Chafing (orbital margins, tips of ears, nose, cheeks, parts about the mouth, chin, genitals, scrotum, hand, feet, and soles).
Burning (head, eyes, ears, tongue, region of umbilicus, abdomen, rectum, chest, arm, elbow, hand, knee, toes).
Pain as from a blow or thrust (head, temples, arch of eye-brow, abdomen, coccyx, shoulder, arm, limbs, thighs, knee).
Numbness and feeling as of paralysis (head, cheeks, lips, nose, face, zygoma, chin, coccyx, nape, arm, fore-arm, hand, thumb, limbs, thighs, knees, hollow of the knee, feet).
Feeling of coldness (head, eyes, cheeks, lips, face, chin, scapula, hand).
Throbbing and throbbing pain (teeth, region of stomach, ribs, fore-arm, legs, toes).
Soreness (eyes, lips, palate, back, legs, ankle-joints, and bones).
Tearing (ears, thigh dorsum, of foot, toes).
Shocks and blows (chin, epigastrium, chest, back, skin, calf).
Startings (ears, chin, legs).
Jerking and jerking pain (upper lip, gastric region (visible), abdomen, fore- arm, limbs).
Feeling as if burned (upper lip, tongue).
Feeling as if beaten (arm, thigh).
Feeling as if dislocated (knee, ankle).
Feeling as if contused (head, mastoid process, elbow, thumb, knee).
Pain of excoriation (back, scapula).
Pinching (umbilical region, epigastrium, abdomen).
Dull pains (head, teeth, arm, thigh).
Cutting (abdomen, dorsum of foot).
Digging (forehead, ears, teeth).
Boring (forehead).
Scratching (gullet).
The pain most frequently encountered in Platina provings is cramp-pain. We meet with this in almost every part of the body. The following symptoms, for example, present modifications of it.
“Tensive pain in both upper orbital margins, extending to the globe of the eye itself; they are, as it were, compressed.
“In the left ala nasi cramp-like jerkings at regular intervals; cramp-like jerkings at regular intervals in a small spot below the external knuckle of the right hand.”
The sensation of pressing inward, too, is a very frequent symptoms of Platina. In addition to the instances in which this is distinctly expressed, the following, among other symptoms, seem to belong to this sensation:
“In the left side of the forehead, a sudden, fugitive pressing inward, as by a dull body.
“Fugitive pain in the middle of the vertex, a pressing inward.
“Dull pain in the right parietal bone, as if a plug were forced there.
“In the middle of the back, on the right, near the spine, violent pain, as if a sharp plug were fixed; on pressing upon it pain like a sore wound, continuing a long time.
“Behind, on the left mastoid process, pressing pain, as if by a dull instrument; on pressure, pain as from a contusion.
“On a small spot, above, on the thorax, painful sensation, as if one pressed powerfully on it, with a dull body.”
Just as frequent as the cramp-pain is in the muscular tissue, is the feeling of itching in the skin. We find it under various forms, e.g.:
“On the upper margin of the orbit a kind of sore, eating sensation, as if caused by excoriation.
“On the scrotum a frequent sore, corrosive sensation, as if from excoriation by woolen cloth, so that he must change his position frequently, especially when sitting, also when lying in bed; many days, above and around the ankle-joint and bones, a smarting and sore gnawing sensation; if, when walking, the clothes strike against the uncovered foot the part pains as if raw and excoriated; sticking, gnawing in a small spot on the left sole, compelling him to scratch the part.
“Tingling in the nose, as from snuff, or as before epistaxis, compelling him to rub the nose, causing the eyes to water, and inducing a vain desire to sneeze.
“On the knuckles and finger, a burning prickling, as if he had touched stinging nettles, compelling him to scratch vigorously.
“On the left elbow, a kind of sore burning, as if scraped, or abraded by woolen cloth.
“On the right temple, formication, passing down the right side of the cheek and lower jaw, with a sensation of cold.
“Formication and sensation as of a cold breeze in the left hand.
“At a little spot on the left parietal bone, at intervals, a kind of dull, corrosive sticking.”
A peculiarity of the itching, burning, prickling, etc., is, that the scratching and rubbing, to which they usually compel the patient, afford only a very brief amelioration.
