Sleep.-The cactus patient is sleepless at night, especially in the early part, he is talkative in his sleep and seems to be semi-delirious; when aroused he speaks unconnectedly or he wakes suddenly from sleep in a fright. His dreams are full of excitement and are often of falling.
Fever.-Cactus can cause fever. Dr. Rubini in his proving had a short rigor at p.m., ending in a slight sweat at 4 p.m. In the evening he had another rigor lasting three hours, so severe as to make his teeth chatter, not relieved by lying down and covering himself with blankets: it was followed by great heat, dyspnoea and restlessness which lasted for twenty hours and ended in a copious sweat. A female prover after leaving off the proving had a quotidian intermittent fever which recurred for several days. There occurred at 10 p.m. a slight rigor, then burning heat, dyspnoea, and severe pulsating pains in the uterine region, terminating in slight sweat, till by noon next day there was complete apyrexia. Cactus has been used for intermittent fevers of congestive type. It cures periodical neuralgic headache. Its periodicity is said to be at 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Intermittent neuralgias frequently precede or follow the attacks of intermittent fever and are relieve by this drug.
Mental.-The state of mind in subject who is under the influence of cactus is one of unusual and unaccountable melancholy which may amount to profound hypochondriasis. He believes he is developing an incurable malady and thinks he will die. He is inclined to weep and is irresistibly sad. He desires solitude and avoids people who want to comfort him. He specially dislikes the sound of the human voice, shuns all talking and is himself continuously taciturn. He is restless and feels hurried in his actions (arg. nit.), seems to be always too late and the day too short for his work.
LEADING INDICATIONS.
(1) Constricting sensations and pains throat, oesophagus, stomach, chest, heart, uterus, bladder, anus, and generally.
(2) Congestions of blood; in head, chest, abdomen, uterus,
&c.
(3) Haemorrhages; from hyperaemia or from passive congestion secondary to cardiac affections.
(4) Palpitation, pulsations, worse before menstruation.
(5) Painful heart affections, with constrictive pains in chest and cardiac region.
(6) Congestive headaches that are relieved by hard pressure. Vertex headaches at climacteric.
(7) Dysmenorrhoea: painful spasms, clots; menses cease when lying.
(8) Strangury from contraction of sphincter vesicae.
(9) Febrile attacks 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.
AGGRAVATION :
from lying on back (palpitation), sudden movement (palpitation), after eating (weight stomach), from lying on left side, from noise, light, heat sun’s rays, exertion, damp; at 11.am. and 11 p.m.
AMELIORATION :
From turning head to one side (occipital headache), standing still and taking a deep breath (cardiac spasm); pressure (headaches in vertex).
Edwin Awdas Neatby founded the Missionary School of Homeopathy and the London Homeopathic Hospital in 1903, and run by the British Homeopathic Association. He died in East Grinstead, Sussex, on the 1st December 1933. Edwin Awdas Neatby wrote The place of operation in the treatment of uterine fibroids, Modern developments in medicine, Pleural effusions in children, Manual of Homoeo Therapeutics,