Aggravation. Before midnight; during a thunder storm; when lying on back or left side; in warm room; from onanism and emissions.
Amelioration. In cold, open air; after eating; from rest.
Conditions. Tall, slender women.
Compare. Aconite, Ambr., Ammonium, Apis., Arsenicum, Belladonna, Bryonia, Calcarea c., Carb. v., Causticum, Cinchona, Crotal., Ipecac., Kali carb., Lycopodium, Mercurius, Nux v., Natr. sulph., Podophyllum, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox., Secale cor., Sepia, Silicea, Sulphur The remedies Calcarea c., Cinchona, Kali carb., Lycopodium, Nux v., Picr. ac., Rhus tox., Silicea, and Sulph. precede Phosphorus well, white Arsenicum, Carb. v., Rhus tox. and Sulph. follow well.
Antidotes. Camph., Coffea c., Nux v., Terebintha, Vinum. To large doses: Emetics; Magnesia in winter.
Phosphorus Antidotes. Excessive use of Salt: Iodi., Camph., Terebintha, Rhus ven.
THERAPEUTICS.
Phosphorus is the first remedy to be thought of in fatty degeneration of organs, especially of the liver and kidneys. It may also be useful when it is the lungs, heart, kidneys. It may also be useful when it is the lungs, heart, brain or spine that is affected. It is indicated in a haemorrhagic diathesis haemorrhages from various organs and parts of the body, the blood being fluid and non-coagulable, hence the symptoms “small wounds bleed much, ” it being almost impossible to stop the bleeding from the prick of a pin, or from a small cut (compare Lachesis). Persistent haemorrhages after extraction of a tooth. Useful in diseases of bones-caries and necrosis, as will be hereafter noticed. Exostosis, especially of the skull. Rickets. Frequently indicated in marasmus. Fistulous ulcers, especially in glands. Polypi, erectile tumors, ulcers, etc., which bleed readily. Vascular growths. Fungus haematodes. Fungus excrescences. Ecchymoses. Petechia. Purpura haemorrhagica. Cancerous ulcerations, burning, profuse bleeding. Psoriasis palmaris. The action of Phosphorus upon the nervous system is of special clinical importance. The mental symptoms are peculiar, and frequently indicate the drug in typhoid fever, especially with painless diarrhoea, and swollen liver and spleen. Especially useful when a typhoid state sets in with pneumonia or other respiratory disease-typhoid-pneumonia, etc. The chief remedy in brain fag; sometimes with a feeling of coldness in the cerebellum and stiffness in the brain. Neuralgia of the brain. Apoplexia; grasps at the head; mouth drawn to the left. Impending paralysis of the brain and collapse; burning pain in brain. Very often required in softening of the brain, with persistent headache; slow answering questions; vertigo; feet drug; formication; numbness of the limbs. Acute atrophy of the brain and medulla oblongata, with uraemia.
Useful in many forms of paralysis. Paralysis of face and extremities, usually hemiplegic. Post-diphtheritic paralysis. Paralysis following exposure to wet. Pseudo-hypertrophic paralysis, with numbness, etc. Spinal irritation; spine sensitive to touch; weakness, the back soon gives out, the limbs tremble and totter, etc., especially from loss of animal fluids, haemorrhages, sexual excess, etc. Locomotor ataxia, with burning along the spine, formication; may arise from causes last named. Chorea especially in children who are growing too fast; they are weak and walk as if paralyzed. General neuritis, with numbness, etc. Phosphorus is an invaluable remedy in diseases of the deeper tissues of the eye, especially when involving the nerve supply. Dim vision from nervous exhaustion, especially sexual neurasthenia, objects seem covered by a smoke or mist. Various disturbances of vision from lesion of the retina and optic nerve. An invaluable remedy in muscular asthenopia, the eyes pain and give out when reading. Myopia. Amblyopia after typhoid, fever, sexual excess or loss of fluids. Blindness after a lightning stroke. Retinitis albuminurica. Retinal apoplexia. Glaucoma, and detachment of retina. Will arrest the growth of a cataract if the symptoms of vision, etc., are present. Lachrymal fistula. Deafness from neurasthenia. Polypus of the nose, bleeding easily. Nasal catarrh, nose swollen and sore; obstructed; ulcerated; greenish, yellow, bloody discharge. Caries of the nasal bones. Necrosis of the lower jaw, rarely of the upper. Retarded development of speech in children. Phosphorus is useful in a variety of disease of the digestive system. Atonic dyspepsia, and regurgitation of food with vomiting. Vomiting o pregnancy. The vomiting of Phosphorus is temporarily relieved by a cold drink, but returns as soon as the water becomes warm in the stomach. Chronic gastritis. Perforating ulcer of the stomach. Cancer of the stomach. Grasping, with excruciating, cutting, burning pains, and heavy pressure. Haemorrhage of the stomach, temporarily better by drinking cold water. Diseases of the pancreas (iris), especially inflammation or fatty degeneration, with Phosphorus symptoms, stools oily or like cooked sage. A useful remedy in various diseases of the liver, especially fatty degeneration. Jaundice from organic changes in the liver, stools grayish-white. Malignant jaundice. Jaundice from anaemia; from brain disease; during pregnancy, Diffuse hepatitis. Cirrhosis of the liver. Hepatitis, being extremely valuable in the stage of suppuration, much swelling and soreness of the liver, hectic fever, night sweats. Acute yellow atrophy of the liver. Ascites. Chronic enteritis, stools pasty and yellow. Intestinal haemorrhage; bleeding haemorrhoids; chronic diarrhoea; painless, worse in hot weather; stools contain undigested food; or particles like grains of fallow, very debilitating. Cholerina. A valuable remedy in constipation, with the characteristic long, dry, hard stool. Very frequently useful in Bright’s disease, the urine containing epithelial, fatty or waxy casts, especially with the characteristic degenerative heart changes, pulmonary engorgement and oedema. Haematuria. A valuable remedy in sexual