What are the male sexual symptoms of Argentum nitricum?
Gonorrhoea, thick yellow, purulent discharge, with soreness of urethra; indifference during coitus, but sexual dreams with emissions.
How is Argentum metallicum prepared?
By triturating chemically pure silver.
What are the laryngeal symptoms of Argentum metallicum?
Hoarseness, rawness and burning in the larynx, and a copious exudation therein, looking like boiled starch; it is easily expectorated; chronic hoarseness and soreness of the larynx; chronic laryngitis of singers and speakers.
PLATINUM.
Where are original studies of Platinum to be found?
In Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases; Philadelphia Journal of Homoeopathy, Vol. II.
How is it prepared?
By triturating the pure precipitated metal.
Give the general action of Platinum.
It depresses the cerebro-spinal system and produces a tendency to torpor and paralysis. In the emotional sphere there is anxiety, apprehension, etc.
What are the characteristic mental symptoms of this drug?
Proud, haughty and egotistical; everything seems inferior to her in mind and body; she looks down upon everything and everybody with contempt: objects look smaller.
Give the female symptoms of Platinum.
Early and profuse menses of dark clotted blood, accompanied by bearing down pains; the ovaries are sensitive and have burning pains in them.
What is the constipation of Platinum?
It is due to inertia of the bowels, there are frequent unsuccessful attempts to stool; the stools seem like putty, and adhere to the anus; constipation of emigrants and travellers.
Give the headache of Palladium.
It is across the top of the head, from ear to ear, accompanied with great fatigue, and mental symptoms like Platinum.
STANNUM.
Where are pathogeneses of Stannum found?
In Hahnemann’s Materia Medica Pura; Chronic Diseases.
How is it prepared?
The precipitated metal is triturated.
Give the general action of Stannum.
It produces a condition of neurasthenia, complete prostration of nervous system, with accompanying neuralgia, etc.
What are the neuralgic symptoms of Stannum?
The guiding symptom to its use in neuralgia is that the pains increase and decrease gradually. Neuralgias of the supra- orbital nerve following intermittent fever.
Give the chest symptoms of Stannum.
A teasing cough, which is worse at night, with shortness of breath, profuse sweats and great weakness; the expectoration tastes sweetish and is of a light yellow or lemon color; this is characteristic. Another characterizing feature is the depression and low spirits accompanying the chest affections.
How do Stannum and Phosphorus compare?
Both have hoarseness, both have evening aggravation, both have weak chests, cough, copious expectoration and hectic fever, but Phosphorus has more tightness across the chest and more bloody, or blood streaked, expectoration.
What are the female symptoms?
Prolapsus uteri and leucorrhoea, accompanied by great weakness, the patient is so weak that she cannot talk and has to sit down several times while dressing in the morning.
How does Stannum act as an anthelmintic?
According to Hahnemann it so stupefies the worms that purgatives would dislodge them at once.
PLUMBUM.
Where are studies of Plumbum found?
Hartlaub and Trink’s Materia Medica; British Journal of Homoeopathy; Allen’s Encyclopaedia.
How is it prepared?
The precipitated lead is triturated.
Give the general action of Plumbum.
Lead causes constriction of muscular fibre, both voluntary and involuntary. Lead colic. The walls of the abdomen become retracted; obstinate constipation from constriction of the intestinal muscular fibres.
What are the indications for its use in colic?
Horrible griping pain in the abdomen, with retraction of the abdominal walls; the pains radiate in all directions following the course of the nerves.
Name some remedies useful as antidotes to lead colic.
Nux vomica, Alumina, Platina, Opium, Alum and Belladonna.
What are the paralytic symptoms of Plumbum?
Paralysis of the extensor muscles of the wrist, wrist drop; the paralysis is accompanied by atrophy of the affected parts, or they suffer from fatty degeneration.
Give a few general symptoms of Plumbum.
There is a blue line along the border of the gums; the patient’s complexion is waxy, pallid and greasy, or shiny looking; there is a sweetish taste in the mouth and everything tastes sweet. It has also many hysterical symptoms.
What are the characteristics of the Plumbum constipation?
There is a marked retraction of the abdomen, and a spasm or contraction of the sphincter ani; there is urging stool, and the stool is passed in little round balls, which are black and hard are passed with great difficulty, and are often accompanied by colic or a sensation of a string pulling the anus up into the rectum.
