In the last sickness of this woman I was led by a symptom in the nervous system to Argent. nit., namely, by the affection of the left eye. But as the patient had for two days taken Ar. nit. 2x night and morning, she was taken with such a weakness in all her limbs that she-and this is saying a great deal for her-was obliged
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES
To go to bed, where she frequently fell into a stuporous condition with yawning and a cold shudder over the whole body, and lost all her appetite. On the other hand, the left eyelid was as much elevated again as the right; the pupils in both were equally dilated, and the stitching pains in the left side of the chest had disappeared. Without taking any more Argentum nit. all these symptoms had disappeared in two days; the curative effects, however, remained, and simultaneously a marked diminution of the cough had taken place although the sound had not changed until now, after the lapse of three years, and the crepitant rale could be only partially heard on a very deep inspiration.
Since that time this woman has engaged in her occupation without interruption and considers herself and looks perfectly well. This much is sure, that from her previous hydrogenoid constitution a carbo-nitrogenoid constitution had developed in consequence of medical treatment, and the latter is also in the way of improvement as the pulse has even fallen to 70 beats.
The above was written three years after the last dose of Argentum nit. had been given and three years later the cure had remained permanent. CASE V.
Duchenne’s Locomotor Ataxy.- Argent. nit.
The president of a county court, 45, came to me for a frequent cough which was often so violent that he lost his breath and for difficulty of breathing after somewhat rapid walking by which has face was congested. His face was uniformly pale with pale lips; white-coated tongue; pulse 116; violent palpitation of the heart. Besides, he complained also of increasing emaciation.
While auscultating him I observed, to my no small surprise, that on every inspiration the upper part of the abdominal wall drew in instead of expanding; while expiring on the other hand, it expanded instead of receding. The number of respiration was 21. The inspiration, which was at the same time short, warranted the conclusion that there was a marked diminution of the lung capacity, yet the respiratory murmur was to be heard in all parts of the lungs and no nutritive change in the organs of the chest could be discovered. Only in the large bronchi was there a fine crepitant mucous rale to be heard. An effort to breathe deeply took away the patient’s breath at once. All this not only warranted the certain diagnosis of paralysis of the diaphragm, but also of a depressed innervation of the organs of the chest. As I requested him how to walk with his eyes shut he was seized with vertigo; he staggered sensibly in the third step; at the fourth he had to open his eyes quickly in order to seize some object and keep himself up, otherwise he would have fallen to the floor.
This was quite unexpected by the patient and alarmed him greatly, but I was able to assure him that he would be perfectly cured. Thus the cause of all his troubles lay in the medulla oblongata, the centre of co-ordination (Duchennes’ Locomotor ataxy).
Argent. nit. 2x, five drops night and morning was ordered.
Surprising as it was, I did not hear any more form this man for months when, quite un-expectedly, he came to me again to request my advice for his wife. But how his appearance had changed! His cheeks were fat and red, a perfectly healthy colour, with an evident increase of his whole body; he spoke with such long breaths-a thing impossible for him before-that I was not a little surprised by his silence regarding his restoration to health. Asked how he had been since his last visit he replied that after he had taken that little vial of drops all his former complaints had left him. In confirmation he shut his eyes and walked up and down the room without the least staggering. CASE VI. Hypochondriasis.- Nux., Argentum nit.
An ecclesiastic, married, a man of learning, sociable and highly esteemed in every respect, had been for five years melancholy. HE was then 51, and had suffered since his thirty- eighth year from haemorrhoids which bled every four weeks almost regularly. At the same time he was corpulent, yet on account of an intermittent fever which had been removed by Quinine several years before, his liver seemed to have been still more disturbed in its functions, since his skin from time to time had a yellowish tinge. Except for this he had never been ill, although he had measles and scarlatina as a child. He attributed his haemorrhoids to his sedentary and studious mode of living. His melancholy he ascribed to an undeserved slight which he had met with some five years before. This mental depression soon increased until it became a fixed idea that he was neglected and despised by his family. His calling became indifferent to him; he performed his duties, as he said, only mechanically. This man, formerly corpulent, wasted away from year to year; he became insensible to all social pleasures and lost all desire for labour. Finally he gave himself up to the distressing idea that all his undertakings would and must fail.
When visiting me two years ago complained in addition to the above of constant drowsiness by day and of constant sleeplessness the whole night through; of weakness of memory, which frequently did not allow him to find the right word, confusion of the head, want of appetite, trembling of the limbs, which could also be seen; of constipation, alternating with diarrhoea, while the previous haemorrhoidal bleedings had ceased, although the tumours which remained annoyed him very much. He complained moreover of lassitude and weariness of the forearms and legs; and what alarmed him most were frequent congestions to the head, a pulsation in various parts of the body, which appeared, however, as jerking of the muscles, and a constant chilliness. Against whatever I proposed to do for him he had to queerest objections. His respirations were 20, pulse 80 to 84. I finally gave him Nux. 6, to be taken once a day till better.
For a whole year I heard nothing more from him. He was sent to a water-cure and came back much more miserable than he went in every respect. Afterwards. I was informed that he went in every respect. Afterwards I was informed that he could no longer perform his duties, for this reason a substitute had to be appointed. He refused food because, as he said, a man who does not work should not eat; however, when driven by hunger he sought in secret to procure food. He spent the most of his time in bed, and when up it was necessary to use every means to keep him from meeting anyone, for then he wept and assured everyone that he was lost beyond hope for this world, and that no one could delude him in that respect, and no one could reason him out of it. His weariness and depression had also reached the highest point.
I desired to examine him personally. What an earth-coloured, emaciated, wretched form of melancholy he presented! Stopping over he staggered when walking, despaired of help form himself or others, constantly complained of vertigo, and was utterly bereft of all will power. The ends of his fingers had become numb and his incessant mental distress was accompanied with twenty-eight respirations per minute and a pulse of eighty-eight. I had hardly exchanged a few words with him when he fell asleep, but through the night he did not close an eye. Now he complained of pains in the back too-drawings in the shoulders; he still had constipation alternating with diarrhoea, chilliness, and cold hands and feet.
There were no sexual complications as his parents were living and healthy, as well as were his children. The sources of the hypochondria in this case was, doubtless, the result of primary carbonisation of the blood which, not removed but constantly increasing, had already extended its reciprocal action on the brain and spinal cord and that with an intensity that nothing more could be expected of Sulphur. On the other hand, the phenomena were so similar to those of the proving of Argentum nit., or rather of the Chloride of Silver, that four or five drops of the 2x were given night and morning. For three days nothing occurred that I could attribute to the Argentum nit. The sleeplessness at night, his fixed ideas, etc. pursed him unremittingly, and made him still more desponding, because in the drowsiness during the day, which increased at the same time, he thought he had to recognise an aggravation of his condition. On the night of the sixth day he slept well, and instead of being sleepy the following day he was in uncommonly good spirits; he talked much more on every subject that was presented to him, and for the first time took part in a social evening gathering of gentlemen. Now I thought it the proper time to suspend the use of the Argentum nit., and the improvement progressed more rapidly than I had ever seen it progress in similar cases without the use of the drug. After fourteen days-fourteen days, I repeat-I sent him home cured. His friends could not contain themselves for astonishment at his fine appearance and the complete cure of his complaints. He resumed his duties without any ill effects and with complete success.
