Introduction
It is a drug of great power and prompt action in its special sphere as poisonings, provings and cures testify. Here is the experience, as remembered after all these years.
On walking in the morning and looking across the room one discovered everything in seeming motion: whirling (to right, as one remembers it), while through all the movement, solid furniture-a large wardrobe-was seen, normally immovable. It was queer-distressing: but Cyclamen took the matter in hand, and forthwith ended it.
One would lay special stress, therefore, on the functional eyes symptoms of Cyclamen; nearly all of “flickering” character.”Flickering before eyes, as form many-coloured glittering needles.” “Could not read, on account of burning and flickering of eyes.” “Dim vision; objects seen through smoke or mist. Diplopia.”
In the Cyclopoedia of Drug Pathogenesy a number of cases are detailed, in which vertigo, visual peculiarities, headache, sometimes vomiting (bitter, black, yellow or green, occurred, suggesting action of the drug on the liver). Many of the cases had occurred in a Lock hospital where it had been given in big doses for menstrual troubles. Besides the colour visions, the diplopia and misty sight, the vertigo included, objects turning round in a circle, or having a swinging motion, or, in one case, a feeling as if head turned round in bed.
We are told that Cyclamen acts upon the cerebrospinal system, affecting sensorium, eyes, gastro-intestinal canal and, more especially, the female sexual organs.
It produces passive, drawing or tearing pains of parts where bones lie near surface.
The provings also suggest that it might be curative in writer’s cramp.
BLACK LETTER (Caused and Cured) SYMPTOMS
(From Allen’s Encyclopaedia and Hering’s Guiding Symptoms.)
Violent headache, with flickering before eyes, on rising in the morning.
Headache, with flickering before the eyes, on rising in the morning.
Vertigo; objects turn in a circle, or about her, or make a see- saw motion; when walking in open air; better in a room, and when sitting; with dimness before the eyes.
Dimness of vision and spots before eyes, especially on waking. Dim vision with headache.
Flickering before eyes.
Flickering before eyes, as of various colours, glittering needles; visions of smoke or fog.
Convergent strabismus.
Salty taste of all food. Saliva has salty taste, communicated to all the food eaten.
No thirst the whole day, but it occurs in the evening, when face and hands become warm.
Pork disagrees.
Menstruation: four days too early, with some relief of melancholy mood, and heaviness of feet.
Scanty or suppressed menstruation, with headache and vertigo.
BLACK LETTER SYMPTOMS
Fine, sharp, itching pricking on hairy scalp, which, when he scratches always recommences on another spot.
Dimness of vision. Dilatation of pupils.
Swelling of upper eyelids.
Drawing pain in interior of right meatus auditorius.
Little hunger and little appetite. No appetite for breakfast. If he takes but a small quantity of food, the remainder is repugnant to him and excites loathing, and he feels nausea in palate and throat.
Complete anorexia, he has no relish especially for breakfast and supper; as soon as he commences to eat, at these times, he is immediately satiated.
He has dislike to bread and butter.
Food has a flat, or almost no taste.
Hiccup after a meal.
Immediately after a meal rumbling in the hypogastrium: this recurred every day.
Discomfort in the hypogastrium with some nausea therein.
A kind of paralytic, hard pressure on right upper and forearm, as if in the periosteum and quite in the interior of the muscles; it extends thence into fingers and hinders him in writing.
Painful drawing in the inner aspect of the shaft of the ulna and in the wrist joint.
A kind of paralytic, hard pressure, which commences only feebly in the forearm, but extends into the fingers, where it becomes so violent that it is only with the greatest effort he can write.
Cramp-like pain in thigh posteriorly above the right hough (hock).
A pain, like dislocation in the right foot.
Besides its black letter symptoms and its visual abnormalities, cyclamen presents some.
CURIOUS, NOTEWORTHY OR UNIQUE SYMPTOMS
Head feels bound.
Sensation of brain in motion; moving within the cranium.
As if brain wobbled about while walking.
Movements in abdomen, suggesting pregnancy. (Compare. Crocus. Thuja.) Running and crawling in bowels, as of something alive there.
Sensation of something alive, running in heart.
Buzzing in region of heart.
Mentally, Cyclamen reminds one of Drosera, with its illusions of being persecuted by everyone; or, again, of Staphisagria, with ailments from inward grief, or terrors of conscience. As if he had committed a bad act or not done his duty.
Sensation as if the room was too small, but reluctant to go into the open air.
Sudden changes or humour, as, joy alternating with irritability.
Ill-humoured, morose, fault-finding.
Dullness, as from cotton wool, in ears. Roaring, humming, ringing in ears. Besides the salty taste of saliva or food, taste flat, putrid, offensive, bitter.
A desire for lemonade: aversion to bread and butter; to beer; to fatty things; to ordinary food; with desire for inedible things.
Constant disgust for meat; craving for sardines.
Sore pain in heels (Petroleum).
