Nausea in the morning on rising, from noise, on closing the eyes, when looking too long at one object, on motion, from talking, from fast riding in a carriage, from riding on the cars or on a ship.

Nausea with headache, with vertigo; nausea aggravated from warm drinks. In seasickness of nervous women, when they close the eyes to get rid of the motion of the vessel they become deathly sick. Tenderness of stomach.

This is a useful remedy in many liver conditions, with burning pain, aggravated from touch, motion and noise, and bilious vomiting.

Pain in groin in a man after coitus; on motion, and on drawing up the limb. Constipation, with difficult, soft stool. Contraction of anus. Enlarged prostate gland with sensation of a lump in perineum,

Must arise several times during the night to pass urine. Copious urine during the night. Feeble erection and diminished desire. Seminal emissions during sleep in the afternoon. Sore bruised pain in the ovarian region, aggravated by motion. Menses suppressed. Sighing and short breath on ascending stairs.

Stitching in chest beneath left shoulder to throat. Quick consumption. Anxiety about heart. Very sensitive spine, aggravated from motion or, noise, a jar, stepping. Pain between scapula. Spinal anaemia. Itching of back and nape.

Drawing in thigh with a cold sensation, ameliorated by warmth. Violent itching of calf. Swelling of feet. Heaviness of the limbs. Pains in bones as if broken.

Shaking chill. Sweats easily. Icy cold perspiration with fainting, vertigo and vomiting at night.

Violent itching of skin.

Selenium
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 160 of 180
Source pages 2828–2835 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

Marked mental and physical weakness following prolonged fevers, after sexual excesses, from secret vice, from exposure to the heat of the sun in summer.

Generalities: Great fatigue from which he seems unable to recuperate from rest.

Slight exertion brings great fatigue and weakness and especially in hot weather. Sudden weakness in hot weather. Great weakness in the back, almost paralytic after typhoid fever or other temporary diseases. Extremely sensitive to a draft of air, cool, warm or damp. Marked general emaciation, also special emaciation of face, thighs and hands.

The diseased limb withers. The hair falls out all over the body, head, eyebrows, whiskers and genitals. All his nervous symptoms are aggravated after coition. Pulsation in all the limbs and in the abdomen after eating.

Mind: Extreme sadness.

Some complaints are worse from wine, tea and lemonade. It is of great value in drunkards. Irresistible desire for alcoholic stimulants. Symptoms worse after sleep, especially on a hot day. Irritable after emissions. He is indifferent to his surroundings and his mind is dull and in confusion.

He is very forgetful during his waking hours, but in sleep he dreams what he has forgotten. Makes mistakes in syllables and. mispronounces words. Stammering speech. Often fails to understand what he hears or reads. He has become unfit for his business. He is excitable and talkative in the evening. Mental exertion is exhaustive and he dreads company. His mind dwells on lascivious thoughts, yet he is sometimes impotent. All the mental symptoms are worse after coition.

Vertigo on rising from bed or seat, on moving about, with nausea, vomiting and faintness, worse after breakfast and dinner.

Head: Headaches from strong odors, after wine, tea, lemonade and alcoholic stimulants, violent stinging over left eye when walking in the heat of the sun. Increased flow of urine in headaches. Headaches in old drunkards.

The hair falls out from the whole head, leaving the scalp smooth and hairless; also the hair falls from the eyebrows and face, giving a strange appearance. In syphilitics it often checks the falling of the hair. It has cured eczema, tingling and itching of the scalp. The scalp feels as though tightly drawn over the bones of the skull.

Face: Itching vesicles on the edges of the eyelids and spasmodic twitching of left eyeball.

The ear is stopped and ear wax becomes hard, from which he has hardness of hearing.

Dark clotted blood from nose. Nose full of thick, yellow, jelly-like mucus. Itching of nose and he bores into his nose with the fingers. Chronic obstruction of nose. Coryza followed by watery diarrhea.

The face is sickly, looking greasy and shiny. Great emaciation of the face. Twitching of the muscles of the face.

Toothache from drinking tea.

Aversion to food much salted. White tongue and he does not relish his breakfast.

Irresistible longing for strong drink.

After eating pulsation all over the body, especially in the abdomen. Symptoms are worse from sugar, salt food, tea and lemonade.

Soreness in liver from pressure and inspiration, with rash over the right hypochondrium. Searching pain in right hypochondrium, worse on deep breathing. The liver is enlarged. Stitching pains in liver from motion and pressure.

Constipation with inactivity of the rectum.

Most difficult stool, even impaction. Stool large, hard and very dry, requires mechanical aid. Softy pasty stool. Watery diarrhoea.

Involuntary urination while walking, after urination and after stool. Twinge of pain outward along the urethra with a sensation as though drops were pouring out. Sensation as if biting drop was forcing itself out.

The urine is dark, scanty, red in evening. Sediment coarse, red and sandy. It has caused inflammation of the prostate gland. III chronic gonorrhea it is a very useful remedy.

Men: Extreme weakness of the male genitalia.

Though the desire is strong there are no erections, or the act of coition is unsatisfactory and incomplete. Frequent emissions and constant flow of prostatic fluid. Erections in the morning without sexual desire, but on attempting coition the penis becomes relaxed. Itching and formication of genitalia.

Women: Menses copious and dark. Pulsating in the abdomen during pregnancy, worse after eating.

Voice: The weakness and failure of the voice is in keeping with the general weakness.

Hoarseness on beginning to use the voice. Hoarseness from weakness after over-use of the voice for a long time. Much clear, starchy mucus scraped from the larynx. Must frequently clear the larynx. It is a very useful remedy in tubercular laryngitis, glands of neck large and hard.

Cough: Dry, hacking cough in the morning, weak feeling in the chest.

Expectoration of lumps of bloody mucus. Difficult breathing from any exertion and from mucus in the chest and air passages. Pain in right side of chest under lowest ribs extending to kidneys which are tender to pressure.

Back: Weak back and spine as if he would be paralyzed after typhoid fever, and other lingering diseases. Stiffening neck on turning head; lameness in back in the morning.

It has cured syphilitic psoriasis of the palms. Itching palms. Hands withered. Tearing pains in hands at night.

Emaciation of the legs. Great weakness of lower limbs. Itching of the ankle in the evening, blisters on the toes. Flat ulcers on the legs and about the ankles. Cramps in calves and soles.

He is sleepless until midnight. Sleeps in short naps. Awakens early and always at same hour. Symptoms worse after sleep.

Chill alternates with heat. Burning heat in spots. Sweat, profuse on chest, armpits and genitals staining yellow. Sweat from least exertion.

Moist itching spots here and there on the skin and tingling after eruptions have been treated locally. Flat ulcers. Itching about finger joints and between fingers.

It is said to be incompatible with China. It is much like Sulphur in general action, and Phos. acid in its action upon the nervous system and genitals.

The chest symptoms and expectoration are like Argentum met., Stannum. Its constipation is much like Alumen and Alumina. It should be carefully compared with these remedies.

Thuja Occidentalis
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 176 of 180
Source pages 3108–3122 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

The general appearance of the Thuya subject, if he has a characteristic picture, is that of a waxy, shiny face, it looks as if he had been smeared over with grease; and is often transparent, he is a sickly looking individual, looks as if entering upon some cachexia.

This is often the case in the sycotic, constitution and the cancerous cachexia, weakly, cachectic, yellowish, or often very pallid.

Skin: The skin manifests many symptoms.

The perspiration is peculiar, it is sweetish honey, sometimes like garlic, strong and pungent.

A pungent odor emanates from the genitals, sweetish honey-like like odor to the sweat from the genitalia, he smells his genitals.

The odor is also like burnt horn, burnt feathers or burnt sponge. These peculiar strong odors are particularly present when there are fig warts upon the genitals such as Thuja cures.

The skin looks unhealthy everywhere about the body and there is a copious sweat on first going to sleep, like Arsenic. If you had only the waxiness such as Arsenic and Thuja produce, you might prescribe Arsenic. Arsenic is often the acute and Thuja the chronic. You remember that Arsenic is usually a chronic remedy.

Asthma: A peculiar asthmatic condition is found in sycosis and Arsenic appears to be indicated for the symptoms, but it only relieves, it does not control the predisposition, it acts like Aconite in acute diseases and only ameliorates for a moment. Asthmatic and many other sycotic conditions seem to call for Arsenic, but it will do nothing but palliate, the constitutionality is not reached by Arsenic, its fundamental symptoms are not similar.

In syphilis and psora Arsenic acts a long time and eradicates the complaints, when similar to them, but it is not similar to sycosis. Arsenic does not go to the bottom of the trouble, but Thuja and Natrum sulph. will take up the work and cure. Natrum sulph. and Thuja bring back the primitive manifestation that has been suppressed for years.

Warts: The tendency of the Thuja patient is to throw out wart-like excrescences which are soft and pulpy and very sensitive, they burn, itch and bleed easily when rubbed the clothing. Horny excrescences that form on the hands and split open form upon a pedicle and crack around the base.

Cauliflower excrescences upon the cervix uteri, about the anus (like Nitricum acidum), about the labia majora and mucous membranes generally.

Horny excrescences, more upon the skin. Warts of a brownish color, especially if upon the abdomen the body; great brown spots, like liver spots, form upon the abdomen.

Zona around the chest, herpetic eruptions everywhere, here and there, like Sepia, herpes labialis and preputialis. Zona is a herpetic formation, great vesicular patches come out upon the body called “shingles”, here we should compare Thuja, Rhus, Graph, Kali hydr., and Mezereum.

This condition is attended with a great amount of suffering and neuralgic pains. In cases that are sycotic, Thuya is especially a grand remedy.

You will have a class of cases where the warts have been caused to disappear by calomel, which makes them shrivel up and off, such is the old school treatment. Sometimes a patient comes to you with erratic symptoms and you may study for hours over these symptoms, and see very little order in them, you will realize that the leading features have been left out and that something is lacking.

Some one has applied Nitric acid, calomel or something else, and driven these fig warts away. These condylomata could not come without having some constitutional basis, these warts have a cause, and that cause seems to be less able to make the patient sick if he has the warts, he feels better when he has the warts. Strange to say; when these warts have been suppressed, we get symptoms of Nitric acid, Thuja, Mercurius and Staphysagria.

Thuja leads all medicines for symptoms coming from suppressed fig-warts.

Thuja is pre-eminently a strong medicine when you have a trace of animal poisoning in the history, as snake bite, small-pox and vaccination.

There are probably several varieties of urethral discharges, there is one that is sycotic, and when that has been suppressed, it produced a miasm with soreness in the bottom the feet and in the knees and particularly through the back and loins and sciatic nerves, in the knees and ankle joints. Sometimes it affects the upper extremities, but particularly the lower. Most violent aggravation when keeping still, like Rhus, great aching that increases so long as he keeps still, he is very often compelled to keep the bed, and then he constantly moves and turns. An antisycotic must be selected.

While this group of symptoms would be cured by Rhus when the case is not sycotic, when these symptoms come from suppressed gonorrhoea Medorrhinum or Thuja will cure.

Thuja enters into this particular sphere and takes hold of this particular case where sycosis is at the bottom. Sometimes when the discharge has been suppressed, orchitis comes on and then Pulsatilla will be the remedy, and very seldom Thuja.

Thuja affects the left testicle with intense squeezing pain, but most generally you will find Pulsatilla the remedy.

