Synonym. Arseniate of Quinine. Preparation. Trituration.
GENERAL ANALYSIS.
This drug has not been extensively proved, our knowledge if its action being chiefly derived from clinical sources. It seems to affect the blood composition, the mucous tissues and the nervous system, giving rise to arthritic conditions, low inflammatory states, especially involving the mucous membranes, and accompanied by great exhaustion of the vital forces. It thus becomes homoeopathic to diphtheria and malignant scarlatina, in both of which affections it has been repeatedly and successfully used. It also produces a fever closely simulating an intermittent, while the neuralgias resulting form its use are periodical in their character. It has been successfully used in various malarial affections. Its action evidently combines, more or less, the effects of both Arsenic and Quinine, from each of which, however, it is markedly different in the totality of its symptoms.
CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS.
Mind Depressed spirits; mental dullness; wishes to be quiet and let alone (Gelsemium). Anxiety and nightly delirium. Irritable mood precedes the headache.
Head Hemicrania, worse from bodily or mental exercise; also in consequence of fright. Confused feeling in head. Severe, darting, tortuous pains running up into the head and preventing sleep. Frontal and occipital headache. Neuralgic pain in right temple and above eye. Tearing, boring pain in left side of head, affecting the eye, with flickering, pain and lachrymation; ringing in ears, nauseas and vomiting during the attack, which regularly appears at midnight (chin. sulph.).
Eyes Intense photophobia and spasms of orbicularis muscles, gushing hot tears, large ulcers attacking each eye aggravation from midnight until 3 A. M.; keratitis. Scrofulous ophthalmia; worse after midnight. Flickering before left eye, with pain and lachrymation; in hemicrania.
Ears Ringing in ears; hemicrania (Chinasulph.).
Nose. Fluent coryza, profuse discharge. Nose stopped up with a purulent and bloody substance; diphtheria. Corners of nose excoriates; diphtheria (Arum).
Face Pale, sallow and bloated; in intermittent fever (Arsenicum, Natr. mur.). Swelling of the submaxillary and parotid glands; in diphtheria. Blueness of the lips; in tuberculosis.
Mouth Tongue coated thick and brown; diphtheria. Foetor oris; in diphtheria and scarlatina.
Throat Malignant angina during scarlatina, with paleness of skin, quick exhaustion of mucous membranes of fauces. Diphtheria; great fetor oris; submaxillary glands swollen and painful; nose completely stopped up with a purulent bloody substance; corners of nose excoriated; tongue coated thick and brown; both tonsils covered with a gray exudation, which on disappearing leaves a bloody ulcer with uneven edges; lower half of uvula gangrenous, upper half covered with exudation; posterior wall of fauces completely covered with exudation; swallowing of liquids very difficult; great prostration; sleeplessness; pulse small, very frequent.
Stomach Thirst which cannot be appeased, during attacks of suffocation; in tuberculosis. Eggs and fish cause painless diarrhoea at once. Nausea and vomiting, followed by sleep (ant. tart.), hemicrania.
Abdomen Left hypochondriac region enlarged; also abdomen bloated; i intermittent fever.
Stool Diarrhoea from malaria (chin. sulph.); stools thin, watery, offensive (Arsenicum); with pains in bowels.
Urinary Organs. Spasmodic retention of urine.
Respiratory Organs Hoarseness in diphtheria; seemed to prevent diphtheritic membrane from spreading to larynx. Attacks of suffocation begin in morning and last till noon, with blue lips, hands and nails. Tuberculosis. Must sit bent forward, and, if possible, at an open window during attack of suffocation (Arsenicum, Carb.v.); worse in any other position. Dyspnoea with anxiety; in tuberculosis. Senile sub-acute catarrh with periodical fever, generally worse at night. Paralysis of respiratory muscles on left side; intercostal neuralgia.
Heart and Pulse Angina pectoris, with dropsical symptoms, venous hyperaemia and cyanosis. Trembling of heart; palpitation, noticed on leaning against back. Sensation as if heart had stopped; beats not perceptible; action irregular. Pulse small; very frequent (200); irregular. Violent neuralgic pain in left mammary region, as though torn with red hot tongs; intercostal neuralgia.
Limbs Blueness of hands and nails: tuberculosis. Limbs icy-cold; tuberculosis.
Generalities Great prostration. Epileptiform spasms.
Sleep Deep sleep after suffocative attacks. Restless sleep; sleeplessness.
Fever Intermittent fever; chill always in forenoon, not at a regular hour; sometimes once every day, again every other day; sometimes paroxysms close with perspiration, sometimes without; before attack, headache, yawning and stretching. Chilliness coming in waves in evening, with restlessness; gooseflesh; worse on moving hands and feet to a cool place in bed, also on motion, and by thinking of it. After chill, fever toward midnight; pulse full and strong, with inclination to throw off covers. No sweat after fever, but weak broken-up feeling in morning and no appetite for breakfast. Violent fever, with great prostration, in diphtheria and malignant scarlatina. Cold, clammy sweat all over.
Skin Dry skin, pallor of skin, with rapid exhaustion. Periodical furuncula and abscesses, which relieve the head.
Conditions Hydrogenoid constitution (Aranea).
Compare Apis, Arsenicum, Aranea, China Sulph., Cinchona
THERAPEUTICS.
The clinical range of this drug has already been sufficiently set forth and need not be repeated. Its chief use is in the treatment of intermittent fever and other diseases due to malarial poisoning, and in malignant forms of diphtheria and scarlet fever.
ALLEN CORSON COWPERTHWAITE was born at Cape May, New Jersey, May 3, 1848, son of Joseph C. and Deborah (Godfrey) Cowperthwaite. He attended medical lectures at the University of Iowa in 1867-1868, and was graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1869. He practiced his profession first in Illinois, and then in Nebraska. In 1877 he became Dean and Professor of Materia Medica in the recently organized Homeopathic Department of the State University of Iowa, holding the position till 1892. In 1884 he accepted the chair of Materia Medica, Pharmacology, and Clinical Medicine in the Homeopathic Medical College of the University of Michigan. He removed to Chicago in 1892, and became Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College. From 1901 he also served as president of that College. He is the author of various works, notably "Insanity in its Medico-Legal Relations" (1876), "A Textbook of Materia Medica and Therapeutics" (1880), of "Gynecology" (1888), and of "The Practice of Medicine " (1901).