Black-lead.
Introduction
HAHNEMANN gives us this valuable remedy; in his Chronic Diseases, Vol. III. He says.
“Pulverize one grain of the purest black-lead taken from a fine English Pencil, and prepare the triturations and dilutions in the usual fashion. One or two pellets of the 30th potency are sufficient for a dose.
“Pure Graphites is a sort of mineral carbon with a slight admixture of iron which cannot be regarded as one of the necessary constituents of that mineral.” He calls it diamond transformed.
He tells us how a German doctor saw workmen in a looking glass factory using Graphites externally for removing herpetic eruptions “we go a little farther and employ Graphites as an anti-psoric, whether herpes be or be not one of the symptoms of the (non-venereal) disease.”
It was proved, at first, by himself and three other provers.
Graphite affects especially the ears, the skin, the nails: and Guernsey says” it is especially useful for females with a tendency to unhealthy corpulence, with perhaps deformed nails, characteristic exudation, menstrual troubles, etc.”
NASH gives one of his brilliant little pen-pictures of Graph:
“Eruptions on skin, oozing out a thick,, honey-like fluid.
“Mucous outlets: eyelids inflamed, with pustules: ears discharge: moist sore places behind ears: mouth cracked in corners:anus, eruptions, itching, fissured.
“Nails grow thick, cracked, out of shape.
“Constipation: stools knotty, large lumps united by mucous threads.
“Diarrhoea: stools brown liquid, mixed with undigested substances of an in tolerably foetid odour.
“Sad, despondent: weeps: thinks of nothing but death.
“Especially adapted to persons inclined to obesity, particularly females who delay menstruation.
“Hears better in a noise.
“Sensation of cobweb on face: tries hard to brush it off.”
He gives cases-eczema on legs of an old, obese woman:- Sulphur cm. brought out a rash all over body which exuded a glutinous, sticky fluid. A dose of Graphites cm cured the eczema and ” left skin as smooth as that of a child “. A child of three had eczema capitis, cured with local treatment, and followed by a very obstinate entero-colitis. The child was greatly emaciated, etc., and the stools were brown fluid mixed with undigested food and of an intolerably foetid odour. Nash cured it rapidly with Graphites 6m.
In eczema of lids he contrasts Graphites with Sulph. In Graphites the eruption is moist and the fissured margins of lids are covered with scales and crusts. All the orifices under Sulph. are very red. Old, hard cicatrices soften up and go away under its action, especially those left by abscesses of the mammae.
He says in conclusion, Graphites cures complaints of many kinds, when you have present two things.
First. The peculiar tendency to obesity.
Second. The characteristic glutinous eruptions.
In regard to the action of Graphites on scar tissue, which we have more than once verified, we would like to quote, rather at length, from KENT; because in the latest edition of his Lectures, this paragraph seems to have unaccountably disappeared.
He says, speaking of Graphites, “In this low state of nutrition, and poor blood-making the repairs of the economy are badly performed, and hence cicatrices are of a low grade and contract and indurate. Old scars cause much trouble in this remedy. They have a tendency to cause induration and knots. Think of Graphites when you come across women who have had abscesses in the breast several years before, and now the flow of milk is beginning for the new-born child, and there is a threatened abscess on the site of an old one, or there is an inflammation of the breast, at the site of an old cicatrice, with nodular induration, sensitive and painful, while the rest of the breast is soft and normal. The cicatricial tissue was not good, it was of a low grade and it has steadily grown more indurated, and now those indurations are forming little strictures, as it were, and blocking up the flow of milk. Graphites will very often stop this induration, remove the hardness from the old cicatrice and make the patient comfortable. If you know a woman who is suffering from an old scar that has formed a lump. when she is about to go into confinement give a dose of Graphites as a general remedy, useless some other special remedy is called for.”
Kent notices that the eruptions of Graphites, besides being glutinous are apt to occur on flexor surfaces, in the bends (Sepia) of elbows-groins-popliteal spaces-behind ears, in corners of mouth, and in the canthi. But it has eruptions on other places- as crusta lactea: crusts ooze a liquid fluid that lifts them up:sometimes offensive (Mez.)
