Apis [Apis]
Throat bright-red, puffy, “varnished”. Uvula long; oedematous.
Nothing must touch throat (Lachesis).
Arsenicum Album [Ars]
Membrane looks dry, shrivelled. The Arsenicum anxiety, restlessness and prostration are present.
Worse at night: 1-2 a.m.
Chilliness: incessant thirst for small quantities.
Baptisia [Bapt]
Putridity: with dull red face; drowsiness; patient as if drugged.
Membrane dark: dry brown tongue.
Diphtherinum [Diph]
When the attack from the onset tends to malignancy.
Painless diphtheria. Symptoms almost, or entirely objective.
Patient weak, apathetic. Stupor.
Dark-red swelling of tonsils and throat.
Breath and discharges very offensive (Mercurius cy.).
Membrane thick, dark-grey or brownish black.
Temperature low, or subnormal. Pulse weak and rapid. Vital reaction very low.
Epistaxis, or profound prostration from the onset. Collapse almost at the very beginning.
Swallows without pain, but fluids are vomited or returned through nose.
Laryngeal diphtheria; post-diphtheric paralysis. (Causticum, Cocc., Gelsemium and Lycopodium.)
When the patient from the first seems doomed, and the most carefully-selected remedies fail to relieve, or, permanently improve.
To remove persistent diphtheria-organisms, in “carriers”.
Like all the nosodes, it is practically worthless below the 30th potency while its curative virtues increase with the higher potencies. It should not be repeated too frequently.
Kali Bichromicum [Kali-bi]
Nasal diphtheria: ropy discharges.
Exudation tough and firmly adherent.
Lac Caninum [Lac-c]
Patients nervous, imaginative, highly sensitive.
Skin hypersensitive (Lachesis). Touch unbearable, though hard pressure gives no pain.
Membrane pearly, or silver white.
Milky coating on tongue.
Characteristic feature is alternation of sides.
Pain will jump back and forth from side to side.
Lachesis Muta [Lach]
Membrane starts on left side, spreads to right.
Face and throat look cyanotic. Choking.
Cold things more easily swallowed than hot.
Great sensitiveness of neck and throat, so that patient cannot stand the touch of bedclothes, and pulls neck of night attire open.
General and local aggravation from heat, and all symptoms are worse after sleep. The longer the sleep, the worse he is on walking.
Characteristics are loquacity and suspicion.
Lycopodium [Lyc]
Patient worse from 4 to 8 p.m.
Starts in nose (Kali bic.) or right side throat, spreads to left.
Warm drinks more easily swallowed: but reverse sometimes the case.
Movement of nostrils.
Diminished urine or copious sediment of urates, or fine red sand.
Mercurius Cyanatus [Merc-cy]
Fairly rapid onset, with prostration.
One or both sides of throat affected.
Membrane spreads rapidly over entire throat.
Colour white, yellow, or greenish.
Tongue thickly coated, moist; salivation.
Odour always putrid. Hot sweats.
Tepid liquids better swallowed than hot or cold.
Patient (generally) worse late evening at night.
Has also proved curative in Vincent’s Angina.
Phytolacca [Phyt]
Frequently indicated.
Membrane grey or white, may start on vulva.
May spread from right tonsil to left (Lycopodium). but, unlike Lycopodium, the pain is worse from heat.
Fauces dark-red: complains of lump in throat; or as if red-hot ball had stuck in throat.
Pain goes to ear.
