Tuberculinum


Tuberculinum signs and symptoms of the homeopathy medicine from the Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica by J.H. Clarke. Find out for which conditions and symptoms Tuberculinum is used…


      Tuberculin of Koch. A glycerine extract of a pure cultivation of tubercle bacilli (human). Liquid attenuations.

Clinical

Acne. Albuminuria. Appendicitis. Asthma. Bones, caries of. Bronchitis. Catarrhal pneumonia. Chilblains. Cornea, opacity of, ulceration of. Dentition. Erysipelas. Erythema. Hematuria. Hemoptysis. Headache. Heart, affections of, palpitation of. Influenza. Leprosy. Leucorrhoea. Lungs, oedema of. Lupus. Mania. Menses too early. Nephritis. Night-terrors. Oedema glottidis. Paralysis. Phthisis. Pleurisy. *Pneumonia, acute. Tuberculosis.

Characteristics

I consider it best to reserve the name *Tuberculinum for this preparation of Koch, as it is universally known by that name. Burnett’s *”Bacillinum” is now accepted as the name of the original homoeopathic preparation, and though its originator, Swan, named it *Tuberculinum, it owes its present position in therapeutics to Burnett, and it will simplify matters if we make the term *Bacillinum cover the homoeopathic nosode and *Tuberculinum the preparation of Koch. When Koch’s *Tuberculinum was first launched the medical papers were teeming with reports of cases undergoing the injection for various diseases. Of the reported effects, curative and pathogenetic, I made a collection. These will be found in *H. W., xxvi. 155. I have there given the authority for the observations and the nature of the cases in which the effects were observed. These symptoms will be found arranged in the Schema, and each symptom has appended to it the initial of the observer, or an indication of the disease from which the patient was suffering when the observation was made. Koch’s own observations are marked (K), Viral’s (V), Jonathan Hutchinson’s, (H), Walde, (E), Albrand’s, (A), Watson Cheyne’s, (W C), Lennox Brown’s, (L B). The names of other observers are given in full. Lupus cases are marked (lps.), observations made on a leper (lpr.). In *Four. Belge d’H, 1894, 236, Mersch published a pathogenesis of *Tub, compiled mainly from the same sources as mine but giving some additional symptoms. These I have included and marked (M). A few cured symptoms are put in brackets. The undistinguished symptoms are from a proving by Nebel, of Montreux (*H. W., xxxv. 397). The provers were tuberculous individuals, mostly work people, and only pathogenetic symptoms are recorded. *Tuberculinum 30 was used, the preparation having been obtained from Hausmann’s Pharmacy, St. Gall. I do not find any appreciable difference between the action of *Tuberculinum and that of *Bac. My own impression is that they are practically identical, and that the one will answer to the indications of the other. Nebel has used *Tuberculinum in exactly the same way as Burnett and others have used *Bac., on the indications Burnett laid down and with Burnett’s results. In *H. W. for May, June, and July, 1901, I have copied from *H. R. of the same year articles by Nebel giving his experiences with Tuberculinum: (1) Boy, 13, had diphtheria with fearful headache extending from neck to vertex, with swelling in back of neck and occiput, due, it was supposed, to an affection of the middle ear. Seven weeks passed without improvement. Paracentesis of the tympanum resulted in the evacuation of pus for a day or

two. Nebel found the face bloated, strawberry tongue coated white at the root, mastoids not sensitive to even strong pressure. Swelling of occiput and neck down to fifth dorsal vertebra. The head is held fixed sideways towards the middle of the clavicle. If the boy wants to move his head he has to seize it with both hands and turn it slowly, with painful distortion of facial muscles, until it reaches the position desired. Even the slightest pressure on first, second, or third cervical vertebra was very painful, the skin on them was reddened and the periosteum was swollen, glands in neck enlarged. Tuberculosis of atlas and second and third vertebrae consequent on diphtheria was diagnosed. *Tuberculinum 1M. was given, five grains, during the day. Two days after the dose the boy could move his head more freely, the swelling of the neck diminished, appetite returned, and in a short time he was able to get up and run about. Five weeks after the dose, the swelling had altogether gone, and the boy’s condition was altogether changed. (2) Swelling of tibiae two inches below the knee, in a lady who had cough for twenty years. Cured chiefly with *Tuberculinum 1M. This patient had offensive sweat in axillae, strawberry tongue, lack of appetite. Distaste for milk, constipation, and bad sleep [Mau, of Kiel, treated the following cases with *Bac. (*H. W., xxxvi. 316) _ I introduce them here for comparison: (1) Vigorous man, tall and of well-developed appearance, was very liable to get pneumonia in cold weather, and spent the winter in some sanatorium or other in order to escape. His father had died of pneumonia, his mother of consumption, and a sister was consumptive. He perspired much, took much fluid nourishment, partly alcoholic. Sleep poor. Almost constant fever. Enlarged glands. Three months’ treatment with *Bac. removed all the symptoms, and, moreover, made his tissues less watery and reduced his corpulence somewhat. (2) A distinguished author, 50, complained of dreadful pains in the head, almost total insomnia, and great debility. His brother and sisters had mostly died of dropsy of the brain, he himself had congestion of the right lung, due probably to healed cavities, as he has frequently had hemorrhages. For this he had a lengthened treatment in the South, and had been pronounced cured of consumption.Softening of the brain and loss of reason were now feared. The headache was attended with a sensation as if his head was being tightly squeezed behind with an iron ring. Hands trembling, but he was most uneasy from a sensation in his back as if his clothes were moist. In less than a month, under *Bac., the headache, insomnia, and sensation in the back had all vanished. Another patient of Mau’s, a child, had “screaming out in sleep and great restlessness at night,” which were cured, along with peevish, irritable, taciturn disposition.] In 1892 B.S. Arnuphy (*Clinique, xvi. 629) began giving *Tuberculinum 6x and 8X trituration internally in tubercular cases, acute and chronic, and with encouraging success, but with at times undesired aggravations, with 12X and 30X these were avoided. In one case, originating in grippe, both apices were affected, the right one breaking down, and abundant pleuritic effusion on the left side. Six weeks’ treatment with Tuberculinum brought about recovery, and seen a year later the patient was quite well except for retraction of the left side. Arnuphy considers (Clinique, xvii. 86) that Tuberculinum is frequently the remedy for bronchitis, catarrhal pneumonia, lobular pneumonia, tubercular pleurisy, parenchymatous nephritis, and grippe. He gives (Clinique, xvii. 457) two cases of acute lobular pneumonia with characteristic symptoms and high temperatures quickly resolved by *Tuberculinum One was in a boy of three who received the 12X, the other was a man, 78, being a sufferer from chronic bronchial catarrh. The latter was taken with grippe, pneumonia developed, and he was in a very serious state. *Tuberculinum 30X made an almost immediate change for the better, and recovery