As we continue to study Thuja, we see that it has a profound action upon the glands, stitching, tearing pains in the glands, the pains are as if the gland were being torn to pieces. That may be true of glands in general, but one particular gland, the ovary, is more affected than any other and especially the left.

Women: This is so true, that if you meet a violent pain in the left ovary, coming on at the time of menstruation and continuing during the flow and extending down the thighs, but may be in every direction, it increases as the flow comes on, stinging, tearing, burning, bursting pains, as if the parts were being torn out, make her cry aloud, she goes into a hysterical state. This a very strong Thuja group. It has the opposite of Zinc., and Lachesis, for in these, relief comes with the flow.

Many women suffer from grumbling pains in the ovaries all the time, they have a sense of the organ, which they should not feel; pain from taking cold or in change of weather; the increase of the pain in the left ovary is the first sign; sometimes the pain is so severe that the right one suffers apparently, from sympathy. Where the ovaries have been affected for some time there will be mental symptoms, a most violent irritability, jealous, quarrelsomeness, ugliness.

This irritability is likely to been shown towards individuals about the house, toward the husband and the mother; she is yet able to control herself among strangers and the doctor may not be able to find out about it, because she has in her nature a disposition to cheat; she wants to be alone and takes upon herself fixed ideas; that she is pregnant, or that an animal is in her bowels, she is followed, or that someone is walking beside her, thinks that soul and body are separated.

Now, these are fixed ideas, and there is no use trying to reason them out of her. It seems to her that she is very delicate, that she is made of glass and that she will break. The idea is that she will break, and not that she is transparent.

Associated with this conditions, we have violent, intense, tearing headaches, tearing in the eye, ameliorated by heat. The eye-ball pains are better from heat and the rest are better in the cool open air.

Pain localized in small spots. A nail driven in the head, side of head and forehead, like Ignatia and Anacardium. These pains are intensified into tearing pains, and affect the eye-ball, making it so sore that it can hardly be touched; worse from heat and worse from lying down; worse in a warm room and better in the open air.

Rheumatic head symptoms are worse in damp air. They are worse from sour things and also from stimulating and exciting things.

Crude drugs do not impress the vital force, so lastingly, but an individual who is thoroughly sensitive and properly sensitive, as sensitive of contagion, then if you undertake to prove by giving it night and morning, you will rivet upon him a life-long miasm.

If you have given a medicine, wait for the symptoms to come and go in the natural manner. To a great extent t, this is the tendency with sycosis, the tendency is rather outward.

We see in the proving of a drug what we see in disease. When a gonorrhoea is contracted, it goes through the prodromal period and then comes the disease, which, if let alone, has in its nature a tendency to eradicate itself from the economy, and then the patients do not suffer from lasting conditions.

In the old school, they always suppress the discharge, and there are those in the new school who do little better.

The frequent repetition by which one is exposed, would not increase the gonorrhea itself, because the susceptibility is satisfied.

The taking of more of the drug to prove it does not do so much harm, provided the one who is directing the proving realizes when the symptoms begin to rise, and then stops the drug.

Now if we go on with the proving by repeating the doses after the symptoms come on, we force the drug into the economy when he is already poisoned, and by this means we get a confusion in the symptoms, the drug disease engrafted upon that individual for life.

Many of the provings of Thuja give us that kind of confusion, so that we see only now and then symptoms cropping out that are striking; in fact, the great bulk of the Thuja provings has been wasted, because there is so much confusion in the great number of symptoms, while the earlier provings brought out many of the characteristics, the Vienna provings, to a great extent, confused the image of Thuja.

So that, by clinical experience only, we have been able to draw out the finer features of Thuja. It requires more than a school boy to do that. The new provings must be carried on in a different manner.

Catarrhal conditions: Thuja has some striking bowel symptoms; gushing, watery morning diarrhoea, like water coming out of a bunghole.

There is also a general catarrhal condition running through the body; catarrh of the nose, ears and chest. In the catarrh of the chest it produces an intense hacking cough, with expectoration in the morning of greenish mucus, sometimes a copious expectoration. It is often suited to old cases of pneumonia, in such individuals as have suppressed gonorrhoea, fig-wart gonorrhoea.

The kidneys and urinary symptoms are also striking; congestion and inflammation of the kidneys, sharp pain in the kidneys; burning urine; inflammation of the bladder and urethra that is not gonorrhoeal; pus from the bladder; paralysis of the bladder, must wait a long time for the urine to start; retention of urine, continuous urging to urinate, tearing in the urethra, feeling as if the urine were constantly running along the urethra, like Kali bich. and Petros.

In the urethral disease of sycotic character, Thuja leads all other remedies. In the non-sycotic variety, Cannabis sativa is sufficient, but those cases that have proved to the sycotic Cann. sat. left uncured, it ameliorated the burning during and after urination and the thick yellowish green discharge, but some other remedy had always to follow, when they were shown to be sycotic. It is not so with Thuja, because it is capable of finishing the case.

In the most violent cases, with bloody urine, extreme salacity, great torment, bloody, watery discharge from the urethra and bladder, no rest day or night, Cantharis comes in, it is capable of finishing the case in a few days. Such a patient must be in excellent health, which is not generally the case. They are drinking men and smokers.

Tobacco is one of the most troublesome things you will run across, many cases will not recover promptly if they are tobacco users and great smokers, wine drinkers or convivial men, they run around a good deal mc and are high livers and with such you have a slow case on hand.

With the system so broken down front high living, you may not get a decided curative action until you have forced him to abandon his way of living. Put him on light diet, diminish his smoking, get rid entirely of the drinking, and put him on a perfectly bland living.

This is the first thing. If he is a man of family we have to contend with great mental distress, and not less so if a woman. So it may well be said, that usually the sycotic miasm is a troublesome one to begin with and one that will bother the young physician.

You cannot substitute the right method for a wrong one, which will make him a cripple for life.

The suppression of the disease, as usually tried, cannot be thought of by the sincere and earnest homeopath.

If he wants it checked suddenly, let him go somewhere else, but warn him what will take place, and he will have untold disease and suffering.

Senecio Aureus
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 161 of 180
Source pages 2836–2840 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

In some parts of the country where it grows it is called Golden Ragwort, in others Huckleroot.

It is an old domestic remedy and one only proved in a fragmentary way. Many of these medicines that have become household remedies should be properly proved. Only in this way can their power and influence be known, i. e., they can be used properly only when indicated by the symptoms they can produce.

Women: Senecio, is to be studied in relation to young girls with menstrual irregularities.

Those who have suppression of the menstrual flow from getting wet, from getting the feet wet, those who have menorrhagia, a copious menstrual flow which continues until they are anemic; and those also who suffer from dysmenorrhœa, the pains being most violent. In this remedy, with these general features, the young girl gradually tends toward catarrhal phthisis.

The menstrual flow is suppressed sometimes many months, she begins to look pale, has a dry, hacking cough, with bleeding from the lungs instead of the menstrual flow, a vicarious spitting of blood.

There is a catarrhal state throughout the chest. They are pallid and weakly girls. They tell you they have lost their menstrual flow, and have a chronic cough, are sensitive to every draft of air, are always taking cold and finally expectorate profusely.

The phthisis may go on as catarrh of the chest for years, but at last a miliary tuberculosis sets in and takes the patient off with what is known as acute consumption. Especially is this condition associated with disorder of the menstrual flow and a general catarrhal state.

“Phthisis, with obstructed menstruation.”

When the symptoms agree in this kind of a case Senecio is a most useful medicine for establishing the menstrual flow. You will know that it is acting well by the fact that the cough gradually diminishes. Of course a great many medicines will be suited to such general states, but this one has an unusually marked and special relation to these cases. In certain regions, Senecio has been used as a domestic medicine, an old woman’s remedy for bringing on the menstrual flow.

You will be struck on reading over this remedy with the tendency to hemorrhage from all the mucous membranes of the body. There is coryza with nose-bleed; spitting of blood from the throat and chest; hemorrhage from the lungs; a catarrhal condition of all the mucous membranes with a tendency to haemorrhage: congestion and inflammation of the kidneys with haemorrhage.

You know how commonly these cases end in dropsy. These waxy, anaemic, chlorotic girls, who have lost their menstrual flow, become dropsical after slow hemorrhage from the uterus, kidneys and bladder.

“Dropsy from anaemia.”

It is a medicine of the highest order for hemorrhages in catarrhal conditions.

Urinary: It has also in its proving many distressing symptoms of the urinary organs.

Painful urination. Uncomfortable heat in the neck of the bladder. Renal colic, the pains being so great that they produce nausea.

Renal dropsy. Intense pain over right kidney, etc. The whole urinary tract is painful and subject to bleeding. But bleeding especially in the absence of the menstrual flow is the feature of this remedy.

Wherever there is an inflammatory spot or catarrhal condition of the mucous membrane it will bleed in case the menstrual flow does not appear.

We have other medicines having the symptoms of vicarious haemorrhage, such as Hamamelis, Phosphorus and Bryonia, but Senecio has this condition strikingly and is one of the newer remedies for such condition.

“Dysmenorrhoea with urinary symptoms; cutting in sacral and hypogastric regions.”

“Hacking cough at night.”

“Amenorrhoea from a cold; nervous irritability; lassitude; dropsy.”

“Menstrual irregularities in consumptive patients.”

“Mucous rattling with suppressed cough.”

Leucorrhoea especially in chlorotic girls. It is a marked remedy in chlorosis, in the anemic state with a green hue, called “green sickness” by the laity.

Tuberculinum Bovinum
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 177 of 180
Source pages 3123–3146 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

I want to take up the study of Tuberculinum.

The preparation which I use is a little different from that which is generally found in the market. This preparation I procured through a Professor of Veterinary Surgery.

In Pennsylvania there came a time when a handsome herd of cattle had to be slaughtered because of tuberculosis. Through the Veterinary Surgeon of the Pennsylvania University I secured some: of the tubercular glands from these slaughtered cattle.

Dynamization: I selected from these the most likely specimen.

This was potentized by Boericke & Tafel as far as the 6th, and has since been prepared on the Skinner machine, the 30 th, 200 th, 1000 th and the higher potencies. This preparation I have been using for fifteen years. Many of my friends have been using if, as they have procured it from me.

From observing the effects of this preparation I have been gathering these notes in my interleaved Hering’s Guiding Symptoms, and, they now guide me in the use of Tuberculinum. I do not use Tuberc. merely because it is a nosode, or with the idea that generally prevails of using nosodes; that is, a product of the disease for the disease, and the results of the disease. This I fear is too much the prevailing thought in using nosodes.

In certain places it prevails and is taught that anything relating to syphilis must be treated with Syphilinum; that anything relating to gonorrhoea must be treated with Medorrhinum, anything psoric. must be treated with Psorinum, and anything that relates to tuberculosis must be treated with Tuberculinum.

That will go out of use some day; it is mere isopathy, and it is an unsound doctrine. It is not the better idea of Homoeopathy. It is not based upon sound principles. It belongs to a hysterical Homoeopathy that prevails in this century. Yet much good has come out of it.

It is hoped that provings may be made so that we may be able to prescribe Tuberc. on the symptoms of Tuberc. just as we would use any drug.

It is deep acting, constitutionally deep, because it is a product of disease from a very deep-seated constitutional condition, like Silica and Sulphur. it goes deep into the life; it is antipsoric; it is long acting, and it affects constitutions more deeply than most remedies; and when our deepest remedies act only a few weeks, and they have to be changed, this remedy comes in as one of the remedies-when the symptoms agree and brings a better state of reaction, so that remedies hold longer. It may well be considered a species of Psorinum.

