Introduction
GLONOINE-Nitro-glycerine-that highly explosive liquid, which, admixed with some pours earth forms the “deadly dynamite to the shaking of earth and the blasting of rocks, lives up to its reputation, even when potentized and used in medicine; retaining its alarming characters: its suddenness, its bursting sensations and pains, its upward-surging which threaten to lift and shatter the cranium.
Chemistry is fascinating, of only for its psychology, if one may (mis) use the term. Of two deadly elements, in combination, she may form something quite harmless, m even essential to life: whereas from such mild and kindly creatures as the glycerine of the toilet table so inert that it never even “goes bad”, and nitrogen, that colourless, tasteless, odourless gas, which, four- parts to one in mixture with the life-supporter, oxygen, modifies the properties of the latter in such sort that, instead of burning us out rapidly, we just get, with every breath, that happy admixture that supports life without hastening its destruction. That nitrogen and glycerine should combine to produce such a wildly intemperate blasting agent is incalculable- absolutely unforeseen till “discovered”. But, as a great chemist once said, “no one could tell, a priori, how even a lump of sugar would behave when dropped into a cup of tea”. Science is the plodding daughter of Experiment: and, as such, Homoeopathy is scientific.
Dr. HUGHES (Pharmacodynamics) points out that, though Old School uses Glonoine, having even adopted that name for it, yet medicine owes its introduction to Constantine Hearing, Hahnemann’s great disciple. But we notice that, as always, when using those violent medicinal substances, so often the most splendidly curative agents of Homoeopathy, Old School has, perforce, to follow into the fantastic region of infinitesimals.
“Nitro-glycerin was discovered by Sobrero in 1847, but none could be obtained for physiological experiment until Morris Davis, a Philadelphia chemist, in the same year, after long and laborious trials, under direction of Hering, succeeded to produce the substance in sufficient quantity for proving. It was extensively proven here and abroad (see Allen’s “Encyclopedia”) and the symptoms have received abundant clinical verification.”– HERING’S “Guiding Symptoms”
A quaint little verification of the care and exactness with which the provings of homoeopathic drugs have been observed and recorded comes to hand, most opportunity, even as we write.
A certain physician, busy with rather urgent mental work, and worried by a sensation of fullness at the back of head and neck, -a miserable, incapacitating fullness-took a dose of Glonoine–a drug that, as we know, produces such fullness, and there. It was Glonoine 3, merely a couple of pilules, of the only preparation available, probably inert, discovered among a number of homoeopathic medicines that had belonged to some on long since dead-(certainly 25 to 30 years)
Well, the headache soon went (post or proper hoc?)-but a couple of days later, while busy with out-patient work, the doctor became suddenly conscious of an unpleasant numbness of the left had, never felt before, and rather disconcerting. Presently this disappeared, but only to be succeeded by numbness of the lower lip, -the exact sensation felt when cocaine has been injected for tooth extraction,. this also went: but only to return again and again and yet again first to left hand and then to lower lip: nowhere else: always absolutely limited. Before night these rather alarming sensations sent him to Kent’s Repertory to find the remedy-should it be needed. And there he discovered, under “numbness, lower lip{, drugs only “(Calc), and Gloninum” Then he turned to “Numbness of left hand”, to find several remedies: Gloninum among them! The sensation was satisfactorily accounted for: and was the more interesting because Gloninum is not down as producing numbness of right hand, or of upper lip.
BLACK LETTER SYMPTOMS
Well-known streets seem strange: way home too long.
Disinclined to speak; would hardly answer.
A distinct feeling of pulse in HEAD
Throbbing in front of head.
Immediately a sensation as if head were too large.
Head felt enormously large.
Pressure and throbbing in temples.
Pressure and pain from within out in both temples.
Fullness in head, and throbbing without pain.
Head very full: pulse full;l and quick.
As if the blood were mounting to head.
As if he were hanging with head downwards, and as if there were a great rush of blood into head in consequence.
As if skull were too small; and brain attempting to burst it.
Afraid to shake his head lest it drop top pieces.
Holds head with both hands; presses sinciput.
