Read before the Bureau 9of clinical Medicine at the Ninety- fourth Annual Convention of the A.I.H., at Philadelphia, Pa., June 1-16, 1938.
(From the Pacific Coast Journal of Homoeopathy).
Kali mur. is one of the tissue remedies. It occurs in nature in mineral carnallite. This salt, according to Schussler, stands in a chemical relation to fibrin; disturbances in its molecular reaction cause fibrinous exudations. Without the presence of this salt, no new brain-call formation would take place. This salt is found in blood corpuscles, muscles, nerve and brain cells,m as well as in inter-cellular fluids. If the cells of the epidermis, in consequence of any irritation, lose molecules of Kali mur., fibrin in the from of a white or whitish-grey exudation is thrown off. This in drying becomes a mealy eruption.
If the irritation extends to the tissues beneath the epidermis, both fibrin and serum will exude, and the involved part of the skin will be pushed up in the form of blisters. Similar processes can take place within and among epithelial cells. If the integrity of the affected tissues is again restored by the administration of Kali mur. Molecules, then a re- absorption or throwing off of the exudation occurs. According to the calculations of C, Schmidt, the physiologist, each blood corpuscle contains about one billionth part of a gram of Kali mur. This corresponds to the twelfth decimal trituration.
Kali mur. corresponds to the second stage of inflammation of serous membranes when the exudation is of a plastic character. Kali mur. answers to croupous or diphtheritic exudations, and so is useful in such diseases as diphtheria, dysentery, croup, croupous pneumonia, fibrinous exudations in the interstitial connective tissues, lymphatic enlargements, infiltrated inflammations, cataneour eruptions from bad vaccine virus.
The principal general characteristic symptoms are a white or grey coating at the base of the tongue, white or grey exudations, glandular swellings, discharges of expectorations of a thick, white fibrinous slime or phlegm from any mucous surface, or flour-like scaling of the skin, torpor of the liver.
I was called out late night to see a patient, eighty-four years of age, weight seventy-nine pounds. She had been to my office two days before for the first time. There was a slight swelling of the right side of the forehead, with a reddish papular eruption, which itched and burned. Her left eye was inflamed and burned. Her digestion was upset, little appetite, thirst for small quantities of water often. No fever, but felt weak. I had given her in my office a powder of Arsenicum alb,1m and told her to report to me next day.
The itching was better; also the burning,but no improvement in the swelling. When I saw her at midnight of the third day, her cheeks were swollen almost even with her nose. Her eyelids hung down over her eyes. She was restless and moaning like a person with hydrocephalus. Her daughter, instead of calling me, gave her a powder of Apis cm. in the morning and she was getting a terrific reaction. I fixed a solution of Kali mur. 6x–ten tablets in one glass of water– and gave her two teaspoonfuls every two hours.
Also, applied a mask of lint wet in a solution of Kali mur. 6x–ten tablets in one- half glass of cool water to her face. She began to less restless toward morning and when I saw her at noon, the swelling was a trifle less. I continued with this treatment and remedy every two hours until the day, when the swelling of the cheeks was markedly less, the eyelids had gone down, so that she could open the right eye.
Her heart stronger, kidneys acting freely, also had a good evacuation. I kept her on fruit and vegetable juices during this time, or until the fourth day when her diet was increased. I gave no other remedy to clear up the swelling, which subsided completely from face and eyelids with improvement in her general condition in five days.
Mary M., ten years old, rather delicate, was sick with what her mother diagnosed as a bad case of tonsillitis. She had been isolated from the rest of the family for a days when I saw her. I found a greyish membrane in the pharynx and spots of the same colour on her tonsils. also the nose was stuffy and she had difficulty in breathing through the nose. Her temperature was 100 degrees, tongue thickly coated with a white fur, bad breath, constipation.
I gave her Kali mur. 6x–two tablets every three hours, and a gargle of the same remedy. She improved steadily, discharging a membrane from the nose as well as casts from the throat, much to the surprise of her mother who had not seen a case of tonsillitis like that before.
George W., a rather nervous boy of eleven years, with a tendency to glandular enlargements from a baby. Had an enlarged gland the size of a dollar below the left ear. Also, a lymphatic enlargement of glands at the back of the neck, variable appetite, catarrhal condition of nose and throat, contracted colds easily, every winter. He had been given various remedies before I saw him.
Had had Tuberculinum 200 several doses; also several doses in higher potencies. Was benefited temporarily, but there was a recurrence of glandular enlargement. Kali mur. 10m–several doses– and then 50m cleared up the condition with general improvement as to weight, nervous system etc.
I have found this remedy of great benefit in helping to restore compensation in cardiac lesions where there was oedema of the limbs, white-coated tongue, sluggish action of the liver, constipation. In tight dry cough as a result of the impaired heart action. Kali mur. reduces the oedema, loosens the cough, and breathing is easier.
In attacks of indigestion with flatulence, white-coated tongue, sluggish action of the liver, usually the patient has been indulging in too much pastry or sweets. There are light-coloured evacuations, dry and hard or pasty. Or following indulgence in carbohydrates the bladder may be irritated and frequent urination with burning has been relieved by Kali mur.
I have also had satisfactory results from the use of Kali mur. in chronic cystitis where it was indicated by the thick, white-coated tongue, catarrhal symptoms extending to the urine organs. A feeling of swelling in the bladder, and passage of thick, white mucus, in the urine.
I have found Kali mur. beneficial in two cases of epilepsy prescribed on the general indications of thick, white-coated tongue, sluggish action of the liver and history of suppressed eruptions. They both had catarrhal conditions of pharynx with expectoration of thick, white discharge. They were worse from the changes of the weather which caused stuffiness of the nose. I kept them on Kali mur., increasing the potencies from time to time.
Kali mur. has given great relief to a number of my patients with a feeling of fullness and noises in the ears. The ears felt stuffed up, at time an aching and swelling of the glands below the ear, and extending to the eustachian tube. This remedy given internally and as a gargle in hot water cleared up the symptoms quickly, without any change of treatment.
Given in reducing soreness and swelling from a sprain, after ferrum phos. on its general indications, the results are very satisfactory. Also, internally to help the formation of healthy tissue in burn cases, reduce the swelling and assist the circulation in carrying off poisons.
Sometimes when Bryonia seems well indicated in pneumonia and respiratory conditions with the dry cough, sluggish conditions of the liver, white-coated tongue and irritability, indisposition to move or talk, I have given Kali mur., which did what Bryonia failed to do.
I always think of this remedy in parotiditis and tonsillitis where there are same general characteristics for its use as in the other above-named conditions. Also, in skin lesions, where there are warts, calluses, or dry skins with a scaly eruption, and on the general indications. It has given good results in patients with a mapped tongue.
In closing this paper, I will give a few remedies that are to be thought of in treating the conditions for which I have used Kali mur., and which analyses have shown to contain Kali mur.: Phytolacca, Sanguinaria, Stillingia, Pinus can., Asclep., Viburnum pr., Ailanthus, Anis stel., Hamamelis, Cimicifuga.
