One must also mention, “anaemia with throbbing all through the body”. “Heart weakened with irregular and intermittent pulse.” “Kali carb. is seldom indicated with a full, round pulse.” “Dyspepsia in the aged, with empty weakness before food, and bloatedness after eating–and especially after soups and coffee.” (Bloating is a strong feature of Kali carb.) “Nephritis with the Kali carb. stitching pains.”
It is sometimes difficult to lay one’s hand on illustrative and telling hospital cases–even to remember them: but some can be traced, Here are three :–
Man of 65, admitted December 8th, 1917. Pleuro-pneumonia right base: prune-juice sputum. Stabbing pains, especially right chest, extorting cries, with, and also independently of respiration. Temperature to 104; Respiration to 40. Severe rigor on the 6th, and no sleep since, for the pains. Shouts with them. Lies on left side. Wants to be very warm. Kali carb. 30, two-hourly.
Pain stopped in two hours–“His first good night.” Highest temperature on the 9th, 102; then down. Rapid recovery. The symptoms in italics are those of Kali carb.
(N.B.–Bryonia stabs occur with respiration, i.e. on movement.)
Kali carb. and Carbo veg. are “complementary” remedies: the one taking up the case where the other has done its part. We gave the following case under Carbo veg., but will give it again here: A small girl practically in articulo mortis, with endocarditis, pericarditis with effusion and also pleuro-pneumonia with pleural effusion. Carbo veg. brought her back to life; she was cold, unconscious, gasping her last gasps: then Kali carb. took up the case and pulled her through.
Case of rheumatic heart in a small boy. He got Kali carb. 200 and had a distressing aggravation for a few hours, screaming out with his pains, which nearly drove the Ward Sister out of her wits. However, it cleared up–heart and all: so the result was good. But Kent warns against Kali carb. in at all high potencies in gout, for instance–but he is speaking about old chronic cases, “where the remedy should have been given years before.” But it is not a bad plan to start Kali carb. fairly low, say the 30th, or lower; and then go up. The closer the prescribing, and the more a patient needs a drug, the more chance there is of an initial aggravation.
BLACK LETTER SYMPTOMS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.
Puffiness, swellings between eyebrows and lids, like a sac.
Nose swollen, hard, red from tip to root.
Swelling of face, especially over eyes. Stitches in middle of eye.
Difficult swallowing: food descends oesophagus slowly and small particles of food easily get into windpipe.
Desire for sleep, during a meal.
Dyspepsia of aged persons rather inclined to obesity, or after great loss of vitality; repugnance to all food; constant chilliness, cold hands and feet, on sweat however great the heat.
Stitch pain in right abdomen, worse from motion.
Cutting pain left upper abdomen, extending from lower left chest, where there is a sticking at the same time.
Inflammation, soreness, stitches and tingling as from ascarides in varices of rectum.
Anal fistula.
Menses too early, scanty, of pungent odour, acrid, covering thighs with an itching eruption.
Violent colicky pain in abdomen before menses, constipation during.
Pressing and bearing down of pregnant females, as if a load were falling into the pelvis. (Sepia, Lilium tigr. etc.)
Violent pains in the small of the back in pregnant females.
Impending abortion with pains from back into buttocks and thighs; discharge of coagula: habitual; during the second or third month.
Labour pains insufficient. Violent backache: wants back pressed. (Sepia.) Bearing down from back into pelvis.
The pains are stitching and shooting, or they are in the back, shooting down into glutei muscles or pass off down thighs.
Difficult wheezing breathing.
Asthma: must lean forward with head on knees: worse in a.m.
Terrible attacks of asthma, worse at 3 a.m.
Cough at 3 a.m., repeated every half-hour.
Cutting pain in chest; in evening; after lying down; does not know how she shall lie; worse lying on right side; in a.m.; in lower part of chest, especially in left side: moving into epigastrium and leaving a stinging sensation in left chest.
Stitches in sides of chest on inspiration.
Sticking pressure in left chest on breathing.
Persons suffering from ulceration of lungs can scarcely get will without this antipsoric. Hahnemann.
Insufficiency mitral valves.
Tendency to fatty degeneration of heart.
Sharp pains in small of back, with very acute labour-like pains running through to front at intervals of a few minutes, occasionally shooting down to glutei muscles.
Backache while walking: feels must give up and lie down.
Back: sharp stitching pains awaken him at 3 a.m., he must get up and walk about; pains shoot from loins into nates.
Stitching and shooting pains in back, shooting down into gluteal region or hips.
Great tendency to start–starts with a loud cry.
Cannot bear to be touched: starts when touched ever so lightly, especially on feet.
Sensation of lump rolling over and over on coughing, rising from right abdomen to throat and back again.
Liability to cold: inability to perspire: or great inclination to sweat: night sweats.
Frequent exhaustion: feels she must lie down, or sit.
Debility and desire to lie down.
Wakes about 1 or 2 a.m., cannot sleep again.
Awaking about 2 a.m. and 4 p.m. with nearly all ailments, but especially those of throat and chest.
Pains stitching, darting, worse during rest and lying on affected side. (The opposite to Bryonia, whose stitching pains are better from rest, and from lying on affected side.)
Oppression of breathing accompanies most complaints.
Anaemia with great debility, skin watery, milky-white.
