LACH., has some peculiar symptoms of stool and anus. There is an urging, or rather a pressing down, in the rectum, but it is worse when he attempts stool; hurts so that he must desist. It feels as if the anus were closed. This is somewhat like the constant or rather frequent, though ineffectual, urging to stool of NUX VOMICA or like the painful constriction of LYCOPODIUM which either prevents stool, or follows after an incomplete and unsatisfactory one. Another marked symptom is that the stools are often VERY OFFENSIVE, whether formed or not. Then, under LACH., we have haemorrhages from the bowels, of decomposed blood, which occur mostly during the course of exhausting, acute diseases, like typhoid. Guernsey gave this: “Flakes of decomposed blood, having form and appearance of perfectly charred wheat straw, in larger or shorter flat pieces; portions more or less ground up. ” I have met such cases and LACH., was very efficacious, not only in changing the character of stool, but bringing about general improvement, ultimating in perfect recovery.
This remedy is often of great use in that very common malady, haemorrhoids; and here you have the constricted feeling, whether the piles are external or blind, sometimes a beating or throbbing, or as the patient will perhaps express it, a sensation of “little hammers” beating in the rectum. All these symptoms and many more show the affinity of this remedy for the anus and rectum, as they do also its power over disease of the whole alimentary tract.
This is also one of our best remedies in disease of the female generative organs.In the first place it is eminently an ovarian remedy, and seems to choose by preference the left ovary. It is of use in simple ovarian neuralgia, and from that to actual tumors or even cancer of the left ovary; or the trouble begins in the left and goes to the right ovary. (rev. LYCOPODIUM) But we may have neuralgia, swelling, induration, suppuration, tumors or cancer of one or both the ovaries. Its action in uterine troubles is also very marked. Here is a condition, as expressed in Guiding Symptoms, that I have often verified during climaxis: “PAINS IN UTERINE REGION INCREASE AT TIMES MORE and MORE TILL RELIEVED BY FLOW OF BLOOD FROM VAGINA; AFTER A FEW HOURS OR DAYS, THE SAME AGAIN, and SO ON.”
In these cases you almost always have the intolerance of least contact or pressure over the uterine region so characteristic of this drug. The womb prolapses, is at times persistently congested, and obstinate uterine haemorrhages repeatedly occur. There are hot flashes, hot vertex, pale face and fainting, uterine displacements of various kinds, and deranged capillary circulation, all so common in females at the menopause and especially haemorrhages. (see also CROTALUS and KREOSOTE.)Probably there are not three remedies in the whole of Materia Medica so often indicated in troubles connected with this period, as LACH., (KREOSOTE., post climacteric diseases.) It is often of great use in cancer of either the breasts or uterus. In either case the cancer puts on a bluish or purplish appearance, and if open or fungoid bleeds easily, a dark, decomposed blood. In case of bleeding, the the pains and suffering, as in the case of uterine haemorrhage, are temporarily relieved by it. We would be greatly crippled in the treatment of these various ovarian and uterine troubles without LACH.,
The respiratory organs and chest also come under the influence of this drug. Paralysis of the vocal chords, causing loss of voice; LARYNX IS SENSITIVE TO LEAST TOUCH; it causes suffocation; it is one of our best remedies in desperate cases of croup, where the child gets worse in sleep; SEEMS TO SLEEP INTO IT. Spasm of the glottis sensation of something running from neck to larynx, stopping the breath, It has great shortness of breath when walking, especially old toppers and in heart affections, when this condition is always the guide to its use. “THE LEAST THING COMING NEAR THE MOUTH OR NOSE INTERFERES WITH BREATHING; TEARS OFF THE COLLAR OR EVERYTHING ABOUT THE NECK, THROAT OR CHEST, BECAUSE IT SUFFOCATES.”
Asthma with the same symptoms, has sudden flushes of heat or orgasm of blood; must loosen clothes to prevent suffocation; threatened paralysis of the heart or lungs; dry hacking cough, worse by touching throat or larynx, also COUGH DURING SLEEP, without awakening or being conscious of it. Here it often cures very obstinate cases of cough after CHAMOMILLA has failed, which also has this symptom. For the short dry cough sympathetic with heart troubles, LACHESIS is often useful. Cough with pain in anus, or stitches in pile tumors. One of our best remedies in typhoid pneumonia or typhoid fever with lung complications.
