How does this differ from Mercurius?
The Mercurius discharge, though very excoriating, is not watery, but thicker; it is a thin mucous discharge.
How does Arsenicum differ from Phosphorus in colds?
The cold of Arsenicum always settles in the nose, while that of Phosphorus settles on the chest.
What are the symptoms of Arsenicum in facial neuralgia?
Fine pains course through the face like burning needles; the face is pale and shrunken. Miasmatic neuralgias, neuralgias from debility with great aggravation on approach of night. The pains are severe, driving patient from place to place. Intermittent pain.
What is the characteristic tongue of Arsenicum?
The tongue has a red excoriated look, the tip and edges are red, and both the tongue and mouth are very dry.
When would Arsenicum be indicated in diphtheria?
Where there is adynamic fever, fetid breath, and the membrane looks dark and gangrenous, where the pulse is rapid and weak; the patient restless and prostrated, with throat swollen both externally and internally, and the membrane has a dark and wrinkled appearance, and where there is considerable oedema about the throat.
What are the stomach symptoms of Arsenicum?
Burning griping pains in the stomach followed by great prostration and vomiting; the vomiting is severe; the patient vomits water as soon as it becomes warm in the stomach; the stomach is very irritable, and it is a remedy for irritable stomachs of drunkards; there is heartburn and gulping up of burning water.
Give in brief the indications for Arsenicum in diarrhoea
The stools are yellow, undigested, slimy or bloody, they are scanty and attended with great burning in the rectum; the burning being out of all proportion to the quantity; these are the the characteristics:
1. The small quantity.
2. The dark color.
3. The offensive odor.
4. The great prostration following.
What are the indications for its use in dysentery?
Scanty stools, burning in the rectum; tenesmus and thirst and great prostration following.
Give some indications for Arsenicum in Bright’s disease.
General anasarca, oedema and puffiness; albuminous urine; waxy casts; skin pale and waxy looking; exhausting diarrhoea; burning and thirst.
Give the respiratory symptoms of Arsenicum.
Great dyspnoea, with restlessness and exhaustion; cough dry, fatiguing and whistling, with sensation as of fumes of sulphur in the larynx; rawness, soreness, and dryness, and burning in the chest; cough worse after midnight.
What drug has a dry cough worse before midnight?
Sulphur.
What symptoms does Arsenicum produce upon the skin?
1. Pains, itching, biting, gnawing and burning.
2. Watery swellings, from puffiness to oedema.
3. Eruptions, papules, nettle rash and pimples.
4. Painful ulcers, burning and sensitive, with offensive discharges.
What are the indications of Arsenicum in eczema?
Where there is copious scaling, or thick, scabby eruptions exuding pus.
Give indications for Arsenicum in intermittent fever.
The paroxysms are not complete, they are more apt to occur at night with sweat at the end of the fever; the thirst is never with the chill, it occurs after it; but during the sweat there is violent thirst, especially for hot drink, since cold drinks chill; the pulse is small frequent and weak.
Give the indications for its use in typhoid fever.
Late in the disease when the patient is faint, weak and exhausted with cold sweat and delirium, the mouth and teeth are covered by sordes, the mouth is full of ulcers, there is diarrhoea, stools dark and offensive, intense fever and thirst.
In what affections of the tissues may Arsenicum be the remedy?
In carbuncle, bed sores and dissecting wounds, where there are lancinating and burning pains.
What are the characteristic modalities of Arsenicum?
1. Worse at night, especially after midnight, I to 3 A.M.
2. Worse at rest.
3. Worse from cold, cold weather, cold food, cold air, patient is cold.
4. Better from warmth, warm things, drinks, etc.
Give the indications for Arsenicum iodatum in catarrhs.
Violent, acute coryza, with watery, acrid discharge, soreness in the nostrils; heat and burning extending into the eyes and headache.
What are the special indications for Arsenicum iodatum in tuberculosis?
The great debility, the nights sweats and the decided cachectic appearance of the patient, the recurring fever, the emaciation, the profound prostration and the tendency to diarrhoea.
PHOSPHORUS.
Where are data concerning Phosphorus found?
Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases; North American Journal of Homoeopathy, Vol. VII; British Journal of Homoeopathy, Vol. XXI.
How is Phosphorus tincture prepared?