Shocks in brain, synchronous with every pulsation of arteries.
Undulating sensation in head.
Throbbing in head: in temples: in temporal arteries which were raised and felt like whipcords.
Sensation of fullness, vertex and forehead.
Shaking the head increases the headache.
Headache on damp, rainy days; after taking cold; after much sitting, and mental exertion.
Red injected hot EYES during headache, with wild expression.
Throbbing pain in all the TEETH.
Throbbing in while BODY.
Intense congestion of brain induced in plethoric constitutions by sudden SUPPRESSION OF MENSES, or appearing instead of menses.
Headaches occurring after profuse uterine haemorrhage.
Rush of blood to head in pregnant women, with pale fact and loss of consciousness.
Violent palpitation of HEART, with throbbing carotids, pulsating headache in forehead and between temples.
Blood seems to rush to heart and mount rapidly into head.
Epileptic CONVULSIONS, with congestion to head and heart.
Bad effects from being exposed immediately to SUN’S rays.
(In fever) flushes of heat: weaves of heat upwards.
ITALIC, OR QUEER SYMPTOMS
Recognized no one. Raved; screamed wishes to rush from house. Jumped out of bed, but legs gave way.
Fears: throat swollen;chest as if screwed together; of approaching death; of having been poisoned.
Bad effects of fear, fright, mechanical contusions and their late consequences.
Could not allow head to be level with body.
Confusion of ideas: could not tell where he was.
Loss of location: (a cured case) began ten years ago; loses himself in streets he was travelled in for years. All right in regard to everything else.
In familiar street everything strange. Had to look about him every few minutes to convince himself he was in. he right street.
Houses not in their right places, on the route he had traversed at least four times a day for four years.
Convulsions, falls down from thing at mouth, after alternations of palpitation of heart and congestions to the head.
Congestion to head, causes sensation of coldness every time.
Tight and khaki feeling throat, k like strangulation.
Skull too small. as if brain attempting to burst skull.
As if head and neck laced ion: clothing too tight.
Pain in wens on scalp. as of a thimble pressed firmly on them.
Every motion, side to side,. increased the pain (in head), but motions backward and forward did not.
Headache: ceases in sleep: better in open air:;lessened by drinking coffee, after a raw hours: tea lessens it better.
Feels as if ice-cold sweat were on forehead,.which is not there.
Rays of sun on head were not to be borne, and head would not allow hat to touch it.
Frightful headache: runs about room with head pressed between hands. As if head would burst: knocks it against wall.
Hyperaemia of brain caused by excessive cold or heat.
Bad consequences of cutting hair.
SUNSTROKE.
Said her eyes were falling out: felt as if someone were pulling them from within outwards.
Letters seem smaller: flashes of lightning, sparks, mist or black spots, whirling and confused vision.
Wild, staring look : protrusion of eyes.
Supra-orbital neuralgia, from 6 a.m. to 11 or 12.
Cold sweat on face during congestion to head.
Lower lip feels swollen. Numbness lower lip.
Chin feel elongated to knee’s: obliged to put hand to chin repeatedly to be sure this was not the case. (Prover had injured chin by a fall twenty years before.)
Tongue numb as if burnt; prickling, stinging.’ Constriction in throat as if throttled.
Wine aggravates all symptoms: alcoholic stimulants cause delirium, congestion, stupor.
Seasickness.
Faint, warm sickening sensation in chest and stomach, like threatening seasickness Giddiness.
Disturbances in intercranial circulation at menopause.
Flushes, etc., during climacteric.
Violent palpitation: feeling she would die: Numbness whole of the left arm. Pressure at heart as if it were being contracted.
Alternate congestion to heart and to head.
“As an intercurrent in angina pectoris, to prevent organism from, getting accustomed to unlicensed of Aurum mur.”
Hot sensation down back; burning between scapulae.
Old contusions and jars (to head and spine).
Knees give way in headache. Unsteady gait.
Knees and thighs knock together during headache.
Convulsions, with clenching and jerking upwards of fists and legs. During spasms spreads fingers and toes apart.
Convulsions, with especially left fingers spread apart.