One of the most prominent uses of this remedy is in intermittent fever. Some of our most stubborn cases of intermittent fever will relapse and continue relapsing, even when such remedies as Silica and Calcarea and the deeper-acting remedies have been indicated, have acted we have broken the fever, and in a few weeks, from exposure to cold, from sitting in a draft, from becoming fatigued, from mental exertion, from over-eating and from disordering the stomach this ague has returned.

Any of these circumstances will bring back these stubborn cases of intermittent fever when Tuberc. is needed. When a patient is traveling toward phthisis and he is exposed and intermittent comes out. He is of a feeble constitution and his complaints have a tendency to relapse, and remedies well selected do not hold long, though they act well at first, they must soon be changed-changing symptoms.

It is not an indication for Tuberc. when the well selected remedy fails to act. Well selected is a relative expression and involves too much of human opinion. It may be thought to be well selected when it is not related to the case. When, the well selected remedy has acted and the constitution shows a tendency to break down, and the well selected remedy does not hold, because of vital weakness and because of deep-seated tendencies; then it is that this remedy sometimes fits in.

Such a case is often tuberculous in inclination, even though no evidence is present, of a pathological character.

Burnett, dropped an idea, that has been confirmed many times. Patients who have inherited phthisis, patients whose parents have died of phthisis are often of feeble vitality. They do not throw off their inherited tendencies.

They are always tired. They take on sicknesses easily. They become anaemic; nervous; waxy or pale. These conditions are sometimes met, when the finer symptoms agree, although Burnett evidently used this medicine in a sort of routine way for this kind of constitution, which he called “Consumptiveness.” Persons who had inherited phthisis, who were debilitated and anaemic.

It seems from looking over the record of many cures that this remedy has been given many times for just that state on a paucity of symptoms, and if the records can be believed, it has many times balanced up to the constitution in that anaemic state, where the inheritance has been phthisis. It is not the best indication for Tuberc., but where the symptoms agree in addition to that inheritance, then you may have indications for the remedy.

Tuberculinum Bovinum be given in 10 M., 50 M.. and 100 M. potencies, two doses of each potency at long intervals, all children and young people who have inherited tuberculosis may be immuned from their inheritance and their resiliency will be restored. It cures most cases of adenoids and tuberculous glands of the neck.

Mind: The nodes that have guided me to in use I will attempt to explain.

The mental symptoms that I have seen give way while the patient was under treatment, and the mental symptoms that I have seen crop out under the provings, and the mental symptoms that I have so often seen associated when the patient is poisoned by the tubercular toxines are as belong to many complaints and are cured by Tuberc.

Hopelessness in many complaints. Aversion to mental work. Anxiety evening, until midnight. Anxiety during fever. Loquacity during fever. Weary of life. Cosmopolitan. Tormenting, persistent thoughts during the night.

Thoughts intrude and crowd upon each other during the night. These I will say are the common mental features, and have often yielded when the remedy has been prescribed. Anyone who has inherited phthisis, anyone who has been in a state of debility, who has had intermittent fever with continual relapses, and these mental symptoms are present, you may think of Tuberc. Loquacity during fever is a common feature in hectic fever when the patient, is decidedly affected by the toxines of tuberculosis.

A person gradually running down, never finding the right remedy, or relief only momentarily; has a constant desire to change, and travel, and go somewhere, and do something different, or to find a new doctor.

The desire to travel, that cosmopolitan condition of the mind belongs strongly to the one who needs Tuberc. It comes out so often in clinical experience; is found so often in the Calcareas and especially in Calc. Phos., always wanting to go somewhere. Such is the condition of those about to go into insanity, about to go into some lingering disease. Persons on the border land of insanity.

It is true that phthisis and insanity are convertible conditions, the one falls into the other. Many cases that are treated and cured, and phthisis of the lungs has just been turned aside, finally become insane. Persons who have been cured of insanity go into phthisis and die, showing the deep-seated character of their nature. The intellectual symptoms and the lung symptoms are interchangeable.

Head: Tuberculinum cures the most violent and the most chronic periodical sick headaches, periodical nervous headaches.

Coming every week; every two weeks; and the irregular periodicity coming under certain conditions, in damp weather, after overwork, from mental excitement, from overeating, disordered stomach. Tuberc. breaks up the tendency to this chronic periodical headache when the symptoms agree.

It has been observed in the hands of good prescribers that, when chronic constitutional headaches have been broken up sometimes the patient has a tendency to lose flesh and become feeble. An entire transformation scene takes place; a cough sets in; the headache has been removed, but the patient is feeble. Whenever that takes place Tuberc is a most useful remedy. A new manifestation comes; a new organ is affected.

Sore bruised feeling all over the body. Aching of the bones. Sore bruised condition of the eyeballs, sensitive to touch, and on turning the eye sideways. Persons who have long felt the weakness of tuberculosis, tubercular conditions, and are subject to cold sweat on the head. This was brought out in the provings of Calcarea, and those about to go into phthisis have many times been cured by Calcarea.

The relation ship between Tuberc. And Calc. is very close. They are interchangeable; that is, the one may be indicated for a while, and then the other. They are both deep-acting remedies – also Silica is closely related to Tuberc., on the same plane of action, going deep into the life in a similar way; Calcarea, Tuberc. and Silica, and the Silicates.

In the Guiding Symptoms is a record,

“Pain in the head, as if the head had a tight hoop of iron around it,” an iron band.

Headache, with frequent sharp cutting pains. Headache, worse from motion. In the Guiding Symptoms,

“A sullen, taciturn, irritable” condition of mind.

“Screams in his sleep.

Is very restless at night.

Sister died of tubercular meningitis.”

That symptom was given by Burnett. It has cured hydrocephalus.

Many years ago Doctor Biegler cured a case of tubercular meningitis with Tuberc. In many instances it has cured tubercular meningitis and tubercular diseases of the brain in the early stages. The face becomes red, even to purple, during the chill, and during the heat. Aversion to all foods. Such aversion to meat that it becomes impossible to eat it.

Thirst during the chill and heat, for large quantities of cold water. It has cured tubercular meningitis with effusion, where the head was greatly enlarged. Craving for cold milk. Emptiness in the abdomen, with faint feeling. Anxiety in the abdomen and stomach, much like the Sulphur sensation described. An all gone, hungry feeling, that drives him to eat. This has been cured by Tuberc. after Sulphur had failed.

All know what a marked feature emaciation is in persons who are going into phthisis. The emaciation often begins before there is any sign of phthisis, gradually losing flesh. A gradually growing weakness, a gradually increasing fatigue.

This is a prominent place for Tuberc., if the symptoms agree. Always let that stand out boldly, IF THE SYMPTOMS AGREE, and WHEN THE SYMPTOMS AGREE. Of course it will be said that Tuberc. has cured when there are few symptoms this is granted, but should not be lauded as a clinical practice.

Bowels and rectum: It is a common feature of tubercular affections of the brain and of the meninges to suffer from constipation.

Stool large and hard; or, constipation alternating with diarrhoea. It is a well-known clinical fact. Constipation is a strong feature of Tuberc.

“Constipation, stool large and hard; then diarrhoea.

Itching of the anus.

Sudden diarrhoea before breakfast, with nausea.

Inguinal glands indurated and visible.

Excessive sweat in chronic diarrhea.”

That symptom was brought out by Burnett. It was merely a clinical symptom. Burnett dwells on this phase of it;

“Tabes Mesenterica.”

“Swelling on left side, also on right; complains of a stitch in side after running; languid and indisposed to talk.

Nervous and irritable.

Talks in his sleep; grinds his teeth.

Appetite poor.

Hands blue.

Indurated and palpable glands everywhere.

A drum belly.

Spleen region bulging out.”

That was one of Burnett’s clinical cases. That was cured by Burnett’s Bacillinum. In most instances, I am informed, he used the Bacillinum 200 th.

It is a common feature of Sulphur to be driven out of bed in the morning by a diarrhoea. It is a very common feature in cases of phthisis, and patients going into phthisis. In advanced stage of phthisis, driven out of bed with a diarrhoea; or, diarrhoea worse in the morning than at any other time in the twenty-four hours. This is a common feature of phthisis that Tuberc. has cured, and it has been verified many times, although it is a clinical symptom.

General relaxation. Weakness and hanging down of the genitals. Relaxed scrotum.

Menses too early, too profuse, long lasting. Amenorrhoea. Dysmenorrhœa.

Cough before, and during chill.

Suffocation; worn in a warm room. Tubercular deposits in apices of lungs (left).

The uterus sags down and is heavy at the menstrual period, a relaxation, as if the inner parts would come out.

Dry hacking cough before the evening chill (Rhus t.). and the hacking cough lasts sometimes during the chill, and sometimes during the fever, but be knows the chill is coming by the cough. The patient has been cured perhaps a number of times by remedies. Intermittent fever has been cured a number of times by remedies well selected.

The fever goes away promptly under the action of the remedy; but from slight exposure, as was mentioned, it comes back again. Now at the end of three, four or five weeks – often two or three – he says, “I know my old chills are coming back again, because of the cough I have.”

The previous remedies have not been successful. They are not deep enough acting, they are not long enough acting.

When the homoeopathic remedy is really and truly able to cure the diseased condition it will hold that case, so that when the symptoms come back again the same remedy will be indicated, and only a changed potency, perhaps will be necessary.

The same remedy is called for; but it is an indication for Tuberc, when at every coming back of the case it calls for a new remedy. Calcarea breaks up the case once, and the next time it comes back it calls for something else, and the next time for something else, and it keeps turning around.

Perhaps a number of times it calls for the same remedies again. Changing about. That very changing and unsatisfied symptom image is a strong indication for this medicine.

Respiration: Suffocation in a warm room.

Can find easy breathing only when riding in the cold wind. When phthisical patients find no comfort except riding in the cold wind – which is a rare symptom, but has been noticed. This was a symptom specially marked in the lamented Gregg, of Buffalo. He would ride out in the cold winds by the lake for hours. Arg. nit. many times relieved that, but it is a strong symptom of Tuberc. He finally died of tuberculosis.

Desire for deep breathing. Longs for the open air. Wants the doors and windows open. Sits in the room covered with a cold sweat, but wants the air, wants fresh air. When covered with cold sweat he cannot have the wind blowing on him because he takes cold, he is sensitive to it, but he wants the fresh air, he wants the open air. Especially when the tubercular deposits begin in the apex of the left lung, which is the indication that has been verified by quite a number of observers.

“Hard, dry cough. Hard, dry, shaking cough,” were symptoms noticed by Boardman – regardless of phthisis. The expectoration is thick, yellow, often yellowish-green in catarrhal conditions. Hacking cough in young girls, where there is a suppression of the menstrual flow of the first menses.

They come on once or twice or three times, and the patient is yellow, is puny, is tired, has a hacking cough, and a suspicious chest. If the tubercular deposits have not gone too far, Tuberc. may arrest the progress of the disease. Tuberc. often gives immunity if taken before the tuberculosis begins in those who have inherited it. It immunes the constitution.

Another marked feature recorded by Burnett was ringworms. Burnett was of the opinion that ringworms commonly formed upon those who had inherited phthisis. He thought it was a sign of approaching phthisis, that it was a very common feature of those who have inherited phthisis; and he used the Bacillinum 200 th. He used it somewhat as a routine remedy on every child with ringworm.