Kent says Graphites is a “very long-acting, useful and valuable remedy”
In scar tissue, one remembers two cases in particular, where the effect of Graphites was dramatic: in each case it was the cm. that was given. A girl with a stiff elbow after inflammation (so far as I remember it had been rheumatic). She had had the adhesions broken down, but they recurred, and she again presented herself a year later. She got Graphites, and in a month’s time the elbow was found to be freely movable. The other was the liberation of a little finger, contracted and immovable after inflammation.
We are told,”Graphite is fat, chilly, costive. It acts best where there is a tendency to obesity.”
In our out-patient department one finds Graphites in high potency to have a remarkable effect upon obese elderly women. Farrington says, “This obesity is not the healthy solid flesh of the full-blooded, strong, hearty; but the kind of fat of Calcarea c., showing improper nutrition.”
He also gives these points, “Always cold, in and out of doors.
“With Ferrum, a rush a blood to head with flushing face.
A shock about heart, and blood rushes to face.
“Patient anaemic; mucous membranes pale, as in Ferr*These symptoms are interesting in view of the “admixture of iron’ on the drug. Graphites, with Ferr, is”better waling in the open air” (Puls-which also has iron in its make-up).
“Blepharitis, thickened lids, esp. edges, which are covered with scurf or scales.
“The blepharitis is worse in the angles of the eyes, in the canthi. There is a tendency for the lids to crack and bleed. if that is present you need not hesitate to muse Graphites.
“Eyelashes become wild: turn inwards towards the ball of eye, and irritate the conjunctiva. Hardened stays. Double vision.
Some symptoms like Calcarea; but Calcarea has sweat of head and cold damp feet (not prominent with Graphites)
“Arsenicum is provokingly like Graphites” only with Arsenicum the lids are spasmodically closed.
“Sulph. has edges of lids red: those of Graphites are pale.”
And in regard to cicatrices he says, “It was long noticed that in workers on Graphites, wounds on hands healed and cicatrices disappeared very rapidly. In a case of cicatrices on eye which formed and contracted after operation Graphites relieved and the parts resumed their normal position.”
We know of three “scar tissue” remedies-each according to its indications” Drosera, Silica and Graphites. No doubt other remedies will also do the trick,, where indicted.
Graphites is one of the remedies for psoriasis palmaris.
Graphites has great value in gastric, or duodenal ulcer. As a matter of fact, it is here that we have most often employed the drug, and we have published case after case in back numbers of HOMOEOPATHY illustrating its successful use. Its indications here are very definite, and no other drug, so far as we know, has just that little complex of symptoms….
Stomach pain relieved by good or drink.
Relieved by hot food or drink.
Relieved by lying down.
When one gets such little drug-complexes into one; head, prescribing becomes quick, easy, and sure. Graphites has even cured cancer; and of the intestine.
One of the rivals of Graphites here is the little proved remedy Ornithogalum (Star of Bethlehem-“allied to Garlic”). We have seen its great value in gastric ulcer, even with severe haemoptysis:and it has cured cancer of the stomach (see Clarke’s Dictionary).
The chief indications for Ornithogalum are great distention of stomach; belching offensive flatus, must loosen clothes (lyc): agonies of pain: relief (also) from warm food, but instead of the Graphites relief from lying, Ornith is far worse at night.; There may be a sensation “ass if a bag of water turns, when she turns over in bed”. Ornith., has also “hateful depression and desire for suicide:.
BLACK LETTER SYMPTOMS
Sadness, with thoughts of nothing but death.
Despondent. Feels miserable, unhappy.
Apprehensiveness, with inclination to weep. Music makes her weep.
Pain as if HEAD were numb and pithy.
Pain as if constricted, esp occiput.
Falling of hair of scalp. Itching on scalp.,
Much scaliness of head, which causes distressing itching and becomes a scurf, which disappears on washing and then is humid.
Eruptions on vertex, painful to touch and humid.
Eczema capitis of entire scalp, forming massive dirty crusts which mat the hair. painful and sore to touch.
Falling out of hair of scalp.
