Camphor. C10 H16 O. *N. O. Lauraceae. A gum obtained from Laurus camphora. Solution in rectified spirit.
Clinical
Angina pectoris. Bed-sores. *Cholera Asiatica. Chordee. *Cold. Convulsions. Epilepsy. *Eruptions, suppressed. Erysipelas. Gonorrhoea. Heart affections. *Hyperpyrexia. Influenza. *Measles. *Memory, loss of. Priapism. Rheumatism. Sexual mania. *Shivering. Sleeplessness. Snake-bites. Spasms *Strangury. Sunstroke. *Taste, disordered. Tetanus. *Tobacco habit. Twitching *Urethra, *spasmodic stricture of. *Urine, suppression of.
Characteristics
“Chill, cramp, convulsion with mental anguish,” these give an idea of the essential action of *Camphor. It causes retreat from the circumference to the center, and its chief remedial action is in correcting just such conditions, cold, collapse, repercussed eruptive disease. “Great coldness of surface, with sudden and complete prostration of the vital forces.” Feeling as if a cold wind were blowing over body. In all kinds of sudden internal pains arising from chill, or other causes, *Camphor in rapidly repeated doses will be very likely to prove curative. In these conditions it is often prescribed on broad indications and given in the lower potencies, but those whose knowledge of *Camphor is confined to its coarser actions will never understand what a great remedy it is when used according to its fine symptomatic indications and given in the higher potencies. *Camph. produces tetanic spasms, with showing of teeth by drawing up the mouth corners (like *Nux-v. and *Phytolacca, but the deathly coldness of *Camph. distinguishes it from both). *Camph. has internal heat and external coldness. In the collapse of cholera it corresponds rather to the initial chill before either vomiting or diarrhoea. (The collapse of *Carbo-v. is rather the result of alvine discharges.) The tongue is cold. If he can speak, the voice is either high pitched or husky. The cramps of *Camph. are less pronounced than in *Cuprum, but cramps with icy coldness of limbs is characteristic of *Camph. The coldness of *Camph. resembles that of Veratrum, but with the latter the discharges are copious, and *Camph. has marked nausea, and the expression of nausea, upper lip drawn up. In some epidemics, *Camph. given early has alone cured a large majority of the cases treated, and that whether given in drop doses of the tincture or in the 30th. Salzer (*On Cholera, p. 68) says the cases calling for it are those in which “arterial spasm,” with difficult breathing (spasm of pulmonary arteries), coldness and lividity are the leading features. In its actions on the genito-urinary sphere *Camph. approaches *Cantharis in intensity, and is one of the antidotes to the latter. Strangury and priapism are among its effects. *Camph. is indicated in many conditions of sudden collapse from overpowering influences acting on the nervous centers. For example, sunstroke: vitality ebbing away, fainting spells growing worse, body icy cold and bathed in cold sweat. Some characteristics are: Most pains are felt during a half-conscious condition, and *disappear when thinking of them. Afraid of his own thoughts, wants to be diverted from thoughts of himself. Fears to be left alone. Memory lost. Great sensitiveness to cold and cold air, which worse pains, takes cold easily. Surface cold to touch, *yet throws off all covering. Extremities cold, with cramps. Awkwardness. Spasmodic movement of head, head drawn to right side, rest of body relaxed, unconscious. Spasmodic drawing of head laterally or backwards with deathly coldness. Erysipelas spreading to central membranes. Repercussed eruptions. Soft parts drawn in. Skin painfully sensitive. In the form of the ordinary *Camphor pilules, I have found it an excellent remedy for simple sleeplessness. In this, as in its effect on colds, it resembles *Aconite Irritable, weakly blondes most affected. Scrofulous children most sensitive to *Camph.
Relations.
*Camph. has very important antidotal relations. It is *antidoted by: Opium, Nit-s-d., Dulcamara, and Phosphorus *It antidotes: Am-c., Cantharis, Carb-v., Cuprum, Lycopodium, Squil., Natrum mur., so-called worm-medicines, tobacco, bitter almonds, and other fruits containing prussic acid, also the secondary affections remaining after poisoning with acids, salts, metals, poisonous mushrooms, etc. *Incompatible: Nitrum. Tea, coffee, and lemonade, as a rule, do not interfere, but sometimes coffee worse. *Compare: Aloe., Carbo vegetabilis (coldness from undeveloped exanthema, collapse, epistaxis, dark, persistent, low haemorrhages generally), Cantharis, Cuprum, Dulcamara, Secale (skin cold with desire to uncover), Lycopodium (head drawn to one side_Lycopodium to left, Plumb. and Stramonium to right, Bufo to either), Opium (narcotism, heart affections), Phosphorus (anguish and burning in cholera), Nit-s-d., Squil., Veratrum Teste puts Camph. in his Belladonna group, with Agaricus, Lachesis, Cedr., Stramonium, Tabacum, and others. He notes that it acts much more powerfully on carnivorous animals than on herbivora.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Anxiety with fretfulness.- Great anguish and discouragement. Afraid of his own thoughts.- Quarrelsome and combative humour, mania to dispute.- Dullness of the senses.- Loss of consciousness. Confusion of ideas, delirium. -Rage. -Loss of memory.