Patients who suffer from weakness in the evening. Rapid pulse in the evening. Every evening for years he has noticed the pulse has been rapid. Palpitation after the evening meal.

Jerking of the muscles or going to sleep, and during sleep. Rheumatic pain in the right elbow. Sore bruised condition of the bones and periosteum. Aching, drawing pains in the limbs during rest, better by walking. A strong feature of this remedy is that its pains and aches are better by motion. I have seen this aching distress in the limbs many times where Rhus has acted only temporarily or has failed; where Rhus seemed to be the remedy, but was not deep enough to hold its action.

Where Rhus was superficially indicated – or the deep action of the disturbance, the deep inheritance – the tired constitution, the chronic nature of the case prevents the action of Rhus, and Tuberc. cures these cases.

Especially in girls that are bookkeepers, and shopkeepers, who have inherited phthisical constitutions, who have aches and pains during damp weather, in rainy weather, during a storm, when the weather changes, when the weather becomes cold; then it is that Tuberc. cures after such remedies as Rhus have failed; these patients are better by motion, better by walking; worse during rest.

While sitting the pains become so severe that be is driven to travel, driven to walk. Aching, drawing pains in limbs during rest, better walking. Coldness of left foot and leg, evening in bed. Stitching pains in limbs during rest. Wandering pains in limbs – in joints. Pains all over the body, but mostly lower limbs.

Aching, drawing, tearing, as if in bones, and nerves, during rest; better walking. Pains in bones lower limbs. Stiffness on beginning to move. Sore bruised joints. Pains all ameliorated by heat. Drawing pains in thighs. Stitching pains in limbs. Restless. Stiffness of lower limbs, evening. Physical exertion aggravates.

Complaints worse standing; must move. This is as marked in this remedy as in Sulphur.

Intermittent fever, with drawing in limbs during rest. Chill 7 P.M.

Chilliness, evening; better in bed. Chill 5 P.M., with thirst. Cough before chill, during chill, and vomiting during fever. Wants to be covered during all stages. Extreme heat, with chilliness. Relapsing intermittents

Drawing in the limbs in the evening before the chill, and during the chill. He knows the chill is coming on because of the drawing in the limbs. Chill at 11 o’clock at night. Must be covered up during all stages, the chill, the fever and the sweat. The chilliness extends into the fever and into the sweat if there is any uncovering.

Aching in the bones of the head, with soreness of the periosteum and these are better by traveling about, like Rhus. Better by motion worse keeping still.

Skin: Perspiration from mental exertion.

Perspiration stains the linen yellow. Heat and perspiration during sleep. We know what a common feature it is in phthisis to have night sweats. Formication in the skin.

This remedy has cured tubercular eruptions of the skin. This remedy has cured red purplish eruptions that are nodular in character; the patient wants to sit all the time by the fire – itching in cold air, better by going to the fire, worse from scratching. Sensitive to every change of the weather, especially to cold, and to damp weather, and sometimes to warm damp weather, and to rainy weather. Always worse before a storm.

Can feel every electric change in the weather. Becoming cold brings on all the symptoms pains, aches, distresses and sufferings. A large list of symptoms of patients that have been cured in all their varying conditions may be found by looking up the Guiding Symptoms.

Periodicity, then, is a strong feature of this remedy, and sensitive to weather changes. Fainting fits, Weakness after a short walk.

It has cured constitutional headaches, periodical headaches, that existed forty-five years. It cures even old people of these periodical complaints.

The pains will sometimes travel. Stitching; pinching, cramping, wandering; and always worse from cold, and from cold damp weather.

Editorial notes

• “Guiding'Symptoms” corrected to “Guiding Symptoms” (transcription error in the digital source text).
• “continual replases” corrected to “continual relapses” (transcription error in the digital source text).

Senega
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 162 of 180
Source pages 2841–2851 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

Senega is an old lung tonic, and I suspect it has been an ingredient in most of the lung medicines for the last one hundred years.

It has been only partially proved, and needs further proving to bring out its particulars. When a medicine has been fully proved, it can be said of it that its symptoms are so well known that they can be examined as an image, i. e., the drug has affected all portions of man in such a manner as to stamp itself upon all of his natural actions and functions in a way peculiar to itself. This remedy has done some wonderful things, and these results in many instances can be only attributed to mere guesswork. This is about all that can be said in favor of careless and loose. prescribing.

Chest: Senega is more especially a chest medicine. It is full of chest symptoms and its relation to the air passages makes it worthy of consideration, although many of the individualizing symptoms have not yet been brought out.

From its most striking action on the mucous membrane of the air passages, its chief use has been in chest complaints, asthmatic complaints, in various forms of dyspnoea, cardiac and asthmatic. There are violent pains in the chest, especially like those of pleurisy. It has also symptoms like pneumonia; one of its most useful spheres is in pleuro-pneumonia. The pleuro-pneumonia of cattle has almost found its specific in Senega.

The finding of specifics is more likely to be true of animals than of human beings, as a remedy that is only partially indicated – may cure an animal, but it requires much finer discrimination among remedies in dealing with human beings.

A violent attack of pleurisy associated with pneumonia, too deep and too vicious for Bryonia, often finds its remedy in Senega. Senega is a sort of cross between Bryonia and Rhus tox. The violent symptoms are those of Bryonia, yet it is worse from rest, unlike Bryonia. The symptoms of Senega are not so much like Rhus tox., but it has an amelioration like that of Rhus tox., better from motion, the pains being worse when at rest.

The chest pains, rheumatic pains and inflammatory pains are worse during rest, but the cough is made worse from motion and the asthmatic troubles are made worse from the slightest motion. The Senega patient cannot walk up hill; he cannot walk against the wind, because it brings on chest symptoms and dyspnoea.

The rattling in the chest is as marked as in Antimonium tartaricum the tenacious mucus is as copious, as gluey and stringy as in Kali bichromicum, so much is this the case that he can get it only part way up, and with a spasmodic effort he swallows it, like Spongia and Causticum.

Senega is a remedy of deep action, as well as an acute remedy. It is filled with sharp and acute sufferings, sufferings that come on with rapidity, from taking cold, or from a cold that involves the whole chest.

Eyes: There are some eye symptoms in the text that are worthy of attention.

“Paralysis of the muscles of the eyes.”

“Iritis and specks upon the cornea.”

“Paresis of the superior oblique.”

“Aching over the orbits.”

“Eyes pain as if pressed out.”

“Blepharitis.”

It has cured opacity of the vitreous humor.

Larynx: Of the larynx the text says,

“Aphonia from severe cold or excessive use of the voice.”

“Constant tickling and burning in the larynx, leaving the patient not a moment’s rest and preventing him from lying down; fear of suffocation.”

When Senega is indicated there is a dryness in the mouth and throat, and the cough is incessant; there is a constant metallic coppery taste in the mouth and throat, as if he were coughing up pulverized copper.

Mouth: A very little of this medicine in proving will produce such a dryness and metallic taste in the mouth, and such a tickling at the root of the tongue, the pharynx and larynx, and it will finally end in a copious, thick, gluey discharge.

“Grippe, with stitches in right eye when coughing.”

“Laryngeal phthisis.”

“Copious accumulation of tough mucus in air-tubes, which causes the greatest often ineffectual, efforts at coughing and hawking for its expulsion.”

This thick, tough mucus will lead most routine prescribers to give such medicines as Kali bichromicum, Lachesis and Mercurius corrosivus, entirely overlooking the usefulness of Senega.

It is a remedy of very wide range in complaints of the chest, larynx and trachea, in the severe “colds” that settle in these parts, especially when associated with tenacious mucus, so tenacious that he cannot cough it up; it seems at times that he will strangle; he will cough and vomit in the effort to expel the mucus, but it seems to disappear and he does not know where it goes.

“Sensation as if the chest were too narrow.”

“Most violent suffocation with asthma.”

“Short breathing and oppression of chest when going up stairs.”

“Dyspnoea especially during rest.”

“Dry cough with aphonia; worse in cold air and from walking,” is like Phosphorus and Rumex.

Those two remedies cause a cough, which commences when he first goes into the air. Senega, has another feature like Phosphorus, in that the cough is so violent that it makes him shake from head to foot; it brings on a tremulous feeling all over the body. He coughs from inhaling cold air; the cough is violent and the expectoration most difficult. In old, chronic catarrh of the chest for the earlier stages of which Bryonia was the most similar remedy, with this thick, tough, ropy mucus,

Senega is most suitable, and even when the patient is in the last stages of consumption. The symptoms become most troublesome, the gagging and coughing and effort to expectorate because of the thick, ropy mucus, are very distressing.

He breaks out in a cold sweat, especially on the upper part of the body. The chest is full of coarse rales from the tough mucus which he cannot expectorate. We think in such a case of remedies like Antimonium tartaricum, Pyrogen, Kali bichromicum, etc., but this remedy is just as suitable, especially when there is a great amount of dryness in the throat and larynx, dryness in the throat during sleep and observed on waking, and inability to expectorate the tough ropy mucus.

“Shaking cough,” i. e., the cough is so violent that it shakes the whole frame.

The concussion from the cough causes discharge of urine involuntarily and causes violent pains in the head and over the eyes. Senega, is called for especially in those cases where the pleura has been involved at one stage or the other.

The pains are increased and it seems as if the chest would be torn on coughing.

“Walls of the chest sensitive or painful when touched.”

“Profuse secretion of mucus in lungs of old people.”

Senega is one of the leading remedies for the tough mucus and coarse rales in old people without any other symptoms. It very often clears the throat and helps to patch up an old man when he is breaking down.

“Great rattling of mucus in chest and flying pains in chest-“

It has sometimes cured pleuro-pneumonia when there was the extreme exhaustion of Phosphorus and Arsenicum. In such cases Senega has caused reaction; it has such weakness. Especially is it suited in the advanced cases of phthisis, when those symptoms that I have mentioned are present.

It acts as a palliative. It does excellent patch work without serious aggravations, as it relates more especially to superficial conditions. It is not as deep acting as Sulphur and Silicea. We give such remedies only when we have a reasonable assurance that we can cure, when the patient is yet curable.

But when we have given up all hope, then we pay more attention to the most painful parts; we pay more attention to the local symptoms, to the group which causes the most suffering and attempt to do patch work.

If the sufferings in the chest and the exhaustion become most severe it is true that Arsenicum will patch him up a little and make him feel more like life, and he will go on to the end with more comfort. If the pains in the chest are most severe such medicines as Senega or Bryonia will help him; if he is sore and feels as if bruised and he most move from side to side Arnica will relieve; but these are not the remedies to go deep into the life and eradicate a deep-seated disease like phthisis.

Yet with these one may take a consumptive patient in comfort to the very grave, by simply patching him up and prescribing for his immediate sufferings. Homoeopathic remedies give these incurable sufferers much greater comfort than sprays and anodynes.

The pains of the chest are worse during rest and on inspiring. Stitching pains in the chest when lying on the right side. Great soreness in the walls of the chest. Pain under right scapula when coughing. The chest pains are better while walking in the open air.

Sepia
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 163 of 180
Source pages 2852–2882 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

Sepia is suited to tall, slim women with narrow pelvis and lax fibers and muscles; such a woman is not well built as a woman.

A woman who has the hips of a well-built man is not built for child bearing, she cannot perform the functions of a woman without becoming relaxed in the pelvic organs and tissues. Such a build is a Sepia build, very tall, slim, narrow, straight from the shoulders all the way down.