followed. Arnuphy relates that in this case an abundant perspiration took place (the skin had been dry) during the night, and he has observed this in all cases of pneumonia when Tuberculinum acted favorably. I have found Tuberculinum 30, 100, 200, and 1M the best general antidote to the chronic effects of influenza poisoning. B. G. Clark (*H. W., xxix. 349) reports the case of a lady, 60, who had for some time a mild form of tuberculosis of the skin of the face, and more recently a small growth (lupus) on the side of the nose on a line with the inner canthus of left eye. It had grown much in six months. *Tuberculinum 200 F. C., six powders given, one to be dissolved in twelve teaspoonfuls of water, one teaspoonful every two hours. The six powders were taken in this way on successive days. On the fifth day the growth began to dry up. On the tenth it fell off. Another dose of *Tuberculinum was given after this with marked improvement to the older affection of the face. A curious use has been made of Tuberculinum by Jauregg, of Vienna, in a case of insanity (*H. W., xxx. 196). Having observed that cases of insanity are always benefited by an attack of an acute infectious disease, especially if it is accompanied with high fever, the idea occurred to him of utilizing the fever produced by Koch’s *Tuberculin injections. He tried it on some patients, and though the decidedly favorable symptoms soon disappeared after the fever subsided, still there was a steady clearing of the confused sensorium. Insanity is very frequently a manifestation of the consumptive taint, and there is something more than a pyrexial power in *Tub [Burnett has cured with *Bac. a case of insanity, being led to give it by a ringworm-like eruption on the body.] Among the *Peculiar Sensations noted under *Tuberculinum are: As if the brain were squeezed with an iron ring. As if the teeth were jammed together and were too many for the mouth. Of mucus in the throat, of a tumour in the throat. Pressure in stomach going to throat as if the clothes were too tight. As if the clothes on the back were wet (*Bac.). Fatigue, faintness, profuse debility are frequent symptoms. Great weakness in the limbs after dinner: this at times amounts to paralysis. The circulation is always disturbed, chills and flushes alternating. “Shivering when beginning to sleep” is a peculiar and interesting symptom, also “cold feet in bed,” which is common in persons of low vital reaction. “Sensitive to music” was observed in one of Nebel’s patients, another had pains in the region of the appendix vermiformis, which should lead to serviceable action in appendicitis cases. The symptoms are: worse By slightest exertion (it causes excessive fatigue, sweat). Walking causes pains in loins (fatigue). Raising himself up causes palpitation. Every movement causes sticking in chest and back. Rubbing – itching to change place. worse Morning (much purulent expectoration, sickness and nausea, loss of appetite, thirst, fatigue). worse From 10 to 3 p.m. (frontal headache). worse Evening (heat in head, cough preventing sleep, severe pains in breast at beginning of menses. worse Evening in bed (itching, feet cold). worse Night (sweat, from 3 a.m. sleep disturbed). worse Beginning to sleep (shivering). worse After dinner (flushing, drowsiness). Sensitive to music.

John Henry Clarke
John Henry Clarke MD (1853 – November 24, 1931 was a prominent English classical homeopath. Dr. Clarke was a busy practitioner. As a physician he not only had his own clinic in Piccadilly, London, but he also was a consultant at the London Homeopathic Hospital and researched into new remedies — nosodes. For many years, he was the editor of The Homeopathic World. He wrote many books, his best known were Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica and Repertory of Materia Medica

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