Animals


General characters of Homeopathic Medicines prepared from Animal Kingdom. Various group from Animal source have also been discussed like Spiders, Snakes etc. by W.A.Dewey….


Give the general action of animal remedies.

They correspond to affections having a destructive tendency, and suit deep-seated diseases, poisoned blood and great nerve depression. They also act upon the mind, producing, so to speak, a poisoned condition there, hence they are valuable in insanity and organic cerebral disease.

Does the allopathic school use animal remedies; if so, what?

It employs Cantharis or the Spanish fly, Blatta orientalis or the Cockroach, Musk, from the Musk deer, and is commencing to use Apis mellifica or the honey bee, as well as other homoeopathic animal remedies.

MOSCHUS.

Where is our pathogenesis of Moschus found?

In Hahnemann’s Materia Medica. See also the British Journal of Homoeopathy, Vol. XXII.

What is Moschus and how is it obtained?

It is probably the preputial secretion from the Musk deer, and our tincture is made from the dried product.

How is the tincture made?

The whole musk bag is dissolved in dilute alcohol in the proportion of I to 20.

Dilute alcohol, in the proportion of 20 to 80, is used in making the IX and 2X dilutions.

Give the symptoms indicating Moschus in hysteria.

The patient faints from the least excitement; the hysterical spasm is ushered in by a contractive feeling about the throat; suffocation, globus hystericus; spasms about the chest and alternate crying and laughing.

Compare Valeriana in hysteria.

It corresponds to general nervous and vascular excitement. Patients must keep constantly on the move. Slightest exertion causes headaches and the slightest pain causes fainting; there are pains in the limbs, simulating rheumatism, these are better by walking about.

What other important symptoms does Moschus produce?

A great deal of flatulence, which may cause the fainting by pressure on the solar plexus. Spasmodic asthma and attacks of sudden dyspnoea.

What is the applicability of Castoreum, the secretion from the beaver?

For nervous, irritable women, who do not react after severe diseases; women who are “pretty near” the hysterics.

MEPHITIS PUTORIUS.

By whom was Mephitis introduced?

By Dr. Constantine Hering.

What is Mephitis?

It is the secretion from the Skunk.

What constitutes the tincture?

One part of the secretion dissolved in 99 parts, by weight, of alcohol.

What is it principally used for and with what indications?

Whooping cough, with a marked laryngeal spasm and a whoop; cough is worse at night on lying down; there is a suffocative feeling, and the child cannot exhale.

How does Corallium rubrum, another animal remedy, compare?

Whooping cough, with smothering before the cough, and great exhaustion afterwards; the child gasps and gasps, and becomes black in the face. “Minute gun,” cough, short, quick and ringing. The “whooping” is worse at night.

COCCUS CACTI.

What is Coccus cacti and how do we prepare it?

The Cochineal insect infecting the cactus plant. The dried insects are cleaned with tepid water and covered with 5 parts, by weight, of alcohol. Placed in a well-stoppered bottle and stood 14 days in a dark, cool place, being shaken twice a day. Decant, strain and filter. Drug power, 1/10.

Give indications for Coccus cacti in whooping cough.

Paroxysms of cough, ending with vomiting of clear, ropy mucus, extending in great long strings even to the feet. Sensation as of a thread in the throat. Shortness of breath.

How does the expectoration differ from that of Kali bich.?

The Kali bich, expectoration is yellow, not clear albuminous.

What are the indications for Lac caninum, or dog’s milk, in diphtheria?

Where the membrane forms on one side and goes to the other, or is constantly changing sides; the membranes is mother-of-pearl like. Much pain and swelling. There is some clinical testimony in favor of this remedy.

What are the principal Ophidians?

Lachesis, Crot., Bothrops, Elaps and the Naja tripudians.

What is the general characteristic action of the remedies of this family, as a whole?

They cause decomposition and fluidity of the blood; the parts swell rapidly and proceed to rapid decomposition; the blood is dark fluid and devitalized and hence they are suitable to disease where a poisoned condition of the blood obtains, as in typhoid fever, diphtheria, gangrene, low ulcerations etc.; they also stain the skin yellow, not from jaundice, but owing to the decomposed blood. The discharges are offensive and the heart is weakened.

What are some of the general antidotes to snake poisons?

Alcohol, Whiskey in large quantities, radiated heat, Ammonia and Permanganate of Potash.

LACHESIS TRIGONOCEPHALUS.

Where are our pathogeneses of Lachesis found?

