Theridion curassavicum. Orange spider. *N.O. Arachnida. Tincture of the living spider.
Clinical
Angina pectoris. Anthrax of sheep. Bone, affections of. Caries. Climaxis. Cough. Dysmenorrhoea. Eye-teeth, pains in. Fainting. Headache. Hysteria. Liver, disorder of, abscess of. Meniere’s disease. Nausea. Necrosis. Nose, catarrh of. Ozaena. Photophobia. Phthisis florida. Pregnancy, sickness of. Rickets. Scrofulosis. Seasickness. Spinal irritation. Tetanus. Toothache. Vertigo.
Characteristics
*Therid. was introduced and proved by Hering in 1832. The spider is found in the West Indies, chiefly in the island of Curacao. It is about the size of a cherry-stone, is found on orange-trees, velvety black when young, with anteroposterior lines composed of white dots, on posterior of body there are three orange-red spots, and on the belly a large square yellow spot. It is very poisonous. It produces a highly sensitive, nervous condition with weakness, trembling, coldness, anxiety, faintness, and easily excited cold sweat. There are two well-marked keynotes, one or other of which will be found in most cases calling for *Therid. (1) Extreme sensitiveness to noise, worse by least noise, “*sounds penetrate the teeth.” The sensitiveness extends to vibrations of any kind, jar of a step, riding in a carriage or in a boat. The symptom also shows the relation *Therid. has to bony structures as well as to the nervous organs they enclose: it meets cases of spinal irritation, and also cases of disease of the spinal and other bones. Caries, necrosis, and scrofulous disease of bones have all been cured with it. “In scrofulosis when the best remedies fail to relieve” (***H. C. Allen). (2) “Worse closing eyes.” This applies to vertigo, and symptoms of the head and stomach. This forms the indication in many cases of seasickness, or sickness of pregnancy. The headaches are severe and affect the eyes, especially the left. The ears are highly sensitive. There are hallucinations of sight and hearing, luminous vibrations, and rushing sounds. Although there is “Worse closing eyes,” there is also intolerance of light. A species of intoxication is induced, hilarity, talkativeness. “Time passes too slowly” as a well-marked symptom. *Therid. has a peculiar cough: frequent, convulsive, head spasmodically jerked forward, knees jerked up to abdomen. Chackravarti (*H.W., xxxvi. 345) relates a case of headache cured with *Therid.: Mr. ***B., 35, well built, of bilious temperament, had for three months severe headache with nausea and vomiting, like sea-sickness, and shaking chills. Dulness and fulness in the head with throbbing beginning in occiput, preceded by flickering before the eyes. Head feels large and heavy. The pains begin in the morning, increase during the day, and last till evening. Excessive irritation, with loss of sustaining power. Worse from least overwork and motion, better by keeping quiet in horizontal position. Constipation, stools hard, small, dry. *Therid. 3x was given, one drop in water twice daily. The pain was much better next day, and was gone in less than a week. Baruch (*H. P., viii. 331) says of *Therid. “In cases of scrofulosis, where the best chosen medicines do nothing, I always interpolate a dose of *Therid., which must act for eight days, and I have seen the most surprising results from it, particularly in caries and necrosis. For phthisis florida *Therid. is indispensable, and effects a certain cure if given in the beginning of the disease. In cases of rachitis, caries, and necrosis I depend chiefly on *Therid., which, although it does not seem to affect the external scrofulous symptoms, apparently goes to the root of the evil and effectually destroys the cause of the disease.” *Peculiar Sensations are: As if her head was another strange head. As if vertex did not belong to her. Like a pressing pain in root of nose and about ears. As of a veil before eyes. As if too much air passed into nose and mouth. Mouth as if furred, benumbed. As if some one tapped her on groin when raising leg. As if a lump were lying in perineal region. Like labour pains in lower abdomen. As if a child were bounding in body. As if something in oesophagus were slipping towards epigastrium. As if bones were broken and would fall asunder. As if dying. Burning pains and itching are common, and a stitch high up in apex of left chest has proved a guiding symptom for *Therid. in the cure of cases of phthisis. “Burning in liver region” has led to the cure of abscess and even cancer of that organ. The symptoms are worse by touch, pressure, on ship-board, riding in carriage, closing eyes, jar, least noise. Lying causes pain deep in brain, better flickering before eyes. Worse stooping, rising, motion, exertion, going up or down stairs, walking. After washing clothes, nausea and fainting. Worse every night. Warm water better nausea and retching. Warmth improves. Cold worse, cold water feels *too cold. Worse by coitus (groin pains). worse After stool (headache). Left side most affected.