Strong 95 per cent. alcohol with an excess of Phosphorus is put into an open bottle in a hot water bath, and after the Phosphorus is melted, vigorously shaken until cold, then decanted. Drug power, 1/1000.
This saturated solution corresponds to the 3x potency, and 10 drops, with 90 drops of strong alcohol, give the 4x or 2 potency. Dilute alcohol should not be used until the 6th dilution is reached.
Can Phosphorus be triturated?
In Hahnemann”s Chronic Diseases a method is given, but alcoholic solutions are preferable. It is sometimes prepared in Ether.
Give in brief the general applicability of Phosphorus.
It profoundly affects mucous membranes; causes great alternations in the structure of the liver, enlarging it and producing fatty degeneration. It also produces caries and necrosis of bones. The sexual organs of both sexes are impressed by its action, and it has a special action on the respiratory organs.
Give eight characteristic symptoms of Phosphorus.
1. Fatty degeneration of tissue.
2. Caries of bones.
3. Dread of mental exertion.
4. Painless diarrhoea, with exhaustion and prostration.
5. Oppression of chest.
6. Low adynamic fever, with absence of thirst.
7. Burning pain in dorsal region of the spine.
8. Stumbling when walking and trembling of legs.
What are the mental symptoms of Phosphorus?
Apathy and mental fatigue; disinclination to do mental work; answers questions slowly; a sluggish state.
In what two conditions about the eye is Phosphorus useful?
1. Cataract, the letters appear red; early in the disease.
2. Degeneration, or gray atrophy of the optic nerve from overwrought nervous system; objects have a cloudiness about them by candle light, green halo about objects. Retinitis pigmentosa.
What is the remedy for atrophy of the optic nerve from tobacco?
Arsenicum.
What are the ear symptoms of Phosphorus?
Hardness of hearing and a re-echoing of sounds in the ears.
What are the characteristic nasal symptoms?
Caries of the bones of the nose; ulcerations of the nose with stoppage; haemorrhage and offensive odor; nasal polypi.
Give the stomach symptoms of Phosphorus.
White tongue; the patient is hungry, especially at night; wakes up hungry and longs for cold things; cold things seem to relieve until they get warm in the stomach, when they are vomited; vomiting from simple exhaustion of the stomach. Perforating ulcer of the stomach, with vomiting of coffee-ground like matters. Sensation of emptiness in the abdomen is one of Dr. Guernsey’s keynotes.
What is the action of Phosphorus on the liver?
Acute yellow atrophy, or acute hepatitis, with tendency to the formation of abscesses; enlarged, cirrhosed and fatty livers also call for it.
What is the constipation of Phosphorus?
The stools are long an slender, like a dog’s stool, and voided with much straining.
Give the indications for Phosphorus in diarrhoea.
Painless diarrhoea, may be involuntary, with great exhaustion and prostration, the stools may contain white particles in them like rice or tallow; there is an intolerance of stool in the lower bowel; as soon as it gets into the rectum it must be evacuated.
What effect has Phosphorus on the kidneys?
It produces a marked nephritis, with profuse discharge of bloody urine which contains casts. In Bright’s disease with lassitude of whole body, hands and feet ice cold, sleepiness; vomiting, gastric symptoms and pulmonary complications.
Give the male sexual symptoms of Phosphorus.
Increased sexual desire, followed by loss of sexual desire and emissions; the patient has desires and fancies, but no power.
Give the indication for Phosphorus in the larynx.
Hoarseness worse in the evening, when there may be aphonia; great sensitiveness of the larynx; it hurts him to talk and cough; the voice is hoarse and rough.
What is the characteristic cough of Phosphorus?
It is caused by an irritation and tickling in the trachea; there is not much soreness or expectoration; the cough is a dry one. It is made worse by talking or using the voice; in fact, any change in breathing causes the cough. Chest feels dry, cough sounds dry and there is a pressure across the upper part of the chest.
How does change of temperature affect the cough of Phosphorus?
It is worse going from warm room into cold air. Bryonia is worse coming from cold air into a warm room.
What are the principal symptoms of Phosphorus in the chest?
Oppression and weight on the chest, a nervous oppression; in pneumonia and typhoid pneumonia when bronchial symptoms are prominent; where the sputa are yellow, blood streaked or rust colored; pains through the left lung, and the patient cannot lie on the left side.
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.