Mind: One of the strongest features of the Sepia patient is found in the mind, the state of the affections. To a great extent, the remedy seems to abolish the ability to feel natural love, to be affectionate. To illustrate it in the language of the mother:

“I know I ought to love my children and my husband, I used to love them, but now I have no feeling on the subject.”

The love does not go forth into affection, there is a lack of realization, a lack of ability to register such affections; the love does not manifest itself. Upon reflection it will be seen that the love itself cannot be so changed, but the affections can be as they are the expression of the love.

It is a striking feature of this remedy that the affections are stilled; all things seem strange; she does not realize; she may even be estranged and turned aside from those she loves. This is on the border land of insanity; it is quite a different state of affairs from that when a woman abused by her husband knows in her rational mind that she does not love him.

This state is brought out in a woman during confinement, after uterine and other hemorrhages, after prolonged indigestion; high living with disturbance in the circulation, pallor, enfeeblement of body and mind. It is seldom manifested in a man, but it is a striking feature in the woman. It often comes on when nursing a child, from nursing an over-vigorous child or twins who require much lacteal fluid and drag her down. It may be brought out in a woman who has an overvigorous husband. Excessive sexual excitement and over-indulgence brings on coldness and she becomes a cold woman.

She who has been excitable, nervous, and fidgety becomes the opposite, cold, takes on a stoical state of mind. Yet Sepia has all the excitability of any medicine, aggravated by noises, excitement, company, extreme irritability of tissue and mind; an excitable suicidal patient; melancholy, sits and says nothing; taciturn; answers questions in monosyllables when pressed to answer.

An absence of all joy, inability to realize that things are real; all things seem strange; no affection for the delightful things of life; no joy; life has nothing in it for her. She is worse in company yet dreads to be alone; and when she is in company she is spiteful, in the midst of her dullness of mind she is spiteful; she vents her spite on those she loves best. The Sepia woman permits no opposition to her opinions. The best impression of her is lost if controversy arises.

Skin: The next most general state is a peculiar sallowness which you will need to see to fix in your mind.

Sepia has jaundice, yet this peculiar sallowness is a waxy, anaemic appearance, mottled with yellow, a yellow, sallow tint across the nose and the cheeks described as a yellow saddle across the nose and down the sides of the face.

It is also common for the whole face to be covered with enormous freckles, great brown patches as in pregnancy, brown spots on the cheeks, brown warts, warts that have been red or pink become pigmented; liver spots on the face, chest, and abdomen.

The skin of the face is sallow and doughy, looks as if the muscles were flabby; you will seldom see Sepia indicated in the face that shows sharp lines of intellect; a person who has been thinking a long time has the lines and sharp angles of a thinking person, of one who possesses will and intellect. The Sepia subject is one who is rather stupid and dull, thinks slowly and is forgetful; the mind is anything but active and we see it in the face.

Face: In many instances, however, the Sepia patient is a quick patient, but the dullness of intellect is the most striking feature and it reflects itself upon the face.

The face is generally puffed, often smooth and rounded and marked by an absence of intellectual lines and angles.

This patient is anemic, pale lips and ears, pale, sallow face, fingers and hands become shrivelled, sallow, waxy, bloodless. Sepia establishes a progressing emaciation of the body and the skin becomes wrinkled; the person looks prematurely old; wrinkles intermingled with sallow spots on the face in one who is 35 years of age, making him look as if he were fifty. A child looks like a shrivelled dried up old person.

Bowels: With all complaints there is constipation.

The bowels lose their ability to expel their contents and the patient is always constipated; constipation during pregnancy; slow, difficult stool; stool like sheep dung. Always has a feeling of a lump in the rectum, never able to empty the bowels; though he goes to stool there is always a sensation of a lump remaining in the rectum. When the stool passes into the lower bowel, it is not expelled until there is an accumulation, which presses the stool out.

Hunger: Another feature present in most Sepia patients is a gnawing hunger, seldom satisfied; even though he eats plentifully he feels a gnawing, empty, hungry feeling in the stomach, not relieved by eating or relieved only for a moment. This is striking especially when associated with the constipation and the peculiar state of the affections.

When these symptoms are associated with prolapsus, Sepia will certainly cure, no matter how bad the prolapsus has been or what kind of displacement there is. It is the result of the state of relaxation of all the internal parts as if they were let down, wants a bandage to hold the parts up or wants to place the hand or napkin on the parts; a funneling sensation, better sitting down and crossing the limbs.

When these symptoms group themselves together, the gnawing hunger, the constipation, the dragging down, and the mental condition, it is Sepia and Sepia only. One is not sufficient but it is the combination.

Sepia has a marked catarrhal tendency, tendency to milky discharges from mucous membranes. Long after digestion has ceased and the stomach is empty comes nausea and sometimes vomiting.

It is a catarrhal state of the stomach and when it persists with the milky vomiting, Sepia is very valuable. This is not an uncommon feature in the vomiting of pregnancy. Vomits up food and after emptying the stomach of its contents, vomits or eructates a milky fluid; morning vomiting, first of food, then a milky substance. Do not confound this with vomiting of milk. Some medicines vomit milk alone and Sepia does this also.

Whitish, milky discharges from the posterior nares, from the vagina, excoriating, milky leucorrhea, which at times takes on the appearance of curds, thick, cheesy, and horribly offensive; it has also thick, green and yellow discharges; it has dry crusty formations on mucous membranes.

Nose: Prolonged inveterate catarrh of the nose, thick, green, and yellow crusts are blown from the nose and sometimes are hawked from the posterior nares, thick, leathery formations.

Loss of taste and smell. The smell of cooking food, meat and broth causes nausea. Catarrh of the chest with thick, tenacious, yellow expectoration, accompanied with a violent cough, retching, gagging, violent prolonged retching, vomiting; dry cough and yet there is rattling. Whooping cough; asthmatic cough with retching and loss of urine.

Cough: The cough is a violent one.

Cough during first sleep (Lach., in irritable children Cham.). Tuberculosis. Quick consumption after a suppressed gonorrhea; if given soon enough it will check. Spasmodic dry cough in the evening until midnight; holds the chest during the cough (Bry., Natr. sulph., Phos.)

Skin: Eruptions of the skin.

Tendency to produce herpetic eruptions about the genitals, lips and mouth; ring-worm upon the face and body. It has cured zona, and herpetic eruptions of the labia and foreskin. Vesicular eruptions in the axilla, upon the tip-s of the elbows; eruptions that pile up in great crusts on the elbows; thick crusts form upon the joints; eruptions between the fingers; moist eruptions that pour out a watery fluid, or thick, yellow, purulent fluid.

Sepia produces the induration that belongs to some forms of eruption like epithelioma; indurations will form on the lips and crack and bleed. The scaly eruption that looks like epithelioma is especially Sepia. When the scales come off a yellow, green, ichorous base remains, and as soon as one crust peels off, another forms; finally if torn off prematurely, it bleeds. Sepia has cured epithelioma of the lips, wings of the nose, and eyelids It has cured old indurations caused by the use of a clay pipe, where it continues to form, and beneath it is seen this thick, yellow, purulent exudation.

It is indicated in lumps and lupoid formation on the skin, where there is infiltration; sometimes healing from the centre to form a ring; this is a typical Sepia condition. The hardness and purple color are what are peculiarly Sepia. Sepia stands on a par with Lach. for this purple aspect.

Mind again: Sepia has a hysterical diathesis.

Breaks out in spells of weeping, is sad one minute, gentle, yielding, and in another she is disagreeable, excitable, obstinate. You do not know what she is going to do next. She says and does strange things, makes errors, no dependence can be placed on her; no mental endurance; no affection for her family; whole Mind weak and disordered, not when there is fever, but it is a chronic manifestation of psora or sycosis.

Fear of ghosts; that something unusual will happen; atmosphere full of figures, not seen, but she knows that they are there; departed friends or other forms and very often in accordance with religions belief.

Never happy unless annoying some one; relating her grievances; sarcastic; insulting fear of insanity, poverty.

“Fears to starve, is peevish and feels mortified, easily frightened and full of forebodings.”

“Passionate, irritable; the greatest irritability from slight causes, very easily offended.

Vexed and disposed to scold.”

Head: The headaches are nervous, bilious, periodic, violent, involving the whole head; congestive.

Generally better lying down, keeping perfectly quiet; worse from ordinary motion, but relieved by violent motion, like most Sepia symptoms in general; she can walk off her sufferings. Stasis of the brain, slowness of thought, mind will not work and, mental labor aggravates the headache. A good substantial sleep relieves it, but if she is awakened after sleeping a short time, the headache is worse.

The same is seen in regard to motion; moving the eyes, head, or body, moving about in a warm room aggravates the pain, but a good, long walk in the open air until she becomes heated up, relieves. It is a sluggish state of the body which requires exercise, and violent exercise to keep it in a state of comfort.

The Sepia symptoms are worse in the open air unless combined with continued motion, better from exercise in the open air and worse in the house. The headache is worse from stooping, motion, coughing, going up stairs, jarring, light, turning the head, lying on the back and from thinking, but continued, hard exercise relieves, as does a tight bandage, and the application of heat, though worse in a warm room.

There are Sepia headaches that particularly affect the occiput, worse in the morning; great pain through the eyes and temples; relieved by sweat, worse on beginning to move; throbbing felt on stooping, worse on going up s airs.

The Phos. headache is relieved by sleep, but continued, rapid motion aggravates. Cannot endure it. Sepia is suited to the old fashioned bilious headaches. It is better from vomiting; the pain gradually increases, loathing of food, then nausea, vomiting and the patient falls asleep and wakens without the headache. Sang. resembles it, is better vomiting, better in a dark room; the direction is different, however.

Neuralgia of the head; periodic sick-headaches in gouty people; violent, congestive headaches in young women sensitive to noise, women of extremely delicate fiber, especially those with dark eyes, dark skin, and who become sallow from sickness. Jaundice often sets in with the headaches; at the close of the headache vomiting, and in a few days jaundice, which passes away but returns again with the next headache.

Headache every morning with nausea; the smell of food repulsive. Sepia takes on a stupid state of mind as mentioned above; will not work; will not answer questions; as if intoxicated, benumbed; eyes and face swollen, sclerotics yellow and jaundice.

This sometimes ends in violent vomiting spells. Craves spicy, pungent, bitter things like beer – in old drunkards with headache; threatening apoplexy.

“Apoplexy in men addicted to drinking and sexual excesses, with a disposition to gout and hemorrhoids, etc.”

“Threatening apoplexy in a dissipated, middle-aged man, who is subject to arthritic and hoemorrhoidal complaints; they have usually passed through several light attacks of apoplexy and are frequently visited with prodromic symptoms!”

Under external head we have eruptions and falling out of the hair yellow crusts; oozing of pus and other fluids; vesicles eczema of infants.

Face: Eyes; catarrhal symptoms with vesicles and pustules granular lids ulcers and psoric manifestations; various infiltrative conditions of the eyes and about the eyes; pustules on the margins of the lids, pustules on the globe of the eye, seems as if looking through a gauze; tarsal tumors, agglutination of lids, styes, etc.

The ears discharge thick, yellow pus; offensive.

The nose is a favorite locality; loss of smell; yellow or green thick crusts fill the nose and cannot be blown out; inveterate discharge of thick yellow pus.

