Fox’s Lung. A Sarcode. Trituration.
Clinical
Asthma. Bronchitis. Catarrh. Lungs, oedema of, catarrh of.
Characteristics
Recent discoveries in the uses of tissues and organs as remedies have thrown light on many curiosities of ancient medicine. As the fox is probably the longest-winded of all animals, the doctrine of signatures pointed to his lungs as a likely remedy for short breath. Grauvogl has put on record this case (quoted *Hom. News, xxv. 490): Women, 65, much reduced in flesh by a persistent condition of humid asthma. It commenced with chronic catarrh and symptoms of oedema of the lungs. Strong, sonorous bubbling, now rattling, now whistling sounds over whole chest, and at some distance away, perceptible also to hand laid on chest. Accelerated short breath amounting to suffocation, even without corresponding heaving of the chest, frequently with cough and inability to expectorate [Sometimes, in light cases, there is no catarrh present, and only persistent shortness of breath, becoming a paroxysm of asthma on the least bodily exertion.] The patient could only live sitting up, bent forward, constant lividity of face, lips, and extremities, and dropsy of legs. Heart’s pulsations irregular, and death seemed imminent. *Pulmo vulpis Ix gr. right was given, and repeated in an hour. Visible improvement set in but without increased expectoration. After a third powder the patient was able to lie down, and fell into a refreshing sleep lasting several hours. In eight days she engaged in her domestic duties.
