The most important feature of this medicine is the inflammatory condition, and the most important characteristic in the inflammation is the rapidity with which it develops into a gangrenous state. inflammation conditions usually follow a definite course for days, but when this medicine is put upon a part or taken internally the inflammatory state terminates in death of the part with great rapidity.
When taken internally it proceeds almost immediately to attack the urinary tract and establish a uraemic state which brings about the mental symptoms; the local inflammatory condition comes on with great rapidity, and this brings the patient down violently sick in a great hurry.
From strong doses in the poisonous effect we get startling and alarming symptoms; the whole economy is in disorder; grievous symptoms commonly of the urinary tract. The parts become gangrenous at an early stage.
Mind: The mental symptoms are striking. Among those that are guiding are sudden loss of consciousness with red face. Suddenly goes into stupor. Confusion of mind. Overwhelmed with strange ideas. Thoughts run riot, and go whatever way they will, as if possessed by outside influence.
Head hot, frenzy, delirium, with great excitement and rage, paroxysms renewed by dazzling or bright objects, by touching the larynx or by trying to drink water as in rabies.
Fear and confusion of ideas. The mind often runs towards subjects that the inflamed parts would suggest.
Bladder and genitals: The bladder and genitals are inflamed and the excitement and congestion of the parts often arouse the sexual instinct, so that there are sexual thoughts and sexual frenzy. Violent amorous frenzy, an excitement such as accompanies inflammation attended with thoughts that correspond. The sexual instinct has gone mad, the erections in the male are painful and violent.
The penis is inflamed and sore and it would be painful to have coitus, yet there is this frenzy. Insolence. Blasphemy. Restlessness ending in rage. Restlessness causing him to move constantly, a rage and delirium intermingled with amorous frenzy.
This kind of mental conduct in Cantharis is similar to what will take place in Hyoscyamus, Phosphorus, and Secale; a violent delirious state intermingled with sexual ideas and talk. In some instances he deliriously sings lewd songs and prattles on the subject of human genitals, urine and feces, a wild raving on subjects not talked about in health except among the depraved.
But in disease, chaste and modest persons, virgins, will speak so that it is surprising where they have picked up such language. in such cases it is well to exclude everybody from the room except the nurse and doctor. I have seen a dear old mother weep and wring her hands and say:
“Where did my daughter learn such language?”
The daughter is not to blame.
It is simply a condition of the urinary tract or the menstrual function, brought on from cold or exposure, or through the mother’s neglect to tell her daughter what she should know in regard, to her menstrual function, and how there is inflammation of the ovaries or uterus, or outside parts, and the urine burns and causes an inflammatory condition of the outer parts, or the urine is retained and there is frenzy. Such in Cantharis.
Violent, bursting, lancinating headaches as if stabbed with a knife an inflammatory condition that takes hold of the mind violently.
Running all through the remedy there is burning. In the head burning, throbbing and stabbing. Unconsciousness and delirium in the mental state. Burning in the side of the head. Stitches in the side of the head and occiput. Lancinating pains deep in the brain. Hair falls out.
It is seldom indicated in eye troubles alone, except such as come with head and mind symptoms.
Erysipelas of the face with large blisters. Burning in the eyes and the whole atmosphere looks yellow. Burning and smarting in the eyes.
Erysipelas of the eyes, with gangrenous tendency. Eyes hot, scalding tears. Erysipelas of the face, dorsum of the nose, involving the lids.
Rhus is more commonly. used in this condition, but when it is violent Cantharis will often be indicated and preferable to Rhus, Rhus has the blisters and the burning, but in Cantharis between your two visits the erysipelas has grown black, it is dusky, a rapid change has taken place, and it looks as if gangrene would set in.
Burning in the erysipelatous area and the skin around burns from the touch. In Rhus this is not so. In Cantharis the little blisters even if touched burn like fire.
In 1881, Kent accepted a position as professor of anatomy at the Homeopathic College of Missouri, an institution with which he remained affiliated until 1888. In 1890, Kent moved to Pennsylvania to take a position as Dean of Professors at the Post-Graduate Homeopathic Medical School of Philadelphia. In 1897 Kent published his magnum opus, Repertory of the Homœopathic Materia Medica. Kent moved to Chicago in 1903, where he taught at Hahnemann Medical College.