The Phosphorus patient suffers from copious hemorrhages from the lungs in phthisical conditions, in inflammation, inflammation of the bronchial tubes with intense fever and violent shaking cough; the body trembles with the cough; tearing pains in the sternum with the cough; suffocation and constriction of the chest. Pain in the larynx. The expectoration may be blood-streaked or rust-colored as it is in pneumonia. It may be purulent. In the later stages it becomes thick, yellow, sweetish.
Phosphorus is a useful remedy in old bronchial catarrhs, in complaints that date from pneumonia or from bronchitis. Every cold settles in the chest. The lungs seem to be weak. Again, in hepatization during pneumonia with hard, dry, hacking cough; in hepatization of the lungs during pneumonia Phosphorus, Sulphur and Lycopodium are the most frequently indicated medicines.
Phosphorus is often the remedy to follow Arsenic when Arsenic has been suited to the restlessness, prostration, and anxiety that comes to a place where because of hepatization it is capable of accomplishing no more toward the cure of a case. If, then, the patient has thirst for ice-cold water, constriction of the chest, dry, hacking cough, paralytic weakness of the lungs, and expectoration of blood or frothy mucus Phosphorus is the best remedy.
In pneumonia, there may be burning in the chest, burning in the head, hot cheeks, and fever; gesticulation and delirium; violent thirst for ice-cold water; fan-like motion of the nose; difficult breathing; catchy inspiration; lying on the back with the head thrown far back; short, dry cough.
The carotids pulsate. Rawness in the chest; bruised feeling in the chest; pains are cutting; burning or sharp and tearing in the lungs when coughing. Suffocation, or inspiration almost impossible, especially at the beginning of hepatization when the face becomes livid and the features pointed with cold sweat and quick, hard pulse. Frothy expectoration in low forms of pneumonia known as typhoid pneumonia.
Threatened paralysis of the lungs. Again, Phosphorus is a useful remedy when tuberculosis is about to make its appearance, in persons who are narrow-chested, slender, and of feeble vitality. All colds settle in the chest. After each cold, much rattling, hard cough that shakes the whole body, in persons who are feeble, pale, sickly, and disposed to hemorrhages.
Cough comes on in cold air. Emaciation; emaciation of the chest and neck. Along with these conditions comes hectic fever in the last stages of phthisis; intense fever, red face, and night sweats; fever coming on in the afternoon and lasting until after midnight.
A powder of Phosphorus very high will reduce this fever and make the patient comfortable until death. In all incurable cases after the fever has been reduced, Phosphorus should not be given, as it will intensify the fever and do just what it was given to avoid. It is not uncommon for a crisis to follow the administration of Phosphorus. Prolonged sweat and diarrhea, these should never be interfered with as they will soon stop of their own accord and the patient will be left in a state of quietude.
Phosphorus is a dangerous medicine to give very high in some cases of phthisis, in the last stages of phthisis. In this case they should have received Phosphorus when they were yet curable. In these cases Phosphorus 30 th may sometimes be used with safety and it will act as a test in doubtful cases to see whether reaction can be brought about. In such cases where reaction can be brought about the administration later of a still higher potency may be found useful, but in the beginning with Phosphorus in phthisical cases far advanced it is better not to go higher than the 30 th or 200 th.
Phosphorus very low will act as a poison in really Phosphorus cases and the only safety some patients have had who have received Phosphorus so very low was due to the fact that the Phosphorus was not similar enough to either kill or cure.
Heart: Phosphorus has violent palpitation; worse from motion, and from lying on the left side especially in the evening; worse at night on waking, with orgasms of blood in the chest, accompanied by much suffocation.
Tightness in the chest and palpitation over the body; pressure in the region of the heart. Phosphorus has cured endocarditis. Phosphorus has cured enlargement of the heart and dilatation and also fatty degeneration. With fatty degeneration where there is much venous stagnation, puffiness of the face, particularly under the eyelids, Phosphorus is often the remedy.
In all of these cardiac affections thirst for very cold water will always be present. Internal heat; he wants something cold to cool his insides.
