Many patients have carphologia, as it is called, picking at the bed clothes or his lips or at flocks. The remedies having these symptoms are Arnica, Arsenicum, Cocc., Colchicum, Helleborus, Hyoscyamus, Lycopodium, Phos-ac. Phosphorus, Psorinum, Rhus-t., Stramonium, Sulphur, Zincum met. They all make such motions, but if it is observed that he picks his bleeding lips, regardless of the fact that they are raw and sore and bleeding, and he tears off the crusts and still they bleed, and yet he picks them, Arum triphyllum is of great importance and must be added to the list, for it has this symptom along with two remedies already included, Phos-ac., and Zincum. If the physician continues to gaze, he observes the stupor. This state of stupor, profound or otherwise, is covered by quite an extensive list of remedies, such as: Arnica, Arsenicum, Baptisia, Bryonia, Carb-v., Cocc., Colchicum, Crot. horridus, Gelsemium, Helleborus, Hyoscyamus, Lachesis, Laur.. Lycopodium, Mur-ac., Opium, Petroleum, Ph-ac., Phosphorus, Rhus-t., Secale, Stramonium, Sulphur, Sul-ac., Veratrum, Zincum met. They have varying degrees of prostration and if we had time it would be delightful to go through them all, but I Will mention only a few. The peculiar prostration of Baptisia is noticed very early: the patient will be lying upon the right side quite stupid, quite prostrated, hardly able to answer, but usually he can be aroused. Sometimes he will finish what he is saying, but oftener he will not finish the sentence he has begun but will drop back into sleep or stupor, in the midst of it. The stupor of Muriatic acid is especially worthy of consideration, as it comes on gradually and is attended with a great degree of prostration. It comes on late in the progress of the disease, because it succeeds the muscular prostration which we will speak of later. In contra-distinction to this, Phos-ac. becomes stupid early in the progress of the disease, and from the stupor of mind he progresses toward weakness of body, and hence we observe in Phos-ac., that which is peculiar, viz., copious diarrhoea of a watery character that is often cerebral, and yet there is no evidence of prostration. The physician wonders how such a copious watery ejection of fluid can be present without prostration, it is a nervous diarrhoea.
If the physician gazes sufficiently long he notices, also, the muscles and of parts trembling all over, quivering, jerkings, twitchings, called subsultus tendinum. The trembling early expressed is a strong indication of a severe nervous state quite analogous to Zincum, but if it is primarily of the tongue that the trembling is noticed, and not especially of other parts, it is found under Arsenicum, Gelsemium, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Phosphorus, Rhus-t., Secale, Stramonium, Zincum met. In Lachesis the tongue trembles on putting it out, and the sensation of trembling of the tongue in the mouth is also Lachesis. If, when he attempts to talk the lips quiver, that is, the effort at motion makes the lips quiver, we must study Lachesis, Phosphorus, Stramonium, and Zincum met.
A great degree of weakness is present when the jaw falls down, so that the mouth is wide open, and the tongue shows its bleeding and sordes. This patient will soon show a tendency to slide down in the bed with a great degree of paralytic weakness. For the symptom, jaw hangs down, we find the following: Arnica, Arsen., Baptisia, Carb-v., Colchicum, Helleborus, Hyoscyamus, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mur-ac., Opium, Phosphorus, Secale, Stramonium, Sulphur, Zincum met.
The patient’s expression will also be observed by the physician. When he sees an expression of anxiety depicted upon his countenance then these remedies come into his mind: Ars, Baptisia, Crot. horridus, Lycopodium, nitricum acidum, Stramonium, Sul-ac.; but if the patient puts on an appearance as if he had been intoxicated, looking as if he had been on a debauch, he must consult Baptisia, Cocc., Gelsemium, Lachesis, Mur-ac., Opium, Stramonium If he tries to rouse the patient and get him into conversation he may rouse up perfectly bewildered, and then the physician thinks of Nux-m., Phos- ac., Stramonium, Zincum met. Or he sees that the patient gazes off in one corner in a vacant, fixed look, says nothing, answers no questions. This is like Arnica, Cocc., Opium, Phosphorus, Stramonium, Sul-ac. For the idiotic expression seen in some patients he must study Lachesis, Laur., Lycopodium, Secale, Stramonium The look of a typhoid patient is said to be sometimes very similar to a vacant stare, then it is that Cocc., Phos-ac., and Stramonium are to be examined to see if all the rest of the symptoms agree.
As the physician looks into the mouth he sees the gums and the teeth and the tongue, and he finds that brown exuded blood has dried upon the various parts and upon the lips. Sordes are built upon the teeth, containing decomposing blood, and here we find in a high degree the following remedies Indicated: Arsenicum, Baptisia, Bryonia, China, Gelsemium, Hyoscyamus, Mur-ac., Phos-ac., Phosphorus, Rhus-t., Secale, Stramonium, Sul-ac. If the tongue is more particularly examined, and it is found to be black, and the blood that exudes is particularly black, such remedies as Arsenicum, Carb-v., China, Hyoscyamus, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Opium, Phosphorus, Secale, Sul-ac., are to be thought of. When the tongue is more brown than black Arsenicum, Baptisia, Bryonia, Carb-v., China, Colchicum, Hyoscyamus, Kali-ph., Lachesis, Lycopodium, Phosphorus, Rhus-t., Secale, Sulphur, Sul-ac., must be examined. The tongue is sometimes very red later on in the stages of typhoid. After it has cleaned off its thick heavy exudations it becomes very red, sometimes glistening with red sides, sometimes with red tip, but if generally red- Arsenicum, Baptisia, Colchicum, Crot. horridus, Gelsemium, Hyoscyamus, Kali-bi., Lachesis, Lycopodium, nitricum acidum, Phosphorus, Rhus-t., can be thought of; they all have red tongue. Later in the disease after the fever has to great extent subsided, or even though there still be fever, the tongue becomes denuded, is glossy, shiny, looking as if varnished, a glistening tongue, then we must examine Kali-bi., Lachesis, Phosphorus When there is a very red stripe down the center of the tongue Kali- bi., Phosphorus, Phos-ac., Verat-v., become useful. When the tongue becomes very red and dry at the tip, Arsenicum, Lachesis, Lye., nitricum acidum, Rhus-t., Sul-ac., become very important. Perhaps you may have noticed in these zymotic states that the tongue is generally dark brown or red, very seldom white or yellow; the yellow tongue belongs more to bilious or remittent fever. The tongue is generally dark, and in the more violent forms of the disease, blackish or brown. With the very heavily coated dark tongue, where these exudations pile up the following remedies will be found useful: Arnica, Arsenicum, Baptisia, Bryonia, Carb-v., Cocc., Kali-bi., Lachesis, Mur-ac., nitricum acidum, Phosphorus, Phos-ac., Rhus-t., Secale. In very low forms of advanced typhoid with a great degree of prostration after the fever has somewhat subsided leaving a state of tremulous prostration, the tongue becomes cold and it is said often by the patient that the tongue feels cold; it is then that such remedies as the following must be examined: Carb-v., Laur., Veratrum, Zinc, When it feels cold to the touch of the physician, Arsenicum, Carb-v., Colchicum, Laur., Phos-ac., Veratrum, Zincum met., are the remedies. Then again the tongue becomes cracked, bleeds and is raw; oozing of blood appears about the mouth, about the tongue and upon the lips; for this bleeding, cracked appearance of the tongue, the following remedies must be examined: Arsenicum, Arum-t., Baptisia, Carb-v., China, Crot. horridus, Hyoscyamus, Kali-bi., Lachesis, Lye., Mur-ac., nitricum acidum, Phosphorus, Rhus-t.
In some cases of typhoid either early or later in the disease, the tongue is as dry as chips, as dry as leather, dark brown or very black and it is tough like leather or wood. The patient has almost no use of it. This is found in the following remedies: Arsenicum, Arum-t., Baptisia, Bryonia, Carb-v., China, Cocc., Helleborus, Hyoscyamus, Kali-bi., Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mur-ac., nitricum acidum, Nux-m., Phosphorus, Phos-ac., Rhus- t., Secale, Sul-ac., Veratrum If particularly the centre is dry as a board and withered, and upon the sides it is moist, looking more like a tongue, we think of Baptisia, Crot. horridus, Lachesis, Phosphorus, Stramonium, Sul-ac.
The physician then brings in his nose for the further consideration of his patient. The putrid odours from the mouth that the physician observes, call especially for Arnica, Arsenicum, Arum-t., Baptisia, Bryonia, Carb-v., Crot. horridus, Kali-bi., Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mur-ac., nitricum acidum, Phosphorus, Rhus-t., Secale, Stramonium
In this way we consider what has been observed by the physician himself throughout the entire body and appearance of the patient, and next we proceed to examine what the nurse has to say concerning this patient. The physician cannot examine all of the passages from the bowels and bladder, and he must rely upon what the nurse can relate concerning the things that take place during his absence; these, of course, are very numerous, but a few general things can be talked about. The diarrhoea, when it is of a nondescript character or a mere typhoid diarrhoea, coming as a pathognomonic part of the disease, is not a very important feature, but at times it becomes very severe, very exhaustive, and then the time of the aggravation must be considered. Some have the diarrhoea only at night, like China; some have it in the day time only, like Petroleum; some have it day and night, and of these exhaustive diarrhoeas, the feature which is of most importance is the involuntary nature. Involuntary diarrhoea is found under Arnica, Arsenicum, Baptisia, Bryonia, Carb-v., Colchicum, Crot. horridus, Gelsemium, Helleborus, Hyoscyamus, Lachesis, Laur., Mur-ac., Opium, Phosphorus, Phos-ac., Rhus-t., Secale, Sul-ac., Veratrum Quite a list to be examined, but the physician must examine well all of these. Sometimes we have a still greater degree of prostration in which there is involuntary discharge of both stool and urine, taking place simultaneously, and then Arnica, Arsenicum, Carb-v., Colchicum, Hyoscyamus, Laur., Mur-ac., Phos-ac., Phosphorus, Rhus- t., Secale, Stramonium, must all be looked into. Copious flow of blood with the stool, hemorrhage from the bowels, will require an examination of the following remedies: Arnica, Arsenicum, Carb-v., China, Colchicum, Crot. horridus, Kali-bi., Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mur-ac., nitricum acidum, Phosphorus, Rhus-t., Secale, Sul-ac.
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.