Now look out for the LACH., tongue in these cases. LACH., is also one of our useful remedies in heart troubles, acute or chronic, the peculiar suffocation, cough and worse from constrictions being the guiding symptoms.
No remedy more profoundly impresses the nervous system than this. In the first place it causes trembling, not from fright or excitement, but from extreme weakness. In this it resembles GELSEMIUM; both have great trembling of the tongue on trying to protrude it. With both the remedies the whole body trembles; but with LACH., she feels faint, as if she must sink right down. This great prostration is both mental and physical, and she does not improve from rest or sleep, but on the contrary is WORSE IN THE MORNING AFTER SLEEPING. With this prostration there are often pain or other troubles with the heart; nausea pale face and vertigo. Now if this thing goes on the next stage supervenes and paralysis is the end of it. The paralysis is generally left sided, as are the majority of complaints of LACH., which is pre-eminently a LEFT-SIDED REMEDY. This paralysis may come on as a result of apoplexy or cerebral exhaustion; if the latter, there is still great hope of a perfect cure by a judicious use of LACH., Of course if the lesion is too extensive in apoplexy, and the extravasation of blood too great, there is little hope; but some apparently most desperate cases do recover even then. It is recommended in epilepsy and locomotor ataxia, but I have never seen good effects from it.
There is, however, another place in which I have seen it accomplish much that is in the languor, weariness and prostration from hot weather. The head not only aches, but the whole body seems prostrated by SUN HEAT. (ANTIM CRUD, GELSEMIUM, GLONOINE., NATRUM CARB NATRUM-M.)
Worse after sleep, or rather the patient SLEEPS INTO AN worse, is a genuine characteristic of this remedy, no matter what the enemies of LACH., say of it. On this line there is one particular symptom to which I wish to call attention, that is, “as soon as the patient falls asleep, the breathing stops. ” This is as Hering expresses it. I have oftener found in this way; the patient cannot go clear off into sleep, because just on the verge of it the breath stops and he wakens catching for breath. This is often found in heart troubles, functional or organic, and is very distressing. GRINDELIA ROBUSTA has a similar symptom.(also DIGITALIS.)
I once had a case of very obstinate constipation in an old syphilitic case. He was at last taken with severe attacks of colic. The pains seemed to extend all through the abdomen, and always came on at night. After trying various remedies until I was discouraged, for he `got no better fast, ‘he let drop this expression, “Doctor, if I could only keep awake all time, I would never have another attack. “I looked askance at him. “I mean,” said he, “that I sleep into the attack, and waken in it. ” I left a dose of LACH., 200. He never had another attack of pain, and his bowels became perfectly regular from that day and remained so. I could give more cases where this symptom has lead me to cure of ailments of different kinds. It is enough to say that I have no hesitation in adding my testimony to that of others as to the value of this symptom. I think I have said enough about the different symptoms of LACH., to indicate that it is one of the most useful remedies in typhoid fever. I will only add here that it is generally in the second or third week of the disease that it is found indicated. This is one of the differences between it and GELSEMIUM. For the trembling and weakness of GELSEMIUM come early, and if recognized then GELS., can abort the disease at once. Of course the sensorium, tongue, mouth, throat, abdominal and stool symptoms, already spoken of especially the sleep symptom help to decide the choice between LACH., and other remedies.
Now upon the tissues. We have swelling on all parts of the body, and one of the most characteristic conditions is the colour of them. They are BLUISH verging onto black. (TARANTULA CUB-C., ANTHRACINUM) I never see a swelling of that color but LACH., immediately comes to my mind, and then if I find that they cannot bear to have them TOUCHED, they are so sensitive, even a poultice is unbearable, because it is so heavy, that settles it. I give LACH., and am seldom disappointed. The blood decomposes or, as is something said, “breaks down” becomes uncoagulable. This often occurs in typhoid fever, and is of course very serious. The bleeding is easily started, and is every persistent. There seems to be a tendency to haemorrhagic trouble, so we find LACH., one of our best remedies in purpura haemorrhagica. Ulcers and wounds bleed profusely; even “small wounds bleed much; ” wounds easily become gangrenous. Here LACH., is capable of doing great good. Cancers turned bluish or black, bleed much and often, and burn; blood appears in the urine in many affections, indicating its broken down conditions.
