62. Pain in the knees; first day.
63. Heat in the hands; first day.
64. Pain in the arms below the elbows (first day); simple pain in the legs from time to time; third day.
65. Pains of very great weariness in the thighs (eighth day); pain of contusion in the front and middle of the thighs.
66. Extreme lassitude, pains in the legs and knees; ninth day.
67. Sharp heat in the anterior part of the thighs; second day.
68. On rising, acute pain in the middle anterior portion of the left thigh; she cannot bear to have it touched; it lasts the whole day; fifth day.
69. Sensation of throbbing in the anterior part of the thigh. Sleep.
70. Drowsiness; first day.
71. Drowsiness and sadness; second day.
72. At 9 p.m. great desire to sleep.
73. Sleep with troublesome dreams; fleeing from a turbulent ocean she found herself in a pain full of water; third day.
74. Troublesome dreams (fourth day); ditto (seventh day), waking with fright.
75. Sleep interrupted by pains altogether similar to those which sometimes accompany the menses (third day); anguish.
76. Wakes with a start and a violent desire to urinate; urine abundant. General Symptoms.
77. Excessive fatigue; first day.
78. Sensation of anguish during the day, feeling of fear, of indefinite fright; for several days the sufferings are greater when sitting than when walking; when walking they cease, and re-appear on sitting down.
79. Sensation of dryness in the skin, as if it would crack.
PROVINGS ON PATIENTS, by M. de B., furnished by Dr. C. Hering.
January 12th, 1852. Taken by a lady, aged 38 years, of sanguine-nervous temperament. She has been ill eight years of prolapsus uteri. For more than a year she was unable to stand. For several years she has suffered excruciating pain. Her mind is in a very gloomy state.
She has been under my care about three years, and has constantly but slowly regained health. She can now ride about ten miles and rest in an hour afterward; can sew about eight hours in a day, but must rest frequently, and has never passed a day without lying down. Her mind has gradually recovered its cheerfulness, and she has been for several months desirous of society, which even one year since she could not at all endure.
I directed her not to take any other medicine for ten days before the Murex. She has taken three doses at intervals of ten days. The symptoms have been the same each time, only much more intense than the first dose. I gave her the two hundredth dilution; she took it in the morning as soon as she had risen. For the first four hours she felt nothing. Then she felt a debility of the entire muscular system; a sinking of the stomach; an enlargement of the bowels; a distinct feeling of the womb; and great sensitiveness of the bowels, with sharp pain running up from the groin to the socket of the right hip. A sensation as of the creeping of a snake over the entire region of the short ribs, upon the left side; great depression of spirits; it seemed to her that she was hopelessly ill. She was obliged to go to bed and lie there. These symptoms continued for nearly a week, without abatement, and at the end of a week she felt about as usual, except that she was rather gloomy in mind. The second and third doses produced the same symptoms, but less intense.
No. 2. A lady, aged about 30 years, of sanguine-nervous temperament, had been for five years subject almost constantly to pain in her right hip, and a feeling of sinking at the stomach, which incapacitated her for sewing or knitting. She took but one dose and said, “It made me miserable. I was so low-spirited that I gave up everything. I had no strength left. My stomach seemed gone, and an intolerable creeping pain in my right hip kept me from getting any ease in any position.” I ought to add that this lady had been so well for the last eight months that I had not been in attendance upon her. The duration of the effect of the medicine in her case was about five days.
No. 3. A lady, aged 23 years, of sanguine-nervous temperament. I had treated her during the year past for prolapsus uteri, with the ordinary debility in the lumbar region, palpitation of the heart, sinking at the stomach, etc., that usually accompany that affection. She recovered rapidly and seemed to be in sound health for the last six months. She took three doses of Murex at intervals of ten days, and perceived no effect whatever.
The following case, which occurred under my own observation, presents some points of interest:
Mrs. C., aged 28 years. Seven years ago, about four months after her marriage, she had a miscarriage and subsequently a prolapsus uteri and so-called ulceration of the cervix, for which she was under local (allopathic, treatment for a period of eighteen months. Three years ago, after unusual exercise under circumstances of great emotional excitement, she had a recurrence of the prolapsus, under which she suffered for some time.
June 30th. After taking unusually violent exercise, the patient was suddenly subjected to terrible mental excitement.
July 1st. She applied for medical treatment. She has bearing down sensations; a feeling as if the internal genitals were being pushed out, with great nausea and faintness, and a peculiarly distressed sinking sensation in the epigastrium. A vaginal examination reveals a slight prolapsus, a very long cervix, but no ulcerations. There was utter loss of appetite and great despondency.
In consequence of the great faintness and “sinking at the stomach” (which, Dr. Lippe says, is a strong characteristic of Murex), in addition to the other symptoms which indicated this remedy, Murex purpurea6 was prescribed, a powder every four hours (no higher potency being at hand):
July 3d. The patient reports that in fifteen minutes after taking the first powder, she felt very hungry and ate something. After the second powder, a still greater degree of hunger; she again took food. After the third powder, she expressed herself as “half starved” and had to have a hearty meal prepared, which she ate. She slept well.
July 4th. After the first powder, this morning, the same sensation of hunger, though in a less degree than yesterday. In the region of the uterus she felt much better.
July 6th. Has gained in every way. Felt quite well as regards the uterine symptoms and the sinking at the stomach, until this evening, having been frightened by a dog, she fainted. This brought back the symptoms of July 1st, which, however, were soon relieved by Murex, and have not since returned.
Dr. Dunham graduated from Columbia University with Honours in 1847. In 1850 he received M.D. degree at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York. While in Dublin, he received a dissecting wound that nearly killed him, but with the aid of homoeopathy he cured himself with Lachesis. He visited various homoeopathic hospitals in Europe and then went to Munster where he stayed with Dr. Boenninghausen and studied the methods of that great master. His works include 'Lectures on Materia Medica' and 'Homoeopathy - Science of Therapeutics'.