Respiratory organs
Mercurius may follow well after, or even be preferred, if in syphilitic or rheumatic subjects we have the pain persisting after the fever is somewhat reduced, the pain continues notwithstanding copious sweats which do not relieve; thirst with moist tongue, which is enlarged flabby and shows imprint of teeth, gums also swollen and an offensive smell from the mouth.
It is especially useful when with the cough there are stitching pains through to the back in region of lower right lung.
Pleuritis.
Mercurius solubilis, but Mercurius is weak and sweats easily, or at night in bed, and the mouth is moist, with bad smell, flabby tongue with indented edges, and thirst.
Mercurius, if there are with the oppressed breathing stitches in right chest through from scapulae; cough, first dry, afterward attended with bloody expectoration great tenderness in region of stomach, and especially, liver, mouth and tongue moist, but tongue large, flabby, showing imprint of the teeth, great thirst and profuse sweat without relief, worse at night and when lying on right side. Pneumonia.
Mercurius, in the first place, if the miasm syphilis either recent or remote, is an element in the case of pulmonary tuberculosis or phthisis. The most common mode of attack is in a pleuro – pneumonia, of right side, with sharp stitching pains through lower right chest to back; bilious symptoms such as pain and tenderness in the right hypochondria, worse Lying on right side, vomiting, jaundice, etc., etc. The peculiar and characteristic mouth symptoms, moist, slimy, sticky, without thirst, swollen, flabby tongue with indented, edges, offensive smell, etc., but most leading of all, the sticky, profuse sweat without relief. Here no remedy can substitute it and, properly exhibited, most wonderful and gratifying results follow.
The whole mucous membrane catarrhal, but, unlike Bryonia, there is great thirst with moist mouth, salivation, tongue flabby, showing prints of the teeth upon it, and offensive breath. The fever is still high and there is profuse sweat, which does not relieve. The more the sweat the more the suffering. Acute bronchitis.
With this remedy there are creeping chills; worse in the evening and night, even in bed. The nose discharges thin water with sneezing and lachrymation and sore throat, which stings and pricks, with a constant inclination to swallow saliva which accumulates in abundance, accompanied with a bad smell from the mouth. There may be fever and later on profuse sweat, which however does not relieve.
Cough character – Racking cough, in the evening or at night.
Aggravations – Night air; dampness.
Concomitants – Creeping chilliness in the evening. Chill with heat of face. Fluent coryza, in epidemic form. Sore throat, with salivation, bad breath, flabby tongue with indented edges; all this followed by bronchitic inflammation or pneumonic or pleuropneumonic trouble with pains in lower right chest to back; can’t lie on right side; heat and profuse sweat which does not relieve.
Bryonia has often been used for pneumonic or pleuritic affections when Mercury would have done better, but there are marked differences. Bryonia is better lying on the affected side. Mercurius worse, especially if it is on the right side of with liver complication. Bryonia mouth is dry with thirst. Mercury is moist and slimy with equal thirst. Sweat relieves with Bryonia, and aggravates with Mercury, etc. Some alternate these two remedies, but it is better to differentiate and give them singly. Mercury is seldom of much use in chronic respiratory affections, but in acute stands equally with Aconite, Belladonna and Bryonia, and its indications are well pronounced.