“Large offensive-smelling plugs from the nose, often so large that they have to be drawn back into the mouth and expectorated, causing vomiting.

Dry coryza especially of left nostril, following of large lumps of yellow or green mucus or yellow-green crusts with blood from the nose.”

This is descriptive of the worst forms of catarrh; very few will let it run on thus far, they apply local treatment and heal the nose up, and, the process at once going to the chest, phthisis pituitosa comes on.

The gums settle away from the teeth. Toothache and neuralgia from taking cold.

Sensation of a lump in the throat (like Lach.), but the latter is better from swallowing. (The same in worm troubles indicates Cina.) Uneasiness of the collar and corsets like Lach. Worse in the first, sleep like Lach.

Stomach: Sepia brings out many things in connection with the appetites, thirst, eating, drinking and stomach, etc.

The Sepia patient is generally conscious of a spoiled stomach, sour and bitter eructations of food, of mucus and bile, sour and bitter vomiting of food and mucus; all-gone, hungry, empty feeling in the stomach sometimes not relieved by eating.

At times a gnawing pain, a sinking, a gnawing hunger which is not always relieved by eating. Almost constant nausea, especially in the morning, nausea and eructations and vomiting of milky fluid; when the stomach is empty, vomiting, spitting up, eructations of milky fluid.

Aversion to food, to the smell of food cooking, like Colch. and Ars. The patient gets up in the morning with an all-gone feeling, distress and fullness in the stomach followed by belching and uprisings of mucus, and milky fluids; vomiting of pregnancy; vomiting of milky water in the morning; this is a characteristic of Sepia.

Acrid, burning eructations; heartburn; rancid eructations, excoriating the throat; pyrosis which is another form of eructation; acrid, sour fluids burning all the way up, causing contraction, tingling, smarting.

Nausea violent; deathly sinking accompanied with an awful anxiety in the stomach.

Phos. has more of the typical hunger which is relieved by eating. The Ignatia patient is always sighing; cannot get rid of “that feeling.”

Oleander has an all-gone empty feeling as if he would die; food does not relieve, is not digested, but panes undigested the next day.

Lyc. has an all-gone feeling sometimes not better by eating, felt as markedly before as after eating, and after eating there comes a throbbing.

Kali carb. has it also, without the amelioration from taking food; it is even intensified by eating, which is followed by a sensation of fullness and throbbing.

In severe liver and heart affections the stomach is not able to keep up assimilation; palpitation, great weakness, liver congested, white stool.

Digitalis comes in here with its deathly sinking not better by vomiting. In Sepia this symptom is associated with the loss of affections, the lump in the rectum, with the constipation, etc.

“Pain in the stomach after the simplest food.

Stitches and burning in the stomach.

Pain in the stomach worse by vomiting.”

This is peculiar, for vomiting usually relieves the distress. The Sepia stomach becomes like a leather bag, fill it up and the food comes up just as eaten or at times sour or mixed with bile. Inflammation of the liver, enlargement with jaundice, pain, fullness, distension, distress in the region of the liver.

Abdomen: distended with flatus, rumbling and distension. These disturbances are often chronic as in pot-bellied mothers; abdomen covered with brown spots. Sepia has removed tape-worm.

Chronic diarrhea, stools jelly-like, lumpy; alternating diarrhoea and constipation; a great amount of mucus with the stools, whether constipated or diarrheic; hard stool covered with a great quantity of jellylike mucus.

Goes for days without a stool and then sits and strains until a copious sweat breaks out and yet no stool, but after assistance with the finger and prolonged strain a little stool is passed, followed by a cupful of jelly-like mucus, yellow or yellow-white and very offensive.

The acute diarrheas and dysenteries with jelly-like stools are more in keeping with Kali bi. and Colch. This is chronic diarrhoea or in constipation with stool covered with or followed by jelly-like mucus is Sepia.

Do not confound with Graph., which has an enormous stool with much straining and sweating, and coated with and mixed with a substance looking like the cooked white egg, as if covered with albumen.

In Sepia there is much offensiveness; the odor of the stool is unusual, loose stools horribly offensive, foetid; the sweat is foetid, the urine is foetid.

“The stool has a putrid, sourish, foetid smell, expelled suddenly and the whole of it at once.”

Sepia is given in a routine way for constipation, when there are few symptoms.

Rectum: There is always a sense of fullness in the rectum after stool; ineffectual straining and sweating in the effort because the patient is weak and exhausted.

Sepia has the ineffectual urging like Nux. She may go for days with no urging and then the effort is as if she were in labor. Prolapse of the rectum. Weight as of a ball in the anus not relieved by stool.

Soreness of the anus. Expulsion of ascarides. Oozing moisture from the rectum, soreness between the buttocks.

Hemorrhoids soon form when the rectum is so packed with feces, and they give additional trouble.

Urinary: There is much urinary trouble; involuntary urination as soon as the child goes to sleep at night.

Sepia is compelled to keep the mind on the neck of the bladder or she will lose the urine; urine is lost when coughing, sneezing, laughing, the slam of a door, a shock, or when the mind is diverted.

Frequent, constant urging to urinate with milky urine that burns like fire and after standing a while a milky, grayish deposit will form which is hard to wash off the vessel. Bloody urine scanty and suppressed, great pain in the kidneys and bladder with great bearing down; sudden desire with tenesmus as if the uterus would come out. Sudden desire to urinate with cutting like knives and chill all over the body, if unable to pass it, as a lady in company.

I remember a pitiable case. A saleswoman was obliged to go to the closet every few minutes; a violent pain like a knife cutting came with the desire to urinate, and if the urine was not passed this pain would hold right on. She was compelled to keep her mind on the urine or she would lose it. She was tall, slim, with sallow face, distressed look, worn and tired. Sepia cured her and she was never troubled again.

The Sepia patient aborts at the third month. All sorts of ulcerative conditions, displacements, dragging down and relaxations. Retained Placenta. Sub involution, all the pelvic organs are tired and weak. Metrorrhagia during the climacteric or during pregnancy, especially at the fifth and seventh months.

Genitals: Both male and female have aversion to the opposite sex.

In the female there is a state as if she had indulged to excess, when this is not the case. No endurance, tired after coition, sleepless nights, sleep full of dreams, jerking of muscles, twitching, leucorrhoea, congestion of the pelvis.

A woman who has been normal in her relations with her husband brings forth a child, and then the thought of sexual relations causes nausea and irritability.

The menstrual symptoms are of all sorts, no particular derangement characterizes Sepia. At one time it was thought that scanty menstruation was the more striking feature, but this is not necessarily so; from provings and clinical observations, it has cured profuse as well as scanty flow. Most violent dysmenorrhoea in girls of delicate fiber, sallow girls.

Sepia comes in when the woman ought to menstruate when the child ceases to nurse; sometimes the child dies and menses ought to be established but do not appear, and the mother runs down, pines away; Sepia will establish the flow.

Calc. is the opposite; the menses come on while the child is nursing. Thick greenish acrid or milky leucorrhea. Leucorrhoea in little girls.

In the male, old sycotic discharge that has resisted injection. Profuse yellow, or milky discharge from the urethra, or the “last drop” painless.

Gonorrhea after the acute symptoms have subsided. Urine loaded with urates, stains everything red and often excoriates, very foetid, associated with prostatitis.

“Gleet; no pain; discharge only during the night, a drop or so staining the linen yellowish; yellowish discharge, no burning or urinating; painless; of a year and a half’s standing; orifice of urethra stuck together in the morning, particularly when the sexual organs are debilitated by long continuance of disease or through frequent seminal emissions.”

Warts on the genitals; Sepia is useful when these organs have been overused and take on such an appearance. Impotence in the male, loss of sexual feeling in the female.

The close relation between this remedy and Murex is worth considering. The muscular relaxation, dragging down in the abdomen and pelvis, aggravated from exertion and walking, ameliorated by sitting with the limbs crossed and ameliorated by pressure on the genitalia would be like both remedies; but add to this copious menstrual flow and violent sexual desire and Murex must be considered and Sepia eliminated.

Both have extreme empty feeling in the stomach. Sepia has diminished sexual desire and often aversion. Murex has great soreness and congestion of the uterus, and she is constantly reminded of the uterus. Murex has acute pain in right side of uterus which crosses the body diagonally upward to left side of chest, or left breast, It cures violent dysmenorrhoea. It has been useful in cancer of the -uterus. Watery, greenish, thick, bloody leucorrhea, causing itching.

Back: One of Sepia’s most general characteristics is the amelioration from violent exercise; worse on beginning to move but better by getting warmed up. This condition is closely related to the back symptoms. There is a great amount of soreness in the back, the spine aches all the way down. Pressure on the spine reveals sore places, spinal irritation.

Aching in the back mostly from the loins to the coccyx, often coming on from sitting, and ameliorated from violent exercise. A peculiar feature is amelioration from hard pressure. The patient commonly puts a book low down on the chair and presses the back against it. Sepia does not seem to get the amelioration from lying upon the back as Natrum mur. does. Stooping aggravates the backache.

”Backache worse from kneeling.”

Under symptoms of the lower extremities we find great numbness of the feet.

“Coldness of the legs and feet especially in the evening in bed when the feet get warm the hands get cold; icy coldness of the feet profuse sweat of the feet or sweat of unbearable odor causing. soreness between the toes. Swelling of the limbs better while walking.”

The sleep is full of dreams and distress; cannot sleep upon the left side because of palpitation of the heart. Palpitation in sleep, with pulsations and trembling all over the body, pulsations to the finger tips.

In old cases of suppressed malaria, Sepia brings back the chill, but its most useful sphere is after a bad selection of the remedy and the case becomes confused. Where a remedy has been selected for only a part of the case and changed it a little but the patient gets no better.

It will be seen that the fever, chill, and sweat are just as erratic as can be. Natrum mur. is one of the greatest malarial remedies, but it is full of order like China, Sepia is full of disorder.

In a case confused by remedies think of Calc., Ars., Sulph., Sepia and Ipecac. Never give China or Natrum mur. for irregular symptoms and stages.

Sepia is complementary to Natrum mur. Aside from the stupid condition of the mind it has an excitable condition of the general nervous system that is often marked in Natrum mur. as, for instance, being disturbed by a noise, the slam of a door, etc. It produces jerking of the muscles in sleep; constantly wakes from imaginary noises, thinks someone has called her; the last disturbance about the house wakens her.

Worse before and during menses; during pregnancy; after eating during first sleep; change of weather; during a thunderstorm; overwhelming fear.

Editorial notes

• “full of forbodings” corrected to “full of forebodings” (transcription error in the digital source text).

Silicea
From Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent, A.M., M.D. – Lecture 164 of 180
Source pages 2883–2915 of the Nalanda Digital Library edition (public domain)

The action of Silica is slow. In the proving, it takes a long time to develop the symptoms. It is, therefore, suited to complaints that develop slowly.

Generalities: At certain times of the year and under certain circumstances peculiar symptoms will come out.

They may stay with the prover the balance of his life. Such are the long-acting, deep-acting remedies; they are capable of going so thoroughly into the vital order that hereditary disturbances are routed out. The Silica patient is chilly; his symptoms are developed in cold, damp weather, though often better in cold, dry weather; symptoms come out after a bath.

Mind: The mental state is peculiar.

