The patient wants the room perfectly still. If sitting up in bed, you will often find a Glonoine patient with both hands pressing upon the head with all the power possible until the arms are perfectly exhausted. He wants the head pressed upon all sides. Wants it bandaged, or a tight cap fitted down upon it.
The headache is worse from bending backward and from stooping forward. There are times when the headache is so severe that lying back upon the pillow cannot be tolerated. There is a sense of great heaviness in the head. You will notice, in reading over these congestive headaches as reported, that each patient has a different way of describing his headache and yet all have the same story to tell, that of violent determination of blood to the head.
“Some months after being violently jarred by being thrown from a carriage, a sensitiveness of the upper part of the back and neck came on.”
There are two strong characteristics of Glonoine in that cure, viz:
“< from wine and the < from lying down.”
The other symptoms might have pointed to other remedies, but these two features are there. It is interesting when reading a case, if you have first a knowledge of the Materia Medica, to note what symptoms are verified when you do not know the Materia Medica then the case is confusing.
Now, as we glance over that description we see at once these two things verified and the rest is fairly consistent. Very commonly the pain begins in the occiput and goes to the forehead, but the whole head is in a state of throbbing.
But, we notice more particularly, the “aggravation from motion and the least noise.”
This patient will sit in perfect quietude and silence for hours. You will be astonished to, know how long a Glonoine patient can sit without moving a muscle, because motion is so painful.
Also “aggravation from lying with the head low and after sleeping.” it is important for you to know what that sleeping means. As I have said before, the patient very often is worse after a little sleep, but the common state is relief after a prolonged sleep. If he can sleep long enough it will subside, unless it be the congestive sleep, or coma, and then it is a different thing.
“Amelioration from cold and external pressure.”
“Vertex burning hot, likewise upper part of back.”
The whole crown of the head feels as if it were covered by a hot iron, as if an oven were close by. Hot, especially in the back of the neck and between the shoulders.
The burning heat seems to appear at the top of the head and extend down between the shoulders; a sensation of heat, as from a band.
“Face bluish, with a heavy, stupid expression.”
The face is bright red, but if the condition becomes severe the face assumes a dusky appearance, and the longer this state lasts the more dusky it becomes; that is true with apoplexy and also with sunstroke. When the sunstroke first comes on the face is bright red, intensely hot and shiny, but as the heat increases the face grows dusky, even to purple. In all of these cerebral congestions there is a stupid, heavy expression, even going on to coma.
“Frequent deep inspirations.”
With this congestion of the head there is commonly vomiting, palpitation of the heart, pain in the stomach, great difficulty in breathing and finally loss of consciousness. In another clinical case reported we read:
“Every pulsation is felt as if the head would burst.”
Now, suppose the head bones were already intensely sensitive and sore and the head filled as full as possible with blood, and then you commenced hammering upon the blood column you can understand that the pain would be most intense and would soon end in stupefaction.
“Sunken eyes, bluish pallor under the eyes.”
“Red eyes, with photophobia; optical illusions.
Black specks before the eyes; blindness.”
“Face pale, in spite of high fever.”
In all of these cerebral congestions of great violence the pulse fluctuates; it even becomes fine and wiry and hard; sometimes becomes irregular and also slow.
Another common accompaniment of these congestions is tumefaction about the neck. The neck feels full. The collar must be opened as it causes choking, as if he would suffocate. Even in the chronic state in the one who stands upon the street corner not knowing his way home because of the surging of blood in the head, that state is accompanied by choking and the collar causes uneasiness about the neck like Lachesis He chokes and swells up under the ears. There is not only a sensation, but with the sensation there is actual swelling. Tumefaction about the neck and throat, under the chin, and the glands become swollen.
The next circumstance in the text that brings forth the general aspect of the remedy is in connection with the catamenia. The menstrual flow does not appear, it is delayed, with violent congestion to the head, violent headaches and these symptoms already described. These congestions may also come on during the menstrual period. Again, if a uterine hemorrhage stops suddenly, or a copious flow from any part stops suddenly, the patient comes down with great violence and the blood rushes to the head.
There are many conditions and complaints in life where we have surging of blood to the head, when this will be the remedy wanted. Persons who are subject to palpitation with dyspnea, upon any effort, he cannot go uphill, he cannot walk along the pavement without bringing on palpitation and dyspnea; any little exertion or excitement brings on the rush of blood to the heart and fainting spells; fainting, spells in women, who are not supposed to be subject to fainting. Great weakness, palpitation, trembling of the limbs, shaking of one or both hands as with palsy.
“Laborious action of the heart” is a strong feature of the remedy; pulsation all over.
Fluttering in the region of the heart. Pulse quick, irregular, slow or quick and wiry. There are some persons that are apparently plethoric; very much affected by the slightest exertion and who have pulsation all over; pulsation in a warm room. They are sometimes relieved by opening the window if it is cool, by fanning, by cold air, by cold applications to the head. In keeping with the remedy, this is clinical application of it:
“Children get sick in the night after sitting up at an open fire or falling asleep there.”
“Bad effects from having the hair cut.”
Bell. is generally thought of for taking cold in the head from having the hair cut.
“Bad effects from being exposed to the sun’s rays.”
“Bad effects from sunstroke.”
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.