CUPRUM METALLICUM.
Where do we find studies of Cuprum?
In Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases; Hering’s Materia Medica.
How is it prepared?
Triturations of the precipitated metal.
Give the general physiological action of Cuprum.
In general Cuprum causes cramps, dyspnoea, coldness of the body, convulsions, inflammatory colic, etc.
What are the indications for Cuprum in cholera?
Coldness and blueness of the surface of the body. Cramps of the muscles, those of the calves and thighs are drawn up into knots; there is distress in the pit of the stomach and great dyspnoea.
Give indications for Cuprum in colic.
Knife-like, violent pains in the abdomen, which are better from pressure, but are no better from heat; there is neuralgia of all abdominal nerves, as if a knife were thrust through to the back.
What are the indications for Cuprum in spasms?
When from suppressed eruptions; violent delirium, there is blueness of the face and lips, the eye balls are distorted, and there is frothing at the mouth, and they may be ushered in by a shriek or cry. Convulsions following cholera.
What is there characteristic of the cough of Cuprum?
It is relieved by a drink of cold water; cold water also relieves the vomiting; whooping cough, the attacks coming on in quick succession, relieved by a drink of water, accompanied, perhaps, by spasms, threatening suffocation.
What other drug has cough relieved by a drink of water?
Causticum.
What is the chief indication for Cuprum arsenicosum?
Terrible enteralgias or abdominal neuralgias, with great restlessness.
ZINCUM METALLICUM.
Where are pathogeneses of Zincum found?
Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases; North American Journal of Homoeopathy.
How is it prepared?
Trituration of the pure metal.
Give the general action of Zincum.
It acts as a tonic to peripheral motor and sentient nerves, but if small doses be continued a cachexia is produced, with prostration, impaired mental faculties, emaciation, etc.
What are five general characteristics of Zincum?
1. Twitching of muscles.
2. Aggravation from wine.
3. Formication or crawling on the skin.
4. Aggravation in the evening.
5. Hyperaesthesia of the senses and skin.
Give indications for Zincum in spinal irritation.
There is aching about the last dorsal or first lumbar vertebra, worse when sitting; there is burning along the spine and trembling of the limbs.
What are the indications for Zincum in Meningitis?
Sub-acute form, especially if tubercular, or if due to suppressed eruptions. Febrile disturbance is absent or slight, there are marked twitchings, jerkings and hyperaesthesia of all senses and skin. Tremulousness or the feet.
When is Zincum indicated in scarlatina and other eruptive diseases?
When the patient is very weak, too weak in fact to develop an eruption, and as a result there are often brain symptoms, such as meningitis with sharp pains through the head.
GRAPHITES.
Where are data of Graphites found?
Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases.
How is it prepared?
The purified Graphite is prepared by trituration.
What is the general action of Graphites?
Its chief point of attack is the skin, producing moist, sticky eruptions, eczema, and fissures or cracks in the skin. The lymphatic glands are enlarged and secretions are acrid.
Mentions three characteristics of this remedy
1. Sadness.
2. Stools shredded with mucus.
3. Moist, scabby eruptions.
What drug has dry, scaly eruptions?
Lycopodium.
What drug has thick, hard, scabby and crusty eruptions?
Mezereum.
What are the mental symptoms of Graphites?
The patient is “sad, fat fair and constipated;” the sadness is a great characteristic of the drug.
Patient yawns and stretches continually.
What are the eye symptoms?
There is inflammation about the lids, which is especially worse about the canthi. There is a tendency for the edges of the lids to crack and bleed, styes appear, the lashes turn in, and there is a discharge from the eyes, which excoriates, and there are often vesicles on the cornea.
What are the characteristics of Graphites about the ears, mouth and nose?
Moist eruptions around the nose, mouth and behind the ears, which forms crusts; if there be discharge it is thin and excoriating.
What are the indications for Graphites in dyspepsia?
Tympanic distension of the stomach; the patient is obliged to loosen his clothing; burning pains and cramps and putrid eructations; there is a burning, crampy pain, which is relieved by eating; there is disagreeable taste in the morning, and aversion to meat.
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.