6. THE ERUPTIONS OF ACUTE SPECIFIC DISEASES (ZYMOTIC)



The indications for remedies are as follows:

Aconite.-During the febrile stage at the beginning, headache, epistaxis, injected eyes and frequent pulse.

Anxious restlessness. Pain in the back and aching in the limbs. Apprehension of a fatal issue. Excessive thirst.

Ammon carb.-Hemorrhagic diathesis, from fluidity of blood and dissolution of red blood-corpuscles; tendency to gangrenous ulcerations.

Ammonium mur.-Eruption well developed upon trunk and upper extremities, but scanty on lower ones; sore throat, with swelling about neck; hemorrhages.

Antimon. crud.-Gastric state, with vomiting and heavily coated tongue, especially during prodromal stage.

Apis mel.-Erysipelatous redness and swelling, with stinging, burning pains in skin and throat; absence of thirst; scanty micturition; at a later period great dyspnoea; sensation as though he would not be able to breathe again; great restlessness; suppression of urinary secretion.

Arsenic.-Asthenic cases, with great sinking of strength; burning heat; frequent small pulse; great thirst; great restlessness; irregularly developed variola, with typhoid tendency; hemorrhagic variola, or when the pustules sink in and their areolae grow livid; metastasis to mouth and throat in last part of eruptive period.

Baptisia.-Typhoid symptoms; fetid breath; pustules appear thickly upon palatine arch, tonsils, uvula, and in nasal cavities, but scantily upon skin; profuse salivation; great prostration, with excessive pains in sacral region. After taking the drug appetite improves and the patient is able to take and to retain nourishment.

Belladonna.-During first stage, high fever with cerebral congestion; intense swelling of skin and of mucous membranes, with tickling cough, dysuria, and the tenesmus of bladder; sleeplessness, with desire to sleep; delirium and convulsions; photophobia; ophthalmia. During later stage Belladonna modifies the itching of the desiccating pustules.

Bryonia.-Brings out the eruption when it is delayed, or when it suddenly disappears. In the first stage with gastric symptoms, or after the eruption is out, if ascites sets in, very cross and irritable; wants to lie still; dry mouth without thirst, or else wants large quantities at long intervals. Constipation of hard, dry stools.

Camphora.-Sudden collapse, with coldness of the surface; the swelling of the skin suddenly sinks in, and the pustules seem to dry up, from the complete giving out of the life forces; excessive weakness; the patient, though cold, cannot bear to be covered.

Calcarea sulph.-Pustules discharging matter.

Cantharis.-Hemorrhagic state; patient passes bloody urine, with cutting burning pains; burning pains through whole intestinal canal, with unquenchable thirst and disgust for all kinds of drinks.

Carbolic acid.-Dr. Middleton believes this drug to be as near a specific for variola as it is possible for any drug to be for any disease, and even in the hemorrhagic variety, if used early, there will be greater prospects of recovery than with any other drug known. He employs the IX. When given at an early stage of the disease, Dr. Montefero has found that the pustules fail to develop; they shrink and dry up after a few days without any swelling of the subcutaneous tissue. In the suppurative stage it moderates the fever, and lessens the suffering in the mouth and pharynx. The urine turns black when standing, and in some cases shows some traces of albumin.

Carbo veg.-Asthenic variola, with cold breath and excessive prostrations; great desire for fresh air; livid purple look of the eruptions; hippocratic face.

Chamomilla. Great fretfulness of children during eruptive stage, with the usual impatience and coldness.

China.-Variola hemorrhagic, with great exhaustion from the copious painful stools; excessive debility and prostration after a severe attack.

Cimicifuga.-In the precursory stage, for the muscular rheumatoid pains; during eruptive fever great wakefulness, mental excitement as if the brain would burst out; dull heavy aching in small of back, relieved by rest, increased by motion; excessive muscular soreness; prickling itching heat of the whole surface; eruption of white pustules over face and neck; it modifies the disease, prevents the development of pustules, and thus reduces the danger of pitting.

Coffea.-Restlessness and bilious vomiting at the commencement of the disease.

Cuprum.-Convulsions preceding the eruption; vomiting, delirium, sopor.

Ferrum.-Fiery redness of the face after recovery.

Gelsemium.-Predominance of nervous symptoms, as nervous chills, restlessness; intense and painful fever at the commencement of disease, with tendency to convulsions.

