A young woman suffering from insane jealousy of her husband. She was always looking at herself in the glass, because she said her face had changed. She was always peeping through the little window into their shop,. to see what her husband was doing; whether he was flirting with the shop girl. Phosphorus, helped her a little, then not. She got pretty bad, was caught with a razor;came down in to the shop in her night-dress; tried to do all sorts of extraordinary and made things. They followed me about in despair about her: she was not safe. We discussed her case, and the doctor I was working with picked out the main symptoms, jealousy and suspicion, and of course she got Lachesis. I think she needed a second dose a month later. Then she bloomed into her old self, smiling and happy, all the trouble forgotten, and she had remained well seven years later, and was then lost sight of.
Here is another involuntary proving of Lachesis:-
A person had been taking Lachesis in the 30th potency for some old catarrhal symptoms, and later took a dose of Lachesis 200.
It had a most unpleasant effect. There was almost incessant urging for stool, with practically no result. This went on, most inconveniently, for days: till a dose of Sepia finished the trouble at once. In Kent’s Repertory we find, “urging, but not for stool,” with one drug only, lACH in highest type. And elsewhere, Sep a is found, as antidoting this symptom in Lachesis It is also interesting that the same person took Lachesis,1M without any such inconvenience and misery. Certainly different potencies give very different results. And a German homoeopathic physician, years ago, used to say that the 200th (of most remedies) was a schlechter potenz-a wicked potency-it had provided him with many cases of aggravation. He dreaded to use it. With some drugs, as Lycopodium, for instance, one prefers to start with a 30th, or a 1M, and to leave the 200th severely alone.
As to loquacity. There was a particular out-patient afternoon when one of the most trying of patients was pouring out her tale, with extraordinary volubility and a puzzling lack of sequence, while one”tried to get a note in sideways” for future reference. At last (to the missionaries who haunt our ways, and who were pretty on the spot with their medicines),” Well?-what is the remedy? ” Lachesis!” was the answering chorus, When that patient next turned up-silence and quiet answers, and then an irrepressible gurgle from the missionaries, who had recognized the patient-the erstwhile topical Lachesis.
But many drugs have opposite effects: and one finds with surprise, what few people seem to know, that Lachesis which has loquacity and hastiness of speech in the highest type, has also slowness of speech in the same black type. And Lachesis, as we saw just now in a case of involuntary proving, has a TACITURNITY also. One must not be caught out by half-knowledge and preconceived ideas: it is always well to make sure.
Hyoscyamus views with Lachesis in loquacity and jealousy; and Pulsatilla, nux and Stramonium can all be jealous and suspicious. But loquacity, jealousy and suspicion belong to Lachesis and Hyoscyamus, and in a lesser degree, Opium and Stramonium.
Lachesis, is worse in Spring: in mild rainy, and especially in cloudy weather.
In regard to “Worse from sleep-or in sleep.” A small boy in Hospital was suffering from asthma, and he has attacks in sleep. which failed to wake him. Two drugs only have this, Sulphur and Lachesis. For some reason, Sulphur was given: but, late, Lachesis cured.
Here are some of the symptoms from the provings:-
As soon as she goes to sleep the breathing stops.
Afraid to go to sleep for fear he will die before he wakes.
Troubles come on during sleep, and patient wakes in distress or pain: as with cough-asthma-or spasm.
On waking, vertigo; dry, hacking cough;all symptoms worse. Some of the terrifying dreams we have already quoted.
In the headaches-the bursting headaches-it seems as if all the blood in the body had gone to head. Pulsating headache, with general pulsation from head to foot.
Hammering headaches: and “hammering”., Kent shows, is a strong feature of Lachesis. The inflamed ovary pulsates; and it may feel as if a little hammer were hammering on the inflamed part with every pulsation of the arteries. Fistula in ano has been cured, he says, when it feels as if a little hammer continually hammered the little fistulous pipe: and fissure, of long standing, when it felt as if the inflamed parts were being hammered. Haemorrhoids also, with this sensation of hammering. Bursting and hammering! And,. with the Lachesis headaches,.probably purplish face, puffy eyes engorged and lids bloated, And always worse on waking: worse after sleep.
