It has been useful in hydrophobia, to which some to its symptoms furnish a very close simile.
For epilepsy apparently due to fright, for chorea and for stammering, it has been prescribed with good results, but the correspondence of symptoms of drug and disease must be carefully established, or time and trouble may be wasted. In melancholic states, with violent agitation, stramonium may come in.
Headache from exposure to the sun, worse on lying down, on motion (especially jarring) and with nervous fears may require this remedy. When the gaze seems to be fixed on one spot, which causes fear or perplexity to the patient, when he looks anxious or even wild, and may be talking at random, stramonium may be relied on.
The headache and mental symptoms are certainly liable to be aggravated by a bright light, but Kent says (sub voce) pain in the eyes is “relieved by an intense light.” A bright light on the other hand may bring on a fit of coughing in phthisical cases; this may be a reflex like sneezing due to a bright light; stramonium has proved a useful palliative.
For spinal meningitis due to traumatism, if convulsions come on, with fears, twitchings and delirium, this remedy must be considered.
In less acute cases, ex. gr. children with a hyperaesthetic nervous system, who are easily frightened, who are terrified of the darkness or even of going into a tunnel, this drug may be extremely useful, though they may have no named malady; and for sleeplessness and awakening in a fright, twitching in sleep incontinence of urine.
Some cases of scarlatina, even with suppression of urine, with characteristic mental symptoms, may be saved by stramonium, who would otherwise be lost from exhausting delirium.
Insomnia from overstudy, especially night work, with the headache described, may require stramonium.
LEADING INDICATIONS.
(1) Fear of being alone or in the dark, on awakening.
(2) Talkative, singing and laughing foolishly, tendency to wander and become incoherent.
(3) Or melancholy-religious or not.
(4) sexual excitement and indecency.
(5) Illusions and hallucinations-sees black, crawling objects or horrible animals and frightening visions.
(6) Delirium becoming violent mania, followed by exhaustion and coma.
(7) Spasm of throat muscles, induced by trying to drink, or even by sight of water, or bright objects.
(8) aggravation of mental condition after sleep (as lach.).
(9) Violent delirium in febrile complaints.
(10) Painlessness is characteristic of most complaints.
(11) Hydrophobia, chorea, convulsions in children.
(12) Post-partum sepsis, with mania.
AGGRAVATION;
From trying to drink (throat spasm), from bright lights, bright reflecting surfaces (cough, spasms), after sleep (mental), from pressure (back), lying down and motion- especially jarring head.
AMELIORATION :
Light and company.
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,