Head
Dizziness, as if from intoxication, especially on walking. Giddiness, with heaviness of the head and vanishing of the senses. Vertigo, and heaviness of the head, which obliges the patient to incline the head backwards. Headache, as if the brain were bruised, or sore from a wound. Dull headache above the os frontis, with inclination to vomit. Constrictive headache, especially in the occiput and above the root of the nose, greatly aggravated by stooping, by lying down, or by the touch, and disappearing when the attention is directed to the pain. Incisive shocks in the head on lying down. Pulsative headache at night, with shootings in the forehead and heat of the body. Congestion in the head. Inflammation of the brain. Inflammation of the brain (after sunstroke), with pulsation and sensation of constriction in the brain, spasmodically turned head (to the side or backward), worse from movement or in the cold air, better when lying down, or when thinking of it. Spasms, which draw the head on one side.
Eyes
Inflammation of the eyes. Red spots on the eyelids. Trembling of the eyelids. Staring, wild look. Eyes sunken. Eyes haggard, and turned convulsively upwards. Contraction of the pupils. Obscuration of the sight. Visions of strange objects. Photophobia. Everything appears too bright and brilliant.
Ears
Heat and redness of the ears, especially in the lobes. Abscess in the meatus auditorius, with deep redness and pressive shooting pain.
Nose
Dry coryza. Coryza fluent or dry. Sneezing, beginning of coryza. Catarrhal affections with headache, from sudden change of weather. Nose-bleed. Nose cold and pointed. Violent stitching or crawling, from root of nose almost to tip.
Face
Face deadly pale, or deep red. Icy-cold, livid, pale face. Erysipelas in the face. Convulsive distortion of the features. Convulsive clenching of the jaws. Hippocratic face. Foam at the mouth. Cold sweat on face, upper lip everted.
Teeth
Toothache, as if from swelling of the sub-maxillary glands, with sensation of lengthening of the teeth. Acute shocks in the roots of the incisors. Painful looseness of the teeth. Flying toothache, gnawing boring in molars, mostly in hollow ones, much worse if even a soft little crust of bread touches the affected tooth, worse from drinking coffee or spirituous liquors, better after drinking beer or cold water, but worse from water kept in mouth, better by coition.
Mouth
Breath fetid in the morning. Foam at the mouth. Abundant accumulation of a viscid and slimy saliva.
Throat
Soreness in the throat on swallowing, as if from excoriation of the throat, which is felt even at night. Dry, scraping sensation of the palate. Burning heat in the throat, extending from the palate to the stomach. More decided relish for all food, and especially for broth. Bitter taste of tobacco and of food, especially of meat. Dislike and repugnance to tobacco smoke. Excessive thirst.
Stomach
The pit of the stomach is very sensitive to the touch. Almost continual eructations after dinner, nausea better by eructation. Inclination to vomit, followed by attacks of vertigo. Vomiting of bile or of blood. At the commencement of the vomiting, cold sweat, chiefly on the face. Sensation of burning and heat in the stomach. Pain, as from a bruise, in the epigastrium. Strong pressure in the epigastrium.
Abdomen
Cramps in the abdomen. Cutting colic at night. Belly-ache as if diarrhoea would follow. Drawing pain, as from a bruise, on the entire of right side of the abdomen. Sensation of fullness in the abdomen. Sensation of cold or of burning heat in the epigastrium and in the abdomen.
Stool and Anus.
Constipation. Difficult evacuation, as if from inactivity of the intestines, or from contraction of the rectum. The rectum feels narrow and swollen, is painful during the emission of flatulence. Asiatic cholera, with cramps in calves, coldness in body, anguish, burning in oesophagus and stomach. Diarrhoea: with colicky pain, especially when caused by cold, attack very sudden, sudden and great sinking of strength. Involuntary diarrhoea. Blackish feces.
