The Liver. Mercurius induces incomplete reproduction; hence the fatty diathesis. It is indicated, before all other remedies, in fatty disease of the liver, resulting from depressed vegetation.
For the Spleen, Mercurius has little affinity. For the Lungs, more than for the spleen.
ANALYSIS IN ANATOMICAL ORDER.
Head. Various sensations and pains. Congestion.
Eyes. Irritation, swelling sensation as of sand in the eye, lachrymation, conjunctival congestion, photophobia, ptosis, oedema of cellular tissue and conjunctiva, loss of brilliancy in cornea, nebulae, amblyopia, amaurosis, iritis.
Ears. Inflammation with pustules, haemorrhage, deafness, illusion of the sense; pains.
Nose. Peculiar painfulness of nasal bones. Mercurius, above all remedies, is related to the nose, especially to the pharyngeal portion of it. Swelling and haemorrhage.
Face. Collapse, paleness, blue rings around the eyes Oedema, convulsive jerkings.
Teeth. Swelling, redness, burning, bleeding of gums; looseness of teeth, aggravation of pain by cold applications, and at night.
Mouth and Pharynx: At first, erythema; at the same time oedema, vesicles, pustules, aphthae. The inflamed spots are very sensitive and bleed easily. Swelling and dryness of tongue, discharge of saliva. Difficulty in moving the tongue, even to paralysis.
Throat, Oesophagus. Stiffness, swelling of pharynx, pressing pain, and excoriation. Dysphagia. The tonsils are first affected, then the gums.
Digestive Organs. 1. Loss of appetite, nausea, bulimy, metallic taste, no thirst, save a desire to moisten the dry parts affected. 2. Digestion disturbed. Ructus, vomituritis, collection of water in the mouth; nightly nausea. Mucous secretion increased and changed; pancreatic juice altered. Stomach pains. 3. Abdomen. Fullness, oppression, meteorism, sensibility sticking, cutting, pinching pains in liver. 4. Stools. Frequent, with little or no discharge of solid or soft faeces; pappy, whitish-gray or green-yellow, sometimes bloody, acrid and excoriating, tenesmus, pinching and burning in anus, going on to inflammation, suppuration and haemorrhage. Dysentery.
Mercurius has especial affinity for the two ends of the digestive canal. The stomach and upper intestine are but slightly affected; often not at all.
Genital Organs. The mucous membrane is the part chiefly affected.
1. Male. Swelling; formation of scales, vesicles, pustules ulcers, analogous to those of the mouth and pharynx; discharges, itching and burning; discharge of semen without pleasure; gonorrhoea.
2. Female. Oedema: Leucorrhoea purulent, acrid, Menses copious.
Respiratory Organs. Expectoration streaked with blood. Mucous membrane light- colored; its substance little affected. Coryza, with acrid, purulent discharge. Trachea. Dry irritation; cough, with bloody sputa. Lungs, dyspnoea, asthma, sticking pains, oppression.
Back and Limbs. In these parts are experienced all the symptoms relating to skin, serous and fibrous membranes and bones, e.g., itching, crawling, burning, lassitude, loss of power tearing, sticking, and throbbing pain, cracking of the joints cramps and trembling oedema exostosis.
Characteristic. Aggravation by cold, and at night; from exposure to currents of air, and to change of whether; this applies to all the symptoms. Swelling and irritation of the parts attacked, suppuration, ulceration, pustular eruptions. Increased and acrid secretions salivation, diarrhoea, gonorrhoea. Menses too copious. Sweat; trembling and spasm, especially of the flexors. Osseous affections. Especial relation to those mucous surfaces which are nearest the external skin.
Application. 1. Generally. To individuals of a depressed vegetation, of a tendency to mucous and bloody discharge, to suppuration with hydraemia, to affections of the lymphatic and glandular systems. To children in the period of dentition; to youths of feeble and leucophlegmatic temperament, but not torpid, on the contrary, rather erethistic. In both acute and chronic diseases; in the former, however, not until the general excitement has somewhat abated, and the inflammatory condition has become localized. In simple inflammations as well as in formation of deposits.