In Hering’s Action of the Snake Poisons, British Journal of Homoeopathy, Vols. XI and XII., Allen’s Encyclopaedia, Hering’s Guiding Symptoms.

What is Lachesis?

A large South American snake, from three to fourteen feet long; the pure poison is used, and was first obtained by the late Dr. Hering, of Philadelphia.

How do we prepare Lachesis?

By trituration of the virus. None can be obtained below the 6th decimal trituration.

What is the general action of Lachesis?

It produces, in addition to the poisoned condition of the blood, a great hypersensitiveness of the body, which give rise to that great characteristic of the drug, cannot bear anything tight about the throat.

Give five general characteristics of Lachesis.

1. Great sensitiveness of body and intolerance of clothing about the neck.

2. It is a left-sided remedy.

3. A general aggravation after sleep. He sleeps into an aggravation.

4. Its use in climacteric disorders.

5. General blueness of the skin and all eruptions.

What are the characteristic mental symptoms?

Great loquacity, patient jumping from one subject to another, jealous, fear of being poisoned and refuses the medicine, muttering delirium with drooping of the lower jaw and illusions, such as imagining that he is under some superhuman control.

What are the head symptoms of Lachesis?

Headache over the left eye accompanying a cold, but as soon as discharge is established headache is better. Headache worse from heat of sun.

Give some characteristic ear symptoms of Lachesis.

Roaring and singing in the ears, which are relieved by putting the finger in the ear and shaking it, showing its catarrhal origin. Ears full of pasty, offensive wax.

Give the indications for Lachesis in facial erysipelas.

More on the left side, at first bright red then dark bluish or purplish, great infiltration of cellular tissues and great weakness; patient drowsy, perhaps has delirium and is loquacious.

What are the nasal symptoms of Lachesis?

Watery discharge, worse from the left nostril, with a throbbing headache, which is relieved when the discharge appears.

What is the characteristic tongue of Lachesis?

Dry tongue protruded with difficulty, catches on the teeth and trembles, cracked at tip and brown on dorsum.

Give the characteristic throat symptoms of Lachesis.

Sensation of lump in left side of the throat, which seems to go down when swallowing, but returns again; constriction of throat and difficult breathing, worse on arousing from sleep or after sleep; empty swallowing is painful and fluids escape from the nose; throat sensitive externally.

What are its indications in diphtheria?

Great difficulty in swallowing, great fetor and exhaustion, infiltration of tissue about the neck, membrane more on left side. Thin excoriating discharge from the nose.

When would Lachesis be indicated pneumonia?

In the typhoid form; late in the disease, when pus forms in the lungs and the patient is bathed in a profuse sweat and the sputa are mixed with blood and pus.

What are the symptoms of Lachesis about the heart and circulation?

Constriction about the heart; flushes of heat at the climacteric. Dark, bluish skin. Aroused from sleep suffocating.

What is the great craving of Lachesis?

Oysters.

Give the diarrhoea of Lachesis.

Horribly offensive diarrhoea, preceded by sopor; the offensiveness of the stool indicates it in low forms of disease; constant urging in the rectum and a sensation of beating as of little hammers there; the sphincter is unduly irritable.

Give the indications for Lachesis in ovarian troubles.

Pain in the left ovary relieved by a discharge from the uterus; can bear nothing heavy on this region; it also affects, in a like manner, the right ovary. Suppurative ovaritis.

What are the menstrual symptoms?

Menses scanty and feeble, black and offensive, with pain in the hips and bearing down in the left ovary; better when flow is established.

What are the symptoms indicating Lachesis in hemorrhages?

Hemorrhages of dark blood, depositing a sediment resembling charred straw; small wounds bleed profusely and the blood remains fluid, does not coagulate.

Give the indication for Lachesis in bed sores, carbuncles, boils, abscesses, etc.

When there is great sensitiveness of the surface, bluish in appearance and perhaps surrounded by many small pimples; carbuncles which slough and are very offensive.

Give its symptoms in scarlet fever.

When the rash is slowly and imperfectly developed, dark and accompanied with diphtheritic deposits; pulse weak, surface dark, and perhaps dark hemorrhages.

W.A. Dewey
Dewey, Willis A. (Willis Alonzo), 1858-1938.
Professor of Materia Medica in the University of Michigan Homeopathic Medical College. Member of American Institute of Homeopathy. In addition to his editoral work he authored or collaborated on: Boericke and Dewey's Twelve Tissue Remedies, Essentials of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Essentials of Homeopathic Therapeutics and Practical Homeopathic Therapeutics.