MOSCHUS


Hahnemann’s proving symptoms of homeopathy remedy Moschus from Materia Medica Pura, which Samuel Hahnemann wrote between 1811 to 1821 …


(Musk.)

(From vol. I, 3rd edit., 1830.)

(The unctuous substance contained in the hairy bag situated behind the navel of the musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), inhabiting the mountainous parts of Asia, is dried to the greenish musk of commence.)

The following symptoms, which it would be desirable to see increased to greater completeness, give us some indications of a very powerful substance with qualities not met with in any other drug.

Hitherto only a very empirical use has been made of musk, and especially in these latter times it has been so universally abused by being given in large expensive doses to dying persons, that it has been universally ridiculed by the public.

If we knew the exact kinds of convulsions that musk is capable of producing, which, however, have been only indicated by this one word by medical authors, according to their usual custom, we might determine the cases of some convulsive affections of children in which this drug might be homoeopathically servicable.

That it is a useful remedy in various kinds of tetanus we learn from the very precise experiences of LENTIN, ZANETTI, MORGENSTERN, ROBOL and others. In these cases musk acts homoeopathically as we can see from its peculiar symptoms.

We shall learn great curative powers from it in the tense, tonic spasmodic conditions of most hypochondriacal persons, provided we do not use it in the large doses hitherto employed, but in the smallest highly potentized doses at all events as a homoeopathic intermediate remedy.

For this purpose a grain of good musk is triturated with three times 100 grains of milk sugar for three hours up to the million-fold powder attenuation, and the solution of one grain of this in 100 drops of diluted alcohol, after two successions, is further brought through 25 dilution phials (each filled to two thirds, by 100 drops of alcohol up to the decillion-fold potency (according to the directions in the second part of the Chronic Diseases).A small globule moistened with this is the appropriate homoeopathic dose.

Its power of exciting the sexual function is primary action, and it produces the opposite condition in its secondary action; so that persons who carry musk about them, in order to make them smell pleasantly, weaken themselves by the continual influence of this powerful perfume on the nerves, and cause a number of nervous excitations.

The smell of musk communicated to clothes and vessels, remains for ever so many years, and is hardly to be got rid of by the aid of heat, wherefore such things ought to be carefully removed from patients affected by chronic disease.

[HAHNEMANN was aided in this proving by GROSS, FRIEDRICH HAHNEMANN, and STAPF.

Symptoms are derived from the following old-school authorities:

BARTHOLIN, TH., Epist. Medorrhinum, Cent. ii.

BOECLER, Adnot. ad Herrmanni Cynos. Mat. Medorrhinum

BOERHAAVE, De Morb, Nerv.

BOYLE, rob., de Insigni Effl. Effic,

CARTHEUSER, Fundam Mat. Medorrhinum

CRANZ, H. J. N., Mat. Medorrhinum, i.

CRELL, LOR., in Baldonger’s magaz., vii.

CULLEN,Mat. Medorrhinum, i.

FULLER, Pharm. Extemp.

HEMANN, J. A., Medorrhinum Aufsatz. Berlin, 1778.

HOFFMANN, FR., Medorrhinum rat. Syst., iii.

LOESEKE, Mat. Medorrhinum

MEAD, Monita med.

MEDICUS, F. C., Samml. v. Beobacht. A. d. Arzn., ii.

MERCURIALIS, H., De Compos. Medorrhinum, i.

MORGENSTERN, in Nova acta Nat. Cur., iv, 1770.

PELARGUS, Obs., ii.

PIDERIT, Pharm. Rat.

ERIL, Erkenntniss u. Kur d. Fieb., iv.

RIEDLIN, Lin. Medorrhinum

ROLFINCK, Epist. Meth. Cogn. Et Curand. M., Cap. de Cap. dol.

SANCTORIUS, Comment. In Artem. Medorrhinum Gal.

SCHROECK, LUCAS, Hist Moschi. Aug. Vindel, 1682.

SENNERT, Medorrhinum pr., lib. iv.

SYLVIUS, JAC., Meth Medic. Comp. et Simpl, i. cap. de Animalibus.

TRALLES, B. L., de Mosch laudibus et abusu limitandis is medela morborum, Vratisl., 1783.

VOGEL., Hist. Mat. Medorrhinum

WALL., in Philosoph. Transact., no. 474.

WEDEL, G. W., Ameon. Mat. Medorrhinum

WEICKHARD, Medorrhinum pract. Handbuch. Heilbronn und Rothenb., 1798, 1799.

WHYTT, ROB., Works.

The 1st edit. Has 39 symptoms, the 2nd and 3rd 152.]

MOSCHUS

Vertigo. [CARTHEUSER, Fundum. Mat. Medorrhinum, p. 380.]

He has a feeling in the head like vertigo. (From two grains in powder.)

On the slightest movement of the head, giddy swaying before the eyes, as if something moved rapidly up and down (immediately), merely from smelling). (From two grains rubbed up with sugar and water, given in three doses in two days.) [Stf.]

Whirling in the forehead and before the eyes, worse on stooping (aft. 1/8 h.). [Stf.]

5. Vertigo with nausea, so that he must lie down; at the same time longing for black coffee (aft. 30 h.). [Fr.H-n.]

Stupefaction of the brain. [B. L. TRALLES, De Moschi laudibus et abusu limitandis in medala morborum, Vratisl. 1783-8. (Observations.) ]

Stupefying, compressive headache on a small spot, just above the root of the nose (aft. 1 h.).

He feels sometimes as if his senses would leave him, with general stupefying pressure on the brain, like a compression. [Gss.]

Confusion of the head, its upper part seems to him stretched, but painless. [Gss.]

Confusion of the head as from intoxication. [TRALLES, l. c.]

Headache. [CARTHEUSER, l. c. – LUCAS SCHROCK. Hist. Moschi, Aug. Vindel., 1682. (General statement.) – Rolfinck, Epist. Meth. Cogn. Et Curand. M. cap. de cap. dol. (Obsevation of effect of odour.) ]

Violent headache. [ROB. BOYLE, De Insignni Effl. Effic. Cap. 6. (Observation of effect of odour.) ]

15. During strong movement of the head, e.g. on going upstairs, a painful feeling therein (aft. 4 h.). [Stf.]

Heaviness in the head. [TRALLES, l. c. – Fr.H-n. ]

Heavy feeling in the head (aft. ½ h.). [Stf.]

Her whole head is painful; she has drawing here and there, extending to the nape, where it is tensive; better in the open air, much worse in the room (aft. 1 h.). [Stf.]

Painful drawing in the head, from the occiput into the ears and from the ears to the teeth, more in the right side (aft. 3 h.). [Stf.]

20. In the temple, slight quick drawing. [Gss.]

Spasmodic drawing through the whole head. [Gss.]

Transient drawing aching in the right temple. [Gss.]

On the head and upper part of the forehead general pressure. [Gss.]

Just above the supra-orbital ridge, as if a blunt body were there pressed into the brain. [Gss.]

25. On the left eyebrow, stupefying pressure. [Gss.]

The blood mounts to the head. [SANCTORIUS, Comment. In Artem Medorrhinum gal., § 71. Observation of effect of odour). ]

In the forehead, slight shooting. [Stf.]

Itching here and there on the hairy scalp, going off after scratching. [Gss.]

A smarting in the eyes, as from smoke, with lachrymation (immediately from the smell). [Stf.]

30. Itching in the eyes, so that she must rub them (aft. ½ h.). [Stf.]

Dimness before the eyes. [Stf.]

Heat in the face with dimness before the eyes. [Stf.]

Heat in the face with dimness before the eyes. [Stf.]

Transient pressure on the zygomatic arch, frequently recurring. [Gss.]

On the right zygoma transient, cooling burning (aft. 28 h.). [Gss.]

35. Sudden, transient rushing in the ear, as from the fluttering wing of a large bird, now in the right, now in the left ear (aft. 60 h.). [Gss.]

Epistaxis. [SCHROECK, l. c. – BOECLER, Adnot ad Herrmani Cynos. Mat. Medorrhinum, p. 10 (General statement.) ]

Instantaneous epistaxi, from the smell. [H. MERCURIALIS, De Compos. Medorrhinum, I, Cap. 15. (Observation of effect of inhalation.) ]

Sensation on the tip of the nose, as from the crawling of an insect, which he often tries to wipe away ineffectually, until it goes off spontaneously (aft. 28 h.). [Gss.]

Everything tastes alike; milk has not taste. [Stf.]

40. Repeated, strong, audible eructation of air. [Gss.]

Eructation of air, combined with rising of a tasteless fluid into the mouth. [Gss.]

Scraping sensation up the oesophagus, like heartburn, with some nausea as in water-brash. [Gss.]

Nausea seemed to rise up from the scrobiculus cordis, during which the navel was retracted, with cramp-like sensation.[Fr.H-n.]

On account of nausea and headache, she must go to bed on two afternoons. [Fr.H-n.]

45. Nausea by fits, for six successive days. [Fr.H-n.]

Sickness, morning (aft. 22 h.). and evening (aft. 9 h.). [Stf.]

Vomiting. [MORGENSTER, in Nova. Acta. Nat. Cur., iv, 1770. (All the symptoms referred to this author (wrongly given as “Morgenbesser”) are such as he has seen cured by Moschus (p. 239.) ]

It feels too tight about his scrobiculus cordis, with smarting burning feeling of soreness, everyday after dinner, for three successive days. [Fr.H-n.]

Stomachache. [MORGENSTERN, l. c.]

50. Feeling of fulness in the gastric region, increased by even moderate eating (aft. 3 h.). [Stf.]

Some pressure on the left side near the scrobiculus cordis. [Gss.]

In and above the scrobiculus cordis (in the chest) pain, particularly on inspiration, combined with anxiety in the chest (aft. 6 h.). [Gss.]

Tensive aching in the gastric region with some painfulness of the abdomen; the tensive aching extended after half an hour to the whole of the abdomen (aft. 1.1/2, 2 h.). [Stf.]

In the right side under the short ribs, fine, sharp, transient stitches, almost like fine pinching compelling him to rub. [Gss.]

Samuel Hahnemann
Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) was the founder of Homoeopathy. He is called the Father of Experimental Pharmacology because he was the first physician to prepare medicines in a specialized way; proving them on healthy human beings, to determine how the medicines acted to cure diseases.

Hahnemann's three major publications chart the development of homeopathy. In the Organon of Medicine, we see the fundamentals laid out. Materia Medica Pura records the exact symptoms of the remedy provings. In his book, The Chronic Diseases, Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homoeopathic Cure, he showed us how natural diseases become chronic in nature when suppressed by improper treatment.