Relations
*Antidoted by: Aconite (sensitiveness to noises), Mosch. (nausea), Graphites (more chronic effects). *Follows well: Sul., Calcarea, Lycopodium (scrofula). *Compare: Aran-d. and Spiders generally. Hemicrania worse closing eyes, worse noise, Sepia (But Sepia Worse from noise is less intense). Vertigo and faintness on closing eyes, Lachesis Headache, nervousness, hysteria, Tarent. Stooping down, violent stitch high up in left chest, thence to back, Myrt. com. (through to left scapula), Pix (3rd. costal cartilage where it joins the rib). Illic. (3rd rib, generally right side). Time passes too quickly (too slowly Cannabis indica, Argentum nitricum, Nux moschata). Vertigo on closing eyes, Lachesis, Thuja (on opening them, Tabacum, on looking up, Pulsatilla Silicea). Headache worse lying down, Lachesis Nasal catarrh, thick yellow greenish discharge, Pulsatilla, Thuja Spinal irritation, Chin- s. Bites tongue in sleep, Ph-ac. (Ph-ac. sides, Theridion tip). Effect of washing clothes, Phosphorus Lump in perinaeum, Arg-n. (Sepia in anus). Scrofulosis, deep-in headache, Bac., Tuberculinum As if a child bounding in body, Croc., Thuja
Causation
Sea-travelling. Riding. Washing clothes.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Joyous, he sings, though the head is internally hot, oppressed and heavy. Imaginative excitement in head at night with rushing in ears. Talkative, after spirituous beverages. Inclined to be started. Time appears to pass rapidly, although he does little.
Despair, want of self-confidence, he gives himself up. Tries to occupy himself constantly, but finds pleasure in nothing. Sluggishness, with disinclination to rising in morning. Thinking is hard when it is of a comparative nature, but not when it is creative.
Head
Vertigo: on turning around, worse stooping, with blindness caused by pain in eyes, with nausea increased to vomiting, in sleep, waking her at 11 p.m., with slow pulse, from every noise, on board vessel. Whenever she closes her eyes, nausea and vertigo worse by noise and motion. Headache: at the beginning of every motion, evening when walking, with depression, deep in brain, so that she must sit up or walk, it is impossible to lie. Thick feeling in head: with nausea and vomiting on least motion, worse closing eyes, as if it were another head, or as if she had something else upon it. Oppression and heaviness hindering his studies. Painless, indescribable sensation. Headache like a band in root of nose and around ears. Violent frontal headache, with heavy, dull pressure behind eyes. Headache on beginning to move. Headache deep in sockets of eyes, worse left Throbbing or pressive headache, sudden, over left eye. Aching behind eyes. Stinging in left temple. Pressing together in temples. Oppression behind ears, with fulness. Itching on head and nape in evening. Violent headache, with nausea, cannot bear the least noise, a feeling as if vertex were separated from rest of head, or as if she would like to lift it off. Effects of sunstroke, with most intolerant headache, nausea and vomiting. Itching on scalp, on head and nape, evening.
Eyes
Twitching in right eye. Burning pain internally above inner canthus on waking. Sensitive to light, objects look double, fluttering, nausea, cold hands. Hard, heavy, dull pressure behind eyes. Closing eyes aggravates, causes nausea, vomiting, vertigo. Nausea while closing eyes, changed into nausea while opening eyes (which was better by *Mosch.). Vision lost, everything seemed very far, as if a veil were before her, with blazing and flickering, when closing eyes, then affection of head and weakness.
Ears
Least noise aggravates, every shrill sound and reverberation penetrates whole body, especially teeth, worse vertigo, causes nausea. Loud noises make too strong an impression (Better *Aconite). Pressure above ears, fulness behind ears. Violent itching behind ears. Roaring in ears. Rushing in ears like a waterfall, with impaired hearing.
Nose
Nose dry, as if too much air passed in, itching in nose. Sneezing: in evening, with running coryza, all day, with discharge of water from nose, but without coryza, violent, with frequent necessity to blow nose. Pressure in root of nose and heaviness. Chronic, offensive-smelling discharge, thick, yellow, or yellowish green, (nasal catarrh, chronic ozaena).
