VERATRUM VIRIDE. “Heart’s beat : loud, strong, with great arterial excitement.” “Burning, pricking, dull aching in cardiac region.” With heart inflammations: “Violent fever; full, hard, bounding pulse; congestion in head without delirium; constant burning pain with oppression of the chest.” “Faintness with blindness; when rising from lying; from sudden motions; when lying quietly.” “Dreams of water.”
NEWER REMEDIES.
ADONIS VERNALIS.
The best account of this remedy and the next is to be found in Dr. E. M. Hale’s “Lectures on Diseases of the Heart.” Dr. Hale has done excellent work in collecting information regarding new remedies and defining their place in the Materia Medica.
Adonis vernalis and Convallaria majalis have both been introduced as remedies from Russia, where they are used as heart remedies among the common people. Adonis belongs to the Ranunculaceae. The indications for its use appear to be :- Rapid and feeble action of the heart, dropsy, scanty urine with albumen and casts. Under its action the cardiac contractions increase in force, the pulse becomes less frequent, more regular and full, the urine increases in quantity and albumen and casts disappear.
CONVALLARIA MAJALIS.
This medicine, according to Hale and others, is most indicated when it is necessary to restore the balance of the right side of the heart. It gives great relief in dyspnoea, in cases of emphysema, fibrous and chronic Phthisis, and in the orthopnoea of mitral disease, increasing the flow of urine.
It has little power over dropsy, but in many functional disturbances of the heart it is of great value. A short proving of Convallaria shows that its action on the heart is truly homoeopathic: “Heart’s action weak.” “When exercising, heart would flutter for about a minute, then the face would get red, and then there was sensation as if the heart stopped beating, and starting again very suddenly, causing a faint feeling.” “Pulse full, compressible and intermittent.” “Great pain in the heart.”
In nervous palpitation arising from mental shock, or disorder in some related organ, as the ovaries, uterus or stomach, it has proved useful. In Russia it is used in cases of hysteria, epileptiform convulsions, etc.
Convallaria causes many respiratory symptoms. “Dyspnoea, caused by sensation as if filling up in abdomen.” “Desire to take a deep breath when sitting.” “Great dyspnoea, with faintness and palpitation of the heart.’ “Great dyspnoea on making the slightest exertion (without cardiac disorder).”
Convallaria, the Lily of the Valley, proves in it’s action its relationship to Lilium tigrinum and also to Aloe, the Alliums and Squilla in the digestive symptoms it causes; it is a strong purgative and causes much nausea and vomiting in the morning like the morning sickness of pregnancy.
STROPHANTHUS HISPIDUS.
The seeds of this plant are used for making the tincture and extracting the active principle, Strophanthin. it belongs, to the Apocynaceae family and is therefore allied to Apocynum canabinum. It is a native of Central Africa and is used by natives for making an arrow-poison. There have been no provings, but patients in whom the administration of the drug has been pushed, have complained of “Burning in the oesophagus and stomach with loss of appetite and extreme gastric distress, which not rarely rose to vomiting; sometimes there was diarrhoea.” It has been used in substantial doses with success in cases of mitral and aortic disease with much dyspnoea and dropsy; it increases the strength of the heart’s beats and stimulates the kidneys to action. The indications given by those who have used it are as follows :- Chronic degenerations of the cardiac muscle, with usually a small, frequent and irregular pulse, great difficulty in breathing and oedemas. Nervous palpitation and arrest of breathing.
It sometimes causes a loathing of food, followed by choking and vomiting after eating, sometimes by severe diarrhoea.
I will conclude by relating a case in which it was given, the case being under my care though the medicine was not prescribed by me.
CASE XXXVII.-A Strophanthus CASE.
William G., 16, a delicate looking boy, was admitted to the Homoeopathic Hospital on November 25th, 1893. He had had rheumatic fever two years before; and four months before admission rheumatic pains again came on lasting for three months. Up till a month ago he was able to go about and even run up stairs. A week before admission he was taken with cough and shivering, and during the week he had vomited.
On admission he was unable to lie down in bed, had to be propped up in order to breathe; he had a frequent short, dry cough, without pain. The feet, especially the left foot, were swollen, pitting on pressure. The temperature was normal. He had a white tongue; for three days before admission he had been unable to retain any food on his stomach. There was no pain after food but he had much flatulence which he brought up with a great sense of relief.
Examination showed the following condition:
Heart: greatly dilated, pulsation diffused. Loud double bruit in mitral region, with accentuated second sound. In pulmonary and tricuspid areas the second sound is accentuated and reduplicated.
Lungs: loud heart sounds at apices, dullness at both bases and moist rales half way up right lung. Loud heart sound at left base also, but in a smaller area.
Expectoration of bright blood seven days. Cough worse by lying down.
Treatment Strophanthus 0, one drop every four hours was prescribed by the House Physician, Dr. Lambert, to whom I am indebted for the notes of the case.
November 27th.-Swelling of legs nearly gone, cough troublesome through the night. No blood. Bases clearer. Urine alkaline, phosphates, no albumen.
November 29th.-Bases much clearer. No expectoration. No swelling of legs.
December 2nd.-Head aching badly over eyes. Slept badly last night.
December 4th.-Temp. 99.6 degree last evening. Some consolidation still at bases.
December 6th.-Better. Mitral systolic bruit quite disappeared, only the praesystolic heard now. Yesterday had pains in shoulders and burning sensation in feet. Bases of lungs clear, no crepitations.
December 7th.-Temp. 100.2 degree.
December 9th.-Doing well. Slight stiffness in shoulders still.
December 11th.-Temperature rises slightly in evenings. He feels better than he has done for three months.
December 12th.-Praesystolic bruit less harsh. Sounds improved in mitral area. No pain now Stiffness in shoulder.
The Strophanthus was now discontinued and I prescribed Bryonia 30 instead.
December 13th.-Shoulder better but neck stiff.
Treatment Actea rac. 30, every two hours.
December 14th.-Back better.
Head left home cured of all acute symptoms on December 20th.
In this case the medicine was eminently homoeopathic, the gastric condition corresponding to the effects of the drug as well as the state of the heart. In this connection it may be mentioned that a case has recently been recorded (see Homoeopathic World of December, 1894), in which Strophanthus was given to a dipsomaniac, aged 63, for weak heart and intermittent pulse in doses of seven drops, three times a day. After the first dose he was seized with nausea and such a permanent repugnance to alcohol that he stopped stimulants entirely. On this hint Strophanthus was given to other alcoholics with like success-the cure of their craving for stimulants.