Violent orgasms of blood in the chest from every excitement, from worry, and from anticipation. Phosphorus has many neuralgic pains upon the outer chest and yellow brown spots.
Back and spine: There are many symptoms in the back; stiffness in the back and in the back of the neck, between the shoulders, and in the small of the back.
Stiffness on rising from a seat. Sensation of intense heat in the back running up the back. The patient complains of a hot spine.
Soreness in places up and down the spine; soreness to touch between the! shoulders; pulsations in various places in the back and in the whole spine.
The coccyx is sensitive to pressure; pain in the coccyx as if ulcerated, preventing motion. Pain in the back during menstruation and during confinement as if the back would break. Spinal affections and inflammations, Weakness of the limbs after mental exertion, prolonged physical exertion, being overheated, sunstroke and sexual excesses; paralytic weakness. Myelitis; softening of the spine; progressive spinal paralysis.
Phosphorus has been a useful remedy in locomotor ataxia, palliating many of the symptoms; the pains; restoring the reflexes. Phosphorus is often suitable and restrains the progress in multiple sclerosis where there is much weakness and trembling of the extremities. Phosphorus has cured caries of the vertebrae in scrofulous children. Phosphorus is a broad remedy in various diseases of the spine.
Limbs: In the limbs we have paralytic weakness extending to both arms and legs, with trembling and numbness; paralysis of one or of both lower extremities or of the upper extremities with trembling and numbness.
The hands and arms become very cold. The limbs emaciate and the veins become distended; the arms burn; periodical constriction of the fingers; numbness increasing to complete insensibility of the fingers; finger tips feel numb and insensible.
Great restlessness in the lower limbs; weariness in the lower limbs; weakness in the lower limbs, especially observed on walking, unsteady and trembling gait; paralysis of the lower limbs. Acute inflarnmation of the joints of the knees and hip joint.
Burning, tearing pains in the limbs from exposure to cold, Rheumatism of the joints and muscles; stiffness of the joints on becoming cold. All complaints of the limbs are ameliorated by heat, while complaints of the head and stomach are ameliorated by cold. The complaints of the chest are ameliorated by heat. The lower limbs are covered with foetid sweat, The lower limbs are gangrenous. Inflammation of the periosteum of the tibia. Ulcers upon the lower limbs; feet icy-cold.
The Phosphorus patient wants to lie down; exhausted; he is unable to walk; staggers when walking from weakness and from vertigo. A gradual progressing weakness creeps over him; weakness; trembling; faintness.
Jerking and twitching of the muscles; spasms of the paralyzed parts. Epilepsy; convulsions; neuralgic pains of the various parts of the body and of the limbs especially, ameliorated by heat. It has cured multiple neuritis.
Sleep: Restless sleep; starts in sleep; feels in the morning as if he has not kept enough, yet most of the complaints and aches are ameliorated by sleep, especially the head symptoms; walks in his sleep.
He sleeps on the right side. Lying on the left side causes anxiety and pain in the heart and palpitation. Late falling to sleep in the evening; lies awake thinking about the affairs of the day and borrowing trouble. Phosphorus is a usual remedy in low forms of typhoid fever on the symptoms previously mentioned.
Skin: There are many eruptions in Phosphorus.
The eruptions are dry and scaly; dry furfuraceous herpes; blood blisters; purple spots; yellow spots on the chest and abdomen; formication and itching in the paralyzed parts; numbness of the skin; irregular brown spots upon the body; psoriasis of the knees, legs, elbows, and eyebrows; hives and blood boils; phlegmonous inflammation.
Chronic suppurating openings with hectic fever; fistulous openings; ulcers bleed on appearance of the menses; deep eating ulcers; indolent ulcers; malignant ulcers.
Very useful in cancerous ulcers that bleed and take on fungous appearance and in low forms of scarlet fever where the rash is very dusky or disappears and suppuration begins in various places about the neck or upon the extremities or upon the ends of the fingers and there is violent thirst for cold water, purple appearance in the throat, and dry, hacking, shaking cough.
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.