The patient lacks stamina. What Silica is to the stalk of, grain in the field, it is to the human mind. Take the glossy, stiff, outer covering of a stalk of grain and examine it, and you will realize with what firmness it supports the head of grain until it ripens; there is a gradual deposit of Silica in it to give it stamina. So it is with the mind; when the mind needs Silica it is in a state of weakness, embarrassment, dread, a state of yielding.

If you should listen to the description of this state by a prominent clergyman, or a lawyer, or a man in the habit of appearing in public with self-confidence, firmness and fullness of thought and speech, he would tell you he had come to a state where he dreads to appear in public, he feels his own selfhood so that he cannot enter into his subject, he dreads it, he fears that he will fail, his mind will not work, he is worn out by prolonged efforts at mental work.

But he will say that when he forces himself into the harness he can go on with ease, his usual self-command returns to him and he does well; he does his work with promptness, fullness, and accuracy. The peculiar Silica state is found in the dread of failure.

If he has any unusual mental task to perform, he fears he will make a failure of it, yet he does it well. This is the early state; of course there comes a time when he cannot perform the work with accuracy and still he may need Silica.

Another case is illustrated in a young man who has studied for years and is now nearing the end of his course. He dreads the final examinations but he goes through them all right, then a fatigue comes upon him and for years he is unable to enter his profession. He has this dread of undertaking anything.

Irritable and irascible when aroused; when let alone he is timid, retiring, wants to shirk everything; mild, gentle tearful women. The Silica child is cross and cries when spoken to. It is the natural complement and chronic of Puls. because of its great similarity; it is a deeper, more profound remedy.

Religious melancholy, sadness, irritability, despondency. Lyc. is stupid, the dread of undertaking any thing in from a general knowledge of inability. In Silica it is imaginary.

Silica is not suitable for the irritability and nervous exhaustion coming on from business brain-fag, but more for such brain-fag as belongs to professional men, students, lawyers, clergymen. A lawyer says,

“I have never been myself since that John Doe case”

He went through a prolonged effort and sleepless nights followed. Silica restores the brain.

Skin: The remedy produces inflammation about any fibrinous nidus and suppurates it out.

It acts upon constitutions that are sluggish and inflames fibrous deposits about old imbedded missiles. Slow nutrition; if the individual receives a slight injury it suppurates and the cicatrix indurates, is hard and nodular.

Along the track of a knife-cut, is a fibrinous deposit due to inferior and slow nutrition. An old ulcer heals with induration. Where cicatricial tissue forms, it is indurated, shiny, glassy. If Silica is given in such cases, it will throw out abscesses in these cicatrices and open them out. It will open up old ulcers and heal them with a normal cicatrix.

In ordinary people if a splinter lodges in the tissues, a suppuration will slough it out, but in these feeble constitutions a plastic deposit takes place about it and it remains. This is not the highest state of order. Suppuration takes place about a bullet and pushes it out, that is the best state that can be asked for.

Silica, therefore, hastens the formation of abscesses and boils. It suppurates out old wens and indurated tumors. It has cured recurrent fibroids and old indurated tumors.

It there is a deposit of tubercle in the lungs, Silica establishes ail inflammation and throws it out, and if the whole lung be tubercular a general suppurative pneumonia will be the result; hence, the danger of giving such remedies and the danger of repeating them in advanced stage of phthisis. Not only Silica but many other remedies have the power to suppurate out deposits, the result of poor nutrition.

Warty growths on the skin, moist eruptions, pimples, pustules, abscesses. Suppurating cavities. It establishes healing in old fistulous openings with indurated margins. Catarrhal suppurations; copious muco-purulent discharge from the eyes, nose, ears, chest, vagina, etc.

Suppression: Complaints from the suppression of discharges; suppressed sweat.

These suppressions produce a state in the economy that threatens what little order is left. An offensive foot-sweat ceases after getting the feet wet, and is followed by chills and violent complaints.

Silica cures long lasting foot-sweat when the symptoms agree, or complaints that have lasted since the suppression of a foot-sweat. Thick, yellow catarrhal discharges.

They say,

“I have had this discharge so many years,” and when you investigate, you find that there has been some, shock, a cold, that suppressed the foot-sweat and it has not appeared since. Silica will bring back that sweat, cause the catarrhal discharge to cease and in time cure the foot-sweat.

Catarrhal discharges from the nose and other places, indurations, tumors, chronic gastritis, brain- fag, all dating back to the suppression of foot-sweat or otorrheoa, or to the healing up of a fistula.

Head: Chronic sick-headache attended with nausea and even vomiting.

Headache commencing in the back of the head in the morning or towards noon going to the forehead, worse towards night, from noise; better from heat; supra-orbital neuralgias; better from pressure and heat and attended with profuse head-sweat.

Cold, clammy, offensive sweat on the forehead. When a Silica patient exerts himself he sweats on the face, the lower part of the body is dry or nearly so. It requires great exertion to produce general sweat. A striking feature is the sweat about the upper parts of the body and the head.

Headache once a week (Gets., Lyc., Sang., Sulph.). Headache up through the back of the neck and especially to the right side of the head. Resembles Sang. Weight in the occiput as if it would be drawn back, with a rush of blood to the head, like Carbo veg. and Sepia.

Headache worse from cold air. Psor. wears a fur cap even in summer. Magn. mur. is better from wrapping up the head but still wants to be in the air. Rhus sweats on the body; the head is dry. Puls. sweats on one side of the head.

Vertigo to fainting; with nausea; vertigo creeping up the spine into the head.

It is especially necessary for the Silica patient to avoid the cold air, must have the head well wrapped up, especially the part that is painful, and this part perspires copiously.

“Headache worse from mental exertion, excessive study, noise, motion, even jarring from foot-steps, light, stooping, pressing at stool, talking, cold air, touch.”

Skin again: Moist, scaly eruption on the scalp, eczema capitis.

Silica is suited to the phagedenic ulcers of syphilis, eating and spreading ulcers on the scalp. Inflammatory conditions between the scalp and skull, tumors forming, filled with a grumous fluid; as in infancy, it will remove blood tumors.

Cephalatoma neonatorum, enchondroses. Silica is especially of use in the treatment of affections of the cartilages, growths about the joints, about the fingers and toes.

The complaints of Silica are associated with hardened glands, but especially about the neck, the cervical, salivary, and particularly the parotid glands; large, hard parotids. The parotids enlarge from every cold and get hard. (Bar. carb., Calc., Sulph,)

Puls. suits the acute inflammation of the parotid, but Silica is indicated in the more chronic forms due to psora, “scrofulous glands.”

Eyes: Many inflammations and conditions of the eyes.

Ulcers on the cornea; pustules on the lids, falling of the lashes, suppuration of the margins of the lids with burning, stinging and redness. Intense photophobia in all eye complaints.

Scrofulous cases with sore eyes, the most inveterate and chronic cases; suppuration; thin, watery, copious discharge, or bloody, thick and yellow like pus, with ulceration.

Syphilitic iritis.

“Perforating or sloughing ulcer on the cornea.

Spots and cicatrices on the cornea.

Fungus haematodes.

Eyes inflamed from traumatic causes; foreign particles have lodged in the eyes; abscesses; boils around the eyes and lids tarsal tumors, styes.

Affections appearing in the angles of the eyes fistula lachrymalis; stricture of lachrymal duct.”

This is a general survey of the eye affections in Silica.

Ear: There is no deeper remedy than Silica in eradicating the tubercular tendency, when the symptoms agree; most tubercular cases are worse from cold, wet weather; better in cold dry weather.

The most inveterate cases of catarrh of the ear; old offensive, thick, yellow otorrheoa; following scarlet fever; all sorts of abnormalities in hearing, even to deafness.

Roaring in the cars associated with many diseases and hardness of hearing; hissing, roaring like steam; like a train of cars, many times from mechanical cause and other times from a condition of the nerves.

It is commonly the beginning of a dry catarrh of the middle ear; the remedy is especially useful when, in catarrh of the middle ear and Eustachian tube, the deafness goes on for some time and the hearing returns with a snap, due to the escape of the accumulation of fluids somewhere and described by the patient as a snap or report.

Sudden reports in the ear like a cannon, distant noises with return of hearing.

“Otorrheoa, offensive, watery, curdy, with soreness of inner nose and crusts on upper lip, after abuse of Mercury, with caries.”

Caries of bone in any part of the body, but especially of the small bones of the car, nose and mastoid process,

“Scabs behind the cars.”

Rupture of the drum of the ear.

Catarrhal conditions of the internal car and Eustachian tube, with

“feeling of sudden stoppage in the ear, better by gaping or swallowing.”

Especially with ear troubles, there will be associated indurated parotid glands.

Nose: Accumulation of hard crusts in the nose, loss of taste and smell epistaxis, thickening of the mucous membrane; most vicious catarrh with discharge of bone from the nose.

Horrible, foetid ozaena, old syphilitic cases where the nasal bones are destroyed and the nose becomes a flabby bag, is sunken in or ulcerated away, leaving an opening. Silica may cure and an artificial nose be made afterwards.

Hepar competes with Silica in syphilitic nasal catarrhs where the parts are phagedenic; Hepar, Merc. cor. and Ars., are the principal antisyphilitics when there is phagedenic ulceration of the nose. Babies suffer from bloody nasal discharge. This is often Calc. sul.

Face: The aspect of the Silica face is silky, anemic, waxy, tired. Pustular and vesicular eruptions spread over the face, the wings of the nose crack, the lips easily fissure; crusts form on the margin between the mucous membrane and the skin; eruptions and crusts, indurations form under the crusts, they peel off and there is no healing.

These indurations are the same kind of inferior tissue that is found under lupus and epithelioma, a low tissue formation, a low state of eczema that favors infiltration. The small blood-vessels that lead to them become thicker and thicker until they become gristly. There is a tendency to make the soft tissues harder and the hard tissues harder.

In childhood the bones become softer and even necrose or there is an inflammation of the periosteum and a consequent necrosis. Caries of the shaft of the long bones, the head of the bones and the cartilaginous portions; abscesses in cartilages, enchondromata.

Bones break down and form fistulous openings. Necrosis of the jaw, the joints, the hip-joint, the tibia, necrosis of the spine, of the vertebrae, so that there is curvature of the spine, lateral especially. The homoeopathic physicians may treat these affections of the bones with the help of accessory contrivances or supports.

The Silica patient has rough lips, they crack and peel; rhagades. Scaly appearances at the margins of the lips, fissures in the corners of the mouth that indurate. There is often a line of fissure about the margin of the crust. Little crusts like epithelioma form upon the wings of the nose and when picked off leave a raw surface with no tendency to heal.

Crusty formations upon the ears.

The teeth break down, lose their enamel surface; the dentine is made up largely of the silicate of lime and the surface of the tooth becomes rough, loses its shiny appearance and caries sets in.

This often takes place at the margin of the gum; ulcers form on the tip of the fangs. The teeth suffer when it is cold or damp; toothache in wet weather, and the teeth are yellow, decay rapidly, and the gums settle away from. them.

All the neuralgias and toothaches are better in a warm room and from hot drinks. Abscesses about the gums and face, better by warmth. Severe pain in the jaw, rending, tearing at night, better from heat; these pains often end in abscesses about the teeth. Sometimes relieved by pressure unless the part is extremely sore from inflammation.

The tongue takes on inflammation of gouty character; inflammation with threatening abscess, it fills the whole mouth; rending, tearing pains, worse at night and better from heat.

Throat: In the throat and neck we have inflammation and swelling of all the glands, external and internal, all at once or singly.