Hamamelis.-Hemorrhagic variola; blood dark, venous; oozing of dark blood from nose; bleeding gums, hematemesis, bloody stools; uterine hemorrhage, petechiae; tearing pains across the small of back, with fulness of the joints of the legs; typhoid condition. (If Hamamelis fails, try Crot. horr.).

Hepar.-Loose, rattling cough, without expectoration; suppurative stage; swelling and suppuration of the glands. Hydrastis.-Itching tingling of eruption, face swollen, throat sore, pustules dark, great prostration; buccal cavity full of pustules; pulse slow and labored, with palpitation of heart; intense aching pain in small of back, legs feel very weak and ache; is said to prevent pitting to a great degree.

Hyoscyamus.-Eruption fails to appear at the proper time, causing great nervous excitement, with rage, anguish, delirium, coming on in paroxysms; patient wants constantly to get out of bed and to be uncovered (hyperaesthesia of skin); vesicles coming out in crops; restless sleep; slight fever; dry teasing cough, relieved by sitting up.

Ipecac.-Gastricismus during eruptive stage, with constant nausea.

Kali mur.-Controls the formation of pustules.

Kali phos.-Putrid conditions, heavy odor, exhaustion and stupor. Adynamic symptoms indicating blood decomposition.

Kali sulph.-To promote the formation of healthy skin and the falling off of the crusts. Malandrinum 30x was used during the epidemic of 1880-I with great success as a preventive as well as a curative agent. It prevented the suppurative fever, or lessened it at least to a considerable degree, and took away all offensive exhalation.

Mercurius.-Variola in the stage of maturation; ptyalism; tendency of blood to head; irritation of mucous membranes; moist swollen tongue, with great thirst; diarrhoea or dysentery, with tenesmus, especially during the period of desiccation.

Natrum mur.-Salivary flow, confluence of pustules and drowsiness.

Opium.-Drowsiness and stertorous breathing. Complete loss of consciousness. Impending paralysis of the brain.

Phosphorus.-Hemorrhagic diathesis; bloody pustules; hard, dry, exhausting cough, with pain or feeling of rawness in chest; bronchitis; hemorrhage from lungs; backpains as if broken, impeding all motion; frequent faintings; typhoid variola, even so from the start.

Phosphoric acid.-Confluent variola, with typhoid conditions; pustules do not fill with pus, but degenerate into large blisters, which, bursting, leave an excoriated surface; patient is stupid, does not want anything, not even a drink; answers questions, but does not talk otherwise; subsultus tendinum, great restlessness; fear of death; watery diarrhoea.

Rhus tox.-Typhoid symptoms, dry tongue; great restlessness; patient wants to get out of bed, notwithstanding his great debility; sordes on lips and teeth; confluent smallpox, with great swelling at first, but afterwards the eruption shrinks and becomes livid; blood in pustules; bloody stools.

Sarracenia.-From reports, the consensus of opinion seems to be in favor of this plant in the treatment of severe cases of variola; there are no reliable indications as yet.

Silicea.-Suppurative stage exhausts the strength of patient and desiccation is delayed; caries of bones, following severe attacks of variola, with fistulous openings and discharge of thin pus and bony fragments.

Solanum nig.-Hemorrhagic variola.

Stramonium.-Entire swelling of the face before the eruption, with muttering delirium.

Sulphur.-Tendency to metastasis to the brain during suppuration;stage of desiccation; occasionally indispensable as an intercurrent remedy, where others fail.

Tartarus emet.-Eruption tardy in coming out, with great oppression under sternum, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, or for suppression of eruption; putrid variola, with typhoid symptoms, especially typhoid pneumonia, with tendency to paralysis of lungs; vomiting of viscid mucus, clogging the air-passages; pustules in larynx, mouth, throat, and digestive organs; leaving bluish-red marks on face, genitals, and thighs.

Vaccininum has been used undoubtedly with great benefit in variola; its use has shortened and ameliorated all stages quite considerably. Sulphur was given afterwards.

Variolinum.-Especially where the disease throws itself with full force on throat. Given steadily during the disease it will run a milder course, changing imperfect pustules into regular ones, which soon dry up; it promotes suppuration and desiccation, and prevents pitting.

Melford Eugene Douglass
M.E.Douglass, MD, was a Lecturer of Dermatology in the Southern Homeopathic Medical College of Baltimore. He was the author of - Skin Diseases: Their Description, Etiology, Diagnosis and Treatment; Repertory of Tongue Symptoms; Characteristics of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica.