Tart. e. Spasms caused by repelled eruptions, with paleness of the skin, and much difficulty of breathing.
Veratrum a. When a cold sweat appears on the forehead after or during the spasm.
Zincum met. The child cries out during sleep, and if awakened, expresses fear, and rolls its head anxiously from side to side. The child has been cross and irritable for days previous, with hurried motions, distended abdomen and more frequent passages of urine than usual.
URINARY DIFFICULTIES
There are not uncommon, in babes and young children, a variety of urinary difficulties; such as dysuria or painful or obstructed urination; suppression of urine; incontinence of urine; and proper urination. These various disorders are so obvious as to need no particular description; and their most prominent symptoms will be found stated in their proper place under the indicated remedies. In some cases, the babe passes no water during the first few days after birth.
Dysuria. – Some times infants and little children suffer with difficulty of urinating. This is very easily recognized; and will be greatly relieved by the timely administration of the most suitable remedy.
Retention or Suppression of Urine. – This difficulty will be less easily observed, in very young children. The bladder may be unusually distended; and there may be evident distress; and even convulsions. The mother or nurse should of course be able promptly to inform the attending physician, if there is any difficulty of this kind, i.e., if the child’s urine is scanty or suppressed. If there is no malformation, the proper remedy will afford prompt relief.
Aconite. This medicine may be given if the babe passes no water in the first days after its birth.
Arnica. If the difficulty, – ischuria, retention,-appear to have been caused by an injury, such as a fall or a bruise.
Belladonna. If there is much moaning; distress; a sudden crying out, -in retention of urine.
Cantharis. If a few drops only flow, with much screaming.
Colocynth. Dysuria, straining ineffectual; worse before, during and after urination, which is scanty.
Dulcamara. The retention is caused by damp, cold air.
Ipecacuanha. Ischury with convulsions.
Lycopodium. Dysuria with much rolling and rumbling of flatus.
Nux v. When there are retention and constipation.
Opium. The child is very drowsy and sleepy-face bloated.
Pulsatilla. If Aconite or Nux fail to relieve.
Sulphur. In scrofulous children in whom the retention occurs every time the child takes cold.
Compare the patient’s symptoms, – in case they do not seem to be met by either of the above, -with Stramonium; Hyoscyamus; Cannabis s.; Arsenicum; Apium; Petroselinum; Mercurius s.; Rhus t.; Sepia; Plumbum; Nitric acid; Causticum, & c.
PROFUSE URINATION
Muriatic acid. Passes larger quantities of urine, -accompanied each time with a small stool.
Phosphoric acid. When the trouble is worse at night, -and the urine rather offensive.
Rhus t. Very restless at night.
Silicea. In large-bellied children, who perspire much about the head.
Study also Argentum; Spigelia; Squilla; and Verbascum.
INCONTINENCE OF URINE
Calcarea c. In leucophlegmatic temperaments, with open fontanelles; much perspiration about the head.
Causticum. In weakly, feeble constitutions.
Cina. In those affected with vermiculous symptoms, picking at the nose, & c.
Kreosote. In children who are very hard to awaken.
Lycopodium. Red sand is found on the sheets, or in the diaper.
Phosphoric acid. Very large quantities of urine are passed at night; the bed is literally flooded.
Sepia. The bed is wet almost as soon as the child goes to sleep, -always during its first sleep.
Silicea. In children with enlarged abdomens (pot-bellied), – other symptoms similar to Calcarea.
Thuya. The child has figwarts – or condylomata.
Study also Arsenicum; Belladonna; China; Conium; Carbo veget.; Pulsatilla; Sulphur; Graphites; Hepar; Rhatany; Sarsaparilla; Phosphorus; Cantharis; & c. Hardly a remedy in the Materia Medica but may be useful in this complaint if the other symptoms correspond; all the symptoms must be collated, and the prescription made very accurately.
GRAVEL, OR CALCULI.
Sometimes children appear to be attacked with a severe colic, in paroxysms, or in continued distress which may last for hours. This may be from an actual wind colic, from indigestion; from the passage of gall stones through the hepatic duct, or from the passage of gravel or calculi, through the ureters or urethra. When the difficulty arises from the last-mentioned causes, the fact will usually be evident from the attendant symptoms; and great relief will be derived from the exhibition of the appropriate remedy; the following have most frequently been indicated in such cases:
Lycopodium. Much pain, even to screaming, before passing water. Red sand, or gravel upon the diaper, or in the urine.
Phosphorus. Much gray sand in the urine.
Sarsaparilla. Much pain at the conclusion of passing water.
Silicea; Calcarea c.; Phosphoric acid; and Alumina should also be studied in these cases.
TONGUE-TIED.
Raise the tongue with the finger, and place the point of a lance at a suitable distance from the tongue, an cut outwards, towards the gums. Thus there need no wounding of the arteries under the tongue. If the edges of the tongue adhere, as is sometimes the case, operating in a similar manner.
WORMS- VERMICULAR AFFECTIONS.
“Worms, in popular language, constitutes one of the most common disorders of children. And people imagine that, if the worms are expelled their children will be cured. But this is a great mistake; for children are not ill so much because they have worms because they are ill. Consequently the violent medicines, drugs, and even mechanical means, -such as dolichos and tin filings, – used to destroy and expel the worms, -either entirely fail of their object or, in effecting it, inflict still greater injury upon the health.
The indications afforded by the symptoms enable the Homoeopathic physician to prescribe the remedy for the entire disordered condition which leads to the development of the worms themselves. Besides in many cases of supposed “worms, they in reality do not produce the sufferings, -they may even be entirely absent. Hence is seen the importance of prescribing for the patient, to restore him to health not to attempt to destroy worms, by means which, in many instances but add to the existing disorder.
There are two kinds of worms to which children are liable; the lumbricoides, or long round worms, and the ascarides, or pin- worms. The latter principally infest the rectum. Besides these there are occasionally cases of tapeworm, taenia; but these seldom occur in small children.
Picking the nose; boring in the ears; enlargement of the abdomen: capricious or voracious appetite; great fretfulness and nocturnal restlessness; constant dry, hacking cough, & c., may give rise to suspicion of the presence of lumbricoides. The pin- worms occasion intolerable itching and distress within the anus, especially when the children go to bed; cold water injections have been resorted to in many instances, in order to afford temporary relief from such distress; but these will not be needed under Homoeopathic treatment.
Study carefully the following remedies; and give, at sufficiently long intervals in chronic cases, the one which is indicated by all the symptoms and conditions of the patient.
Aconite. When a real synochal fever prevails; or there is much itching of the anus, worse at night, and much fear manifested, the child is even afraid to go to bed.
Argentum nit. In many cases of taenia and ascarides, the latter particularly when there is much and violent itching of the anus.
Asarum. The child passes shaggy masses of mucus full of ascarides.
Belladonna. Involuntary discharge of feces and urine; violent startings; flushed face; red eyes; moaning; delirium.
Calcarea c. In leucophlegmatic children; the itching at the anus becomes very great towards and in the evening. Also cases tapeworm to disappear, when indicated by the symptoms.
Carbo veget. When a peevish wrathfulness becomes developed; the child wishes to vent itself in rage; it strikes, kicks, bites, & c.; nightly fear of ghosts; the weakness of the veins becomes more and more developed.
China. Painless diarrhoea. Abdomen much distended, particularly after every meal; tremor and debility.
Cicuta virosa. Fever, colic, and convulsions, -with the other symptoms of worms.
Cina. Boring at the nose; exceedingly unamiable, nothing pleases the child. Short, hacking cough; frequent swallowing, as if to swallow down something. The urine turns milky. Tossing during sleep. Is often sullen and unwilling to play during the day.
Digitalis. Stool in the evening, passing great quantities of ascarides.
Ferrum aceticum. Much itching about the anus, and slimy stools with ascarides. Vomiting of food and flow of water from the mouth.
Ignatia. In many cases where there is itching of the anus at night; the child is nervous and spasmodic.
Ipecacuanha. Itching of the anus; nausea and retching.