Quinsy with great pain in the tonsils, one or both; threatening suppuration. Inflammation of the parotid, sublingual and much less frequently the submaxillary and cervical glands; painful, tumid and hard, with pain in the neck, shoulders and head, even in acute inflammations. But then we have the opposite state of affairs. In an old chronic case broken down with suffering the symptoms are worse after a bath, he wants warmth, dread the cold, is always shivering.

But when in the neck there is an acute inflarnmation the very opposite is present; he suffers from flushes of heat, an irregular, flushing fever, cold extremities while the upper part of the body is hot, sweat about the head and neck, sensation of heat and suffocation in a warm room. This will be present in quinsy and abscesses of the glands of the neck, if acute. Silica here shows its relation to Puls. The latter in its chronic manifestations is overburdened with heat, but in an acute trouble is chilly. They are reversed as to their acute and chronic states. Puls, in the beginning is chilly and sweating.

Silica is full of throat symptoms but is seldom indicated in acute forms because its pace is too low; it comes on after there has been a series of colds, such colds as are ameliorated a number of times by Bell. or other acute remedies but still continue to settle in the tonsils and in the glands of the neck.

Silica breaks up the tendency. There is a catarrhal state in the throat that is roused up by every cold into an increased flux, with hoarseness, settling back into the chronic state again; chronic catarrhs of the pharynx.

It competes with Natrum mur. in inveterate sore throat.

Stomach: Silica disturbs the stomach, causes hiccough, nausea and vomiting disturbs the liver.

All these symptoms are connected and are hard to separate. Decided aversion to warm food, desires cold things, wants his tea moderately cold, he is willing to have his food cold, dislikes warm food. Sometimes there is a decided aversion to meat, but if he does take it, he prefers cold, sliced meat. He likes ice cream, ice water, and feels comfortable when it is in the stomach; it is sometimes impossible for him to drink hot fluids, they cause sweat about the face and head and cause hot flushes. (Bar. c.)

Silica is disturbed by the extremes of heat and cold, easily affected, in changes even of a few degrees; he has complaints from being overheated; he gets overheated easily, sweats easily from a slight change in the temperature and comes down with a cold.

Case: A physician waiting on an obstetrical case, had a little difficulty in the last stage and he became overheated; putting on his overcoat and hat he went out on the porch to cool off and was taken down with asthma, violent cough, copious expectoration with gagging and vomiting which lasted him for months.

The acute remedies he had taken only palliated, but a dose of Silica cured him almost as quickly as he was taken down; he could not tolerate a warm room; the acute complaints of Silica are often worse in a warm room and from heat.

Silica has an aggravation from milk. Many times the infant is unable to take any kind of milk and, hence, the physician is driven to prescribe all the foods in the market if he does not know the right remedy. Natrum carb. and Silica are both useful when the mother’s milk causes diarrhoea and vomiting.

The routinist is likely to give such medicines as Aethusa, entirely forgetting Silica. The latter, as well as Natrum carb., has sour vomiting and sour curds in the stool.

“Aversion the mother’s milk and vomiting.”

“Diarrhea from milk.”

Put these two together.

Although the patient has an aversion to hot things and desires to eat cold things, yet in chest complaints cold water, ice cream and cold, things in general, increase the cough to gagging, and then the retching is dreadful; violent, retching, gagging cough. Retching from an endeavor to expectorate is usually controlled by Carbo veg., but Silica his it.

“Water brash, with chilliness, with brown tongue; nausea and vomiting of what is drunk, worse in the morning; water tastes bad; vomits after drinking.”

The Silica stomach is weak, in a do-nothing state; old dyspeptics that have been vomiting a long time, especially those who have an, aversion to hot food, who cannot take milk, are averse to meat, where, the mental and bodily symptoms agree.

Silica was one of the greatest remedies for the chronic diarrhoea in the soldiers of our Civil War. It cured a fair percentage of those sick from sleeping on damp ground, eating all sorts of food until the stomach and bowels were prostrated, from long marches, from going into the South from the cold North, from becoming overheated. It is like Sulphur in these symptoms.

Silica has some pain in the stomach and bowels, but there is more soreness to pressure; colic and flatulence and tenderness to pressure; a chronic soreness in the stomach and if it goes on too long, a tubercular state comes on.

Abdomen: Abdominal pain relieved by heat; distension of the bowels with flatulence and rumbling.

Enlarged abdomen in children and adults (Bar. c.); tightness across the abdomen. Disturbed by the pressure of the clothes and worse after eating; the decided feature is the amelioration from heat.

Constipation from inability of the rectum to expel the faeces. It is seldom that the stool lies in the rectum without urging like Alumina; there is much urging to stool but inability to expel. The stool may be in small balls or large and soft or large and hard, but there is much straining and sweating about the head and great suffering while straining; the rectum becomes impacted, he strains until he is weak and exhausted, the stool slips back; and he gives up in despair.

The only way he can relieve himself is by some mechanical method. Great straining at stool belongs to many remedies, but especially to Alumina, Alumen, China, Natr. mur., Nux vom., Nux mosch., and Silica.

Silica has removed tape-worm, when the symptoms agree(Calc., Sulf.)

It has also cured fistulous openings. Patients who have a tendency to phthisis are subject to abscesses about the region of the rectum, that break inside or out and form complete or incomplete openings.

These seem to take the place of what would otherwise come, and if healed by operation or other external means, the tendency is to end in chest trouble, either in form of a fixed catarrh or tubercular infiltrations.

Silica is one of the remedies that turns the constitution into order and in one to five years the opening ceases to be necessary and it will heal. Surgeons heal it up at once, and for a time the patient is comfortable, but in a few years he breaks down.

Caust., Berb., Calc. c., Calc. phos., Graph., Sulph., etc., are suitable; in such cases. Silica here follows Thuja well.

Urinary: Suppurative conditions in the urinary tract, catarrh of the mucous membranes; old inveterate catarrh of the bladder with pus and blood in the urine; copious, stringy, deposits in the urine.

Prostatitis, suppuration, thick, fetid pus from the urethra. Gonorrhea, pus, or pus like discharge from the urethra, slight, shreddy discharge, bloody, purulent discharge. It is sometimes thick, or is curdy; this is from any mucous membrane.

Men: Abscesses along the penis, in the perineum, prostate gland, testes.

Chronic inflammation and induration of the testes with much pain; testes feel as if squeezed, sensitive, painful. Hydrocele in boys or adults.

In the male, impotence, weakness of the genitals after coition, easily exhausted, lacks power; exhausted if he has coition with anything like ordinary frequency; it takes him a week or ten days to rest up (Agar.).

Much sweating of the genitals with exhaustion, tired out in the spine, weak back. Involuntary discharge of urine at night; enuresis in little boys and girls.

Women: In women a prostrated condition of the sexual functions.

Serous cysts in the vagina, fistulous openings and abscesses about the vulva, which heal with hard nodules or do not heal at all; little oozing fistulae, offensive, cheesy discharge. They heal in little nodules and then break out again in the same nidus. Women who are subject to these abscesses.

Bloody discharge between the periods. In Silica there is very easy flow of blood from the uterus; a hemorrhagic flow comes on before the menses from excitement, and especially when nursing; when the child is put to the breast a flow of blood starts.

Notice the distinction between Calc. and Silica. Calc. has a tendency to flow during lactation, but not when the child is put to the breast.

Silica cures hydrosalpinx and pyosalpinx, with copious, watery discharge from the uterus. Sometimes a woman has a lump on one or the other side of the uterus, which steadily increases and all at once there is a flooding of watery, bloody, purulent fluid and the lump disappears, soon to fill up again and empty in the same way in a gushing flow.

Such are the manifestations of hydrosalpinx and pyosalpinx. Entire absence of the menses for months; amenorrhoea.

Serous, cysts in the vagina as large as a pea or an orange, projecting from the vagina or projecting upwards and flattened out in conformation with it. Many little cysts like hickory-nuts grouped together. Rhod. and Silica have cured these even when there is a paucity of other symptoms.

“Leucorrhea, profuse, acrid, corroding, milky, preceded by cutting around the navel, causing biting pain, especially after acrid food; during urination; in gushes; with cancer of the uterus. Hard lumps in the mammæ.”

Threatened abscesses of the breasts. If the remedy is given in time, it will abort the entire trouble. Where the remedy has come too late and suppuration is inevitable, Silica comes in for its share. There may be throbbing, tenderness, and weight, yet the remedy controls the pain, hastens the conclusion, and the opening comes naturally, discharges little and closes at once. As sure as an anodyne is given, a hot poultice applied, you will fail with your remedies.

There is too much blood in the part, and the application of a poultice increases the trouble; it causes an increased determination of blood to the part, and if suppuration takes place it causes more breaking down of tissue. Instead of a thimbleful of pus you will have cupfuls for days and half of the gland is destroyed

Women who are so weak they tend to abort, or no conception takes place. It would seem if the organs were tired out and unable to perform their functions.

The infant has all sorts of troubles. It grows up sickly; cannot tolerate its mother’s milk or indeed any kind of food; vomiting and diarrhoea. A healthy child will digest even unwholesome milk.

Chest: The Silica cough is a dangerous one; the remedy suits the early stage of phthisis, when the lung is not extensively involved; it suits cough of catarrhal character when the symptoms agree.

If there is small abscess in the lung with no tendency to heal, it brings about repair, causes contraction of its walls. Inveterate cases of catarrh of the chest with asthmatic wheezing, overexertion. After violent exertion and overheating, gets in a draft, or takes cold from a bath, becomes chilled.

Humid asthma, coarse rattling, the chest seems filled with mucus, seems as if he would suffocate. Especially the asthma of old sycotics, or in children of sycotic parents. It competes with Nat. sul. in such cases. The patient is pale, waxy, anaemic, with great prostration and thirst.

Asthmatic attacks from suppressed gonorrhoea, with liability to develop complaints from over-exertion and over-heating, as in most sycotics.

Dry, teasing cough with hoarseness, threatening tuberculosis of the larynx, peculiar cracked voice from thickening of the laryngeal mucous membrane or tubercular involvement; soreness of the chest threatening miliary tuberculosis, with aggravation from cold and amelioration from warm drinks.

Pulmonary affections in stone-cutters. The fine dust causes chronic irritation. Silica establishes a suppuration and throws off these particles of stone.

Expectoration profuse, foetid, green, purulent; only during the day viscid, milky, acrid-mucus, at times pale, frothy blood.

Chronic tendency for colds to settle in the chest and bring on asthmatic symptoms. Chronic bronchitis; inflammation of the lungs with suppuration. Silica especially suits the later stages of pneumonia and the old, chronic complaints following pneumonia.

Slow recovery after pneumonia (Lyc., Sulph., Phos., Sil., Calc.). Flushes, rattling in the chest. Flushes in the face during the day (Sulph., Sep., Lach.), rattling like Ant. tart., flushes like Sulph. and Lyc.

Phthisis; thick, yellow, green, foetid sputa, more pronounced coldness than Calc., and head sweat, pains in the lungs, sore lungs, stitches.

In the extremities we have inflammation of the periosteum. Corns (Ant. cr., Graph.). Ingrowing toe-nails. Rheumatism of the soles of the feet. Cannot walk (Ant. cr., Med., Ruta, Sil.). Begins to sweat as soon as he falls asleep (Puls., Con.).

Epilepsy; aura in the solar plexus creeping into the chest and stomach.

Complementary to Calc., Puls., and Thuja.