2. As to crases. In all crases characterized by slow depression of the plastic life, by increased and altered secretions, and still more, by a tendency to suppuration or to purulent exudation. All crases in which Mercurius is indicated are characterized by erethism and never by torpor, hence, Mercurius does not stand high on the list of antiscorbutics, because in scorbutus there is mere collapse, and no tendency to suppuration. Still in cases of scorbutus, with manifest excitement combined with phlebitis, it is often available. In other cases, Carbo vegetabilis, Arsenicum, China, Arnica, Lachesis, are preferable. Mercurius is more strongly indicated in the tuberculous and scrofulous crases when the parts attacked threaten to inflame and suppurate and where erethism is present and ulceration threatens. As to special crases:
1. In Tuberculosis. In the second stage, with tuberculous ulceration and copious purulent expectoration, with fever and gradual emaciation, Mercurius should never be employed. It is indicated only in an erethistic condition of the lungs hence not in pneumonia, rather in hectic fever in consequence of pyaemia. In tuberculous affections of the bones with tendency to caries. In necrosis.
2. In Scrofulosis, with ulceration or swelling of the glands, otherwise Calcarea is preferable. Scrofulous affections of the bones. Scrofulous ophthalmia. In rachitis, as distinct from scrofula, probably not so appropriate as Calcarea.
3. In Syphilis, especially when the mucous membrane and glands are affected especially when ulcerated. Mercurius has less affinity for the eruptions unless they be pustular (Rupia). Not so well adapted to the syphilitic osseous affections.
4. In Pyaemia, from absorption of purulent matters. Except Arsenic, no better remedy is known for this crasis. Also in crases that present similar symptoms to those of pyaemia.
5. In the inflammatory crasis, with mild fever with tendency to localization, and inflammatory exudations in the cellular tissue and glands. Pleuritis, meningitis, peritonitis. Inflammation of the capsules of joints and sheaths of muscles, with purulent, plastic exudations.
6. In the Typhoid crasis, Mercurius is scarcely indicated unless in typhoid parotiditis. But in puerperal fever it is a most precious remedy against both the local affection and the general condition. In metritis puerperalis, affections of the joints, and puerperal deposits (metastatic), because of the general tendency to pyaemia.
7. In the Rheumatic crasis, seldom indicated, rather where the periosteum is affected with aggravated by change of weather.
8. In the Oedematic crasis, contra-indicated in anasarca or ascites.
9. Mercurius is indicated in Icterus, with irritation of the liver febris biliosa.
10. In Exanthemata, vesicular, and pustular (seldom the papular), both acute and chronic. In variola, when pyaemia is established after the repercussion of the eruption. In salivation; in herpes zoster Mercurius vivus is a specific. In being furunculus (not in malignant), impetigo, miliaria, eczema, crusta lactea.
INDICATIONS IN ANATOMICAL ORDER.
1. Head. Hydrocephalus acutus; abscesses in the scalp; caries; syphilis.
2. Ophthalmia scrofulosa, and catarrhalis with purulent secretion; inflamed
cellular tissue.
3. Otitis with purulent discharge.
4. Angina with tendency to suppuration. Tonsillitis. Aphthae.
5. Swelling, inflammation and suppuration of the gums.
6. Glossitis; inflammation of cellular tissue and glands, with irritation of all surrounding parts; suppuration, ulceration, salivation, toothache, with ulcers from caries, stomachache (compare Iodine).
7. Hepatitis, acute and chronic. Bilious derangements.
8. Enteritis, acute and chronic, when actual pus is formed after the first stage.
9. Diarrhoea generally, with muco-purulent stools, green and bloody, tenesmus, scanty stools, much tormina, burning in rectum, no pains in the abdomen.
10. Proctitis, and proctalgia, with discharge of pus and blood.
11. Dysentery in high grades, with purulent secretions, tenesmus scanty stool.
12. Inflammation of kidneys (and irritation after inflammation), with irritation and purulent urine.
13. Inflammation of the bladder and urethra.
14. Gonorrhoea, ulceration of the genitals; oedema praeputialis (especially in children, with slight erysipelas); orchitis; leucorrhoea excoriating.
15. Metritis, especially lymphangitis, leading to pyaemia.
16. Oophoritis (after Belladonna, and succeeded by Platina). Hydrops ovarii. (Graphites?).
17. Catarrh; not indicated unless there be purulent discharge.
18. Myelitis.
19. Panaritis (Mercurius yields only to Hepar in efficacy).
20. Psoitis; scrofulous coxalgia in incipience. When suppuration already exists, Mercurius does not remove it Phlegmasia alba dolens.
21. Arthritis. White swelling.
22. Trembling, twitching of the features, as a secondary phenomenon. Neuralgia.
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'.