Other peculiar symptoms of Lachesis are disturbance of the time- sense., “an unusual confusion as to time”. Extraordinarily vivid imagination: but makes mistakes in writing (Lyc). The raging pains in face and teeth, extend to ear. Pains in throat extend to ear. Eyes feel as if they had been taken out and squeezed, and then put back again. A thread drawn behind eye to eye. Feels as if, when throat was pressed, eyes were forced out. Enormous swelling of lips. Tongue difficult to protrude, catches in teeth. Fishbone sensation in throat (Sil, Hepar).
I have always regretted, and never forgotten, a spoilt Lachesis case-spoilt for want of (then) knowledge. It was a huge cavity in a woman’s calf: one of those high excavated ulcers one used to see so often in study days. Lachesis was her remedy, and was prescribed,. The second time she appeared. there was most amazing healing in the ulcer. But instead of waiting to let the vital reaction carry on towards cure, it was interrupted, by repetition of the remedy. When she came again, it was much worse:- and then she came no more. It was a tragedy. “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” Work is not always easy: but the spoiling of good work is easy, and deplorable. When things are going well, past all expectation, let them get on with it. Solomon says, “there is a time for everything”. But the time of rapid and extraordinary improvement is not the time to “butt in” Here are some of Allen’s big black type symptoms, that is to say, symptoms repeatedly caused and cured by Lachesis.
“Loquacity.
Vertigo on waking. Vertigo on closing the eyes.
Headache extending to nose-or to root of nose.
Tearing, zygoma into ear.
Hawking of mucus, with rawness of throat, after a nap in the daytime.
Dry throat, in night, on waking.
Pains in throat, in connection with ears.
Throat and larynx painful, even bending head backwards.
Throat seems swollen, as if two lumps as large as fists came together; on empty swallowing, not on eating, which seems to do good.
Sensation of a crumb of bread in throat.
Such a sore and ulcerated throat, that she could with difficulty swallow.
Sensitive throat, as if sore, with pain on left side.
Liquids can be more easy swallowed than solids.
Can endure nothing tight on the throat.
Throat very sensitive to external pressure.
Everything about the throat is distressing.
If in the evening on lying down anything touches the throat or larynx, it seems as if he would suffocate, and the pain is worse.
Throat sensitive, even to the touch of the linen.
Larynx painful to touch:while throat painful to touch
A feeling as if something were swollen in pit of throat and would suffocate him: it cannot be swallowed: with soreness of throat.
Cough worse after every sleep.
Cough caused by pressure on larynx.
Dry, hacking cough, caused by touching the throat: also occurring after sleep at night.
Constantly obliged to take a deep breath.
During heat, as of orgasm of blood, obliged to loosen the clothes about the neck, as though they hindered the circulation of the blood, with a suffocative feeling.
Beating in the anus as with little hammers.
Diarrhoea followed by throbbing as with little hammers in the anus.
Cramp-like pain in precordial region, causing palpitation and anxiety.
Weakness of whole body, on rising in the morning.
Great physical and mental exhaustion.
Obliged to open the clothes, which affords relief (with faintness).
Obliged to wear the cloths very loose, especially about the stomach; even in bed is obliged to loosen and raise the nightdress in order to avoid pressure; she dares not even lay the arm across the body on account of the pressure.”
OTHER NOTABLE SYMPTOMS(but in Lachesis they are endless!)
Quick comprehensions, mental activity with almost prophetic perception. Ecstasy:a kind of trance,. or mind confused and wandering.,
Thinks she is someone else and in the hands of a stronger power: that she is dead, or nearly dead, and wishes someone would help her off: is pursued by enemies. Fears; medicine is a poison;that there are robbers in house and wants to jump out of window. Is under superhuman control.
Fears she will be damned. Religious monomania.
Delirium, with most extraordinary loquacity. Makes speeches in very select phrases,.but jumping off to most heterogeneous subjects.
EXtremely impatient at tedious and dry things.
