INTRODUCTION
SIL – Silica. See Hahnemann’s “Chronic Diseases,” V.
COMPARE WITH
Alumina, Ambr., Am., Belladonna, Bovista, Calcarea, Carb-a., Causticum, Cyclamen, Cicuta, Cin., Drosera, Graphites, Ignatia, Hepar, Kali., Lachesis, Lycopodium, Magn., Mercurius, Natr., Petroleum, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Rhododendron, Rhus-tox., Ranun., Scel., Sabina, Sarsaparilla, Sepia, Spigelia, Sulphur, Veratrum Silicea is sometimes particularly suitable after: Calcarea, Hepar, Lycopodium, Sulphur After Silicea are frequently suitable: Hepar, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Sepia
ANTIDOTE
Camph., Hepar, Sil antidotes : Mercurius, Sulphur
GENERAL SYMPTOMS
Chronic ailments from abuse of Mercury. Hysteric affections. Muscular weakness of children, and difficulty of learning to walk. Chronic rheumatism and arthritis. Phlegmonous inflammation. Scrofula and rachitis, also with enlarged head and slowly closing fontanelles. Severe bone-pain, now here, now there, particularly early on rising, before moving about. Drawing in the limbs, also with lacerating and sticking, or cramp-like drawing, or particularly in the ears, jaws, hands and tibiae. Nightly sticking in all the joints. All the muscles are painful during motion. Painfulness of the whole body. Bruised pain in the limbs. Ulcerative pain in the whole side of the body on which he is resting, with constant chilliness when uncovering himself ever so little, insufferable thirst, and frequent flushes of heat in the head.
CHARACTERISTIC PECULIARITIES
Most of the symptoms of Silicea seem to make their appearance about new moon. The pains are increased by motion.
SKIN
Great irritability and painful sensitiveness of the skin when touching it. Itching of the back, scapulae, and thighs. Itching and biting of the whole body. Eruption over the whole body, resembling varicella, accompanied, preceded, and followed by violent itching. Rose-colored blotches in leprous patients. Pain in the ulcer, as if subcutaneous. Aching pain in the ulcer on the leg. Paralytic pain. Paroxysms. Spasms of the arms and lower limbs lacerating in the joints and soles, with jerks in the feet like St. Vitus’ dance. Shocks through the whole body. Jerking of the limbs day and night. Epileptic fit, at night. Trembling of all the limbs in the morning, especially of the arms, which feel paralyzed. Great stiffness of the limbs. Stiffness of the black, and small of the back, after sitting. Deadness of the hands and feet. Pinching in the abdomen. Heaviness of the lower limbs. Great liability to cold. Heaviness of the upper and lower limbs, as if filled with lead. Weakness of the back, and paralytic feeling in the lower limbs.
SLEEP.
Much yawning. Great drowsiness. Uneasy sleep, with out pain. Frequent waking, with chilliness. Congestion of blood to the head at night. Seething of the blood at night; throbbing in all the arteries. Heat in the head, also with sleepiness, or with vertigo during sleep. He wakes after midnight, with burning in the stomach and inclination to vomit. Dry night-cough occasioning, even, vomiting and a sweat as from anguish. Pain in the small of
the back, as if bruised, at night. Oppressive headache at night. Vertigo with nausea, at night, when dreaming. Exhausting nightly diarrhoea. Great weakness at night, unto fainting. Nightly pain in the small of the back and in the shoulder. He wakes with anguish and a stupefying vertigo. He wakes with a quicker pulse, palpitation of the heart, feeling of heat, eructations, and pressure in the pit of the stomach; afterwards retching; with discharge of bitter mucus. Uneasy sleep and frequent waking with chilliness. Frightful fancies before her eyes at night. Restless sleep, with frequent waking and many dreams. Frequent dreams and exclamations during sleep. Bad dreams with violent weeping.
FEVER.
Violent chilliness in the evening. Chilliness at every motion. Dry heat and thirst. Feverish heat, the whole night, with violent thirst and panting breathing. Violent heat and redness of the face, with cold hands and feet. Hectic fever, particularly during a long suppuration. Worm-fever of scrofulous individuals. Fever of dentition. Sweat during moderate walking. Morning-sweat. Night-sweat, especially on the trunk. Profuse general night- sweat. Exhausting sweat.
MORAL SYMPTOMS.
Desponding and melancholy. Discouragement. Want of cheerfulness. Weeping mood. Anxiousness and ill-humor. Great tendency to start. Obstinate. Dissatisfied. Yielding. Note disposed to work. Indifferent and apathetic.
SENSORIUM.
Forgetfulness, want of memory. Great absence of mind. Difficulty of thinking. Fixed ideas. Dullness of the head and bruised feeling of the body. Feels as if intoxicated. Painless dullness of the head, as if it contained too much blood. Vertigo with retching. Constant violent vertigo. Stupefying vertigo in the morning, or vertigo with inclination to vomit. Violent vertigo in the morning with nausea. Gloominess and vertigo in the head.
