IV. AFFECTIONS OF THE MOTORY NERVOUS APPARATUS. SPASMODIC PHENOMENA.
Cramp-like feeling of contraction darts suddenly through the head from the right temple to the left; then, feeling of dullness, as if too tightly bound, with trembling, both sides of the head.
Cramp in the cervical muscles, as if from lying on too hard a pillow; worse on motion.
Cramp in the hand on exerting it.
The finger is drawn crooked, with painful drawing up in the arm on bending the arm.
At night, after rising, cramp and contraction of the soles of the feet.
Great inclination to violent, almost spasmodic, yawning.
Yawning, afternoon, without sleepiness
Frequent yawning, afternoon, so violent, her eyes overflow.
Violent yawning after a meal, so that the cervical muscles become painful.
A chill runs over the whole body after yawning.
Jerking of the muscles in the legs after walking a little.
Cramp-like jerking here and there in the limbs, like throbbing.
Painful trembling of the whole body, with throbbing in the vessels.
Trembling sensation, at times, through the whole body.
First, a trembling sensation in the hands, and feet, then chilliness and violent trembling of the whole body, as if in the most violent chill, with chattering of the teeth, the face at the same time being warm and the hands cold.
The trembling, which, standing midway between spasm and paralysis, is often met with in the pathogenesis of Platina, and is associated in it with many other morbid phenomena, leads us very naturally to disturbances of another nature in the province of the motory nervous system.
PARALYTIC PHENOMENA.
Weakness in the nape of the neck; the head sinks forward.
Weakness in the nape; she cannot hold up the head.
Relaxed feeling in both arms, as if they had held up something heavy; diminished by moving them to and fro, but returning immediately when they are at rest, with drawing, as on a thread, from the shoulder to the hand.
Sudden paralysis, as after an apoplectic fit, in a small spot, now of the right, now of the left arm.
Heaviness of the arms.
Feeling as if paralyzed in the left arm; she has to let it sink down; much worse when resting the arm on the chair, when sitting, even when leaning the shoulder against the chair.
Weariness and weakness of the left arm, with drawing in it.
Paralytic feeling in the right fore-arm, drawing from above downward.
Weakness, with trembling disquiet in the thighs, especially toward the knees, as when tried by walking, felt only when sitting.
Weakness in thighs (and whole limbs) as if beaten, with tremulous uneasiness in them, when sitting and standing.
Great weakness in the knee-joints and their neighborhood, more when standing than when walking, worst when going upstairs.
Weakness in the knees when walking, also in the thighs when sitting, as if fatigued by walking.
Tottering when walking, as if the limbs had no firm footing.
Weakness, especially when sitting; the feet feel as if overfatigued, and are full of trembling uneasiness.
The phenomena resembling paralysis are much more clearly defined than are the spasmodic affections. The whole muscular system appears dormant, and seems to have lost its tone. Even in sitting and leaning the body against a solid object, this weakness and laxity of fiber are significant enough to warrant the conclusion that many forms of disease resembling paralysis must find a remedy in Platina. Thus, on the motor nerves, our remedy acts as a depressing agent, taking from them their wanted energy and only here and there, through its inroad upon their activity, provoking spasmodic phenomena of slight importance.
Let us now go farther, and see whether the distinctive characteristic of Platina displays itself in any other nervous system subject to the control of the brain.
V. AFFECTIONS OF THE SENSITIVE NERVOUS SYSTEM.
We have here phenomena of two kinds to consider, Anaesthesia and Pain.
A. ANAESTHESIA.
Tensive, numb feeling in the whole sinciput, as after a blow, extending as far as the nasal bone; numb feeling in the sinciput, as if constricted, in a warm room full of persons, increased after a short time to a violent pressing together, with a sensation as of a dull digging up, with impatience and ill- humor, and heat on the upper part of the body, especially in the head, as if the sweat of anguish would break out; in the evening, when in the cool air, he feels an unusual heat, and, when beginning to walk, a painful shaking of the brain, as if a ball were knocking against the skull; afterward the same sensation is felt when lying in bed, accompanied with a slight roaring in the ears; when the pain abates he falls asleep.
Feeling of coldness, creeping, and numbness in the whole right side of the face.
Cramp-like painful feeling of numbness in the left side of the zygoma.
Tensive feeling of numbness in the zygomata and mastoid processes, as if the head were compressed by screws.
Feeling of numbness in coccyx, as if after a blow when sitting.
Tensive feeling of numbness in the nape of the neck, just at the occiput, as if bound together.
Sensitive feeling of numbness and trembling of the right thumb, in the morning, as if contused.
Trembling feeling of numbness in the knees, and extending to the feet, as if too tightly bound.
Feeling of numbness, and weakness, and dull pressure on the inner side of the bend of the left knee, when sitting.
Cramp-like jerking of the legs from above downward, with a feeling of stiffness, which is also felt in the feet when sitting, especially in the evening.
Tremulous, creeping uneasiness in the legs when sitting with feeling of numbness and stiffness, especially increased in the evening, and also in bed.
Feeling of numbness and weariness, in the feeling only, when sitting, as if after standing a long time.
B. PAINS AND SENSATIONS.
The true character of Platina is clearly depicted in the feelings of dullness and numbness. Now, even if we assume, with the majority of physiologists, that pain consists in an exalted activity of the sensitive nerve, then, notwithstanding, Platina produces, as we shall see, no small number of painful sensations, still, paradoxical as this may at first view appear, the general character of Platina, viz., that of depression, is clearly manifested in the form which the Platina pains assume. No substance which acts on the human body leaves unaffected the sensitive nerves so easily and quickly excitable. Hence, we find, that in all provings of drugs on the healthy body, a greater or less number of pains occur. But for the very reason that pain so frequently accompanies the pathological modifications of the organism, it is incapable of serving, in its generality as pain, as an index for the discovery of the peculiar character of a drug. If we received it as our guide, we should always, of necessity, infer an increased activity. It is necessity, therefore, to examine the determining conditions in which the pains originate, in order to form an opinion as to whether the pains are induced by congestion or anaemia, by inflammation, or by a condition of paralysis, etc., etc. In determining the character of a drug, then, the pains and sensations, inasmuch as they occur almost universally, are to be subordinated and accommodated to the other phenomena. Perhaps the kind of pain, whether more of a sticking or squeezing, more of a tearing or contracting, more of a pressing or pinching pain, stands in some relation to the nature of the drug which produces the pain, and so may contribute somewhat to the unfolding of the latter. We shall lay no greater stress, however, on this assumption, which is quite hypothetical, than on this, that the kind of pain depends on the tissue in which it originates.
I will enumerate briefly the various pains and sensations which Platina excites, naming, at the same time, the parts in which they especially occur; and I have endeavored to indicate, by the order of succession, what kinds of pain occur most frequently, and what kind less often.
Cramp-pain (head, forehead, temples, orbital margins, ears, nose, zygoma, lower maxilla, teeth, fauces, chest, nape, throat, fore-arm, hand, fingers, hips, limbs, thighs, legs, calf, tarsus, heel, toes).
Oppression (head, eyes, nose, zygoma, epigastrium, ribs, genitals, chest, back, shoulders, fore-arm, ham, sole of foot, toes).
Oppression, wave-like, over the right orbit.
Pressing (forehead, rectum, GENITALS).
Pressing together (forehead).
Pressing inward, cramp-like (temples, vertex).
Tension (temples, orbital margins, globe of the eye, chin, nape, hips, thighs, ham, calf, dorsum of the foot, toes).
Drawing (head, ears, teeth, gullet, epigastrium, abdomen, scapula, hand, finger, thigh, knee, calf, heel).
Drawing together (head, temples, epigastrium, abdomen)
Tenesmus (anus).
Jerking (nose, soles of the feet).
Sticking (head, meatus auditorius, cheeks, gullet, gastric region, abdomen, rectum, praecordia, back, axilla, hand, cruro-tarsal joint, ball of the foot, toes).
Crawling, itching, prickling, tickling (temples, lower maxilla, corners of the eyes, face, nose, tongue, epigastrium, arms, genitals, chest, thyroid region, hand, fingers, thumbs, limbs, knees, ankle-bones, soles of feet, toes).
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'.