Nearly related to the cramp-pain of Platina, is the sensation of contraction and constriction, to be found in the following symptoms:
“The head seems to him, as it were, compressed in a frame; a dull, painful sensation.
“Cramp-pain in the forehead, as if between screws.
“In a somewhat warm room (with many persons), first a feeling of dullness in the sinciput, as if contracted; this increases more and more to a violent headache, first, in the right temple, later, in the whole head, but always worst in the forehead; a dull, sometimes dizzy compression, with very cross and impatient humor; at the same time heat in the upper part of the body, especially the head; an anxious sweat seems about to break out; every minute, a flash of
heat runs over him; nothing relieves this condition, which, if it moderate for an instant, returns quickly with violence. In the evening, when standing in the cool air, he is uncommonly warm (on thirst). When beginning to walk, after a short rest, the brain is painful, as if shaken, or, as if a sensitive ball, lying loose in the head, struck against the cranial walls. In the evening, in bed, in addition to the dull feeling in the forehead, a roaring in the ears; then, when the pains abate, he sleeps.
“Tensive, dull feeling in the nape of the neck, just on the occiput, as if tightly bound together.
“A kind of spasmodic contractive sensation darts quickly and suddenly from the right temple, through the head, to the left temple; later, the head feels numb and trembling on both sides, as if a cloth were wound tightly about it.
“In the left great toe, a painful sensation, as if tightly bandaged.”
It is characteristic of the morbid phenomena induced by Platina, that they often appear at regular rhythmical intervals, and, beginning feebly, become more violent, and then again diminish in intensity.
“In the epigastrium, to the left, a few violent, dull stitches like shocks, at long intervals.
“In the left ulna, two inches from the wrist, at intervals, pain in every position, like a kind of jerking, especially in the tendons.
“Below the knee, from the right tibia down, painful shocks at irregular intervals, as from a dull instrument.”
“A pressing cramp-pain in the left temple, beginning moderately, and rising and falling in severity.
“In left side of thorax, a cramp-like pain, moderate at first, gradually increasing, and then decreasing.
“On top of the right shoulder, a pain as from a blow, moderate at first, then gradually increasing, and then decreasing.”
A farther peculiarity of the Platina symptoms is that they become aggravated by sitting and standing, and are alleviated by walking, a feature agreeing exactly with the general character of the drug.
The following symptoms come under this head:
“When sitting and standing, a painful feeling of weakness in the whole right limb, especially in the superficial muscles of both thighs, as if beaten, with a tremulous uneasiness.
“When sitting, a dull pain, as from a fall, in the head of the left thigh.
“Great weakness in the knee-joints and surrounding parts, even when sitting, but especially when standing, making him sway back and forth involuntarily.
“When walking, he feels but little weakness; but, so soon as he sits, the feet are as if tired, trembling, and full of uneasiness.”
Another characteristic of the Platina symptoms is the evening exacerbation.
“Spasmodic jerkings down the left thigh, and feeling of numbness in the legs and feet when sitting, especially in the evening.
“Feeling of fatigue in the soles, with a sensation as if they were swollen around the ankles. When sitting, the fatigue ascends gradually into the calves, with a sensation as if they were stretched, in the evening.
“In the afternoon and evening she feels in her worst humor.”
A farther peculiarity of Platina, which should not be over-looked, is that strikingly prominent sensation of cold and chilliness which, as already stated, attends many phenomena, and often appears independently. We shall be less likely to regard this chilliness and feeling of coldness as a febrile symptom, or a
disturbance in the sphere of the Sympathetic, inasmuch as we perceive no reaction of any kind, heat, sweat, or change of pulse.
These phenomena of chill and coldness are, here, rather a reflex action on the sensitive nervous system, dependent on the torpor peculiar to this drug. I do not therefore hesitate to cite here the following symptoms:
“Chill, with chattering of the teeth, in the evening, when undressing.
“Constant feeling as if he should freeze, with frequent shuddering down the limbs, especially in the open air, even when it is warm.
“Cold, with shivering over the whole body, down to the feet.
“Cold chill running over the back.
“Shivering from cold, evening.
“Constant shuddering through the whole body, especially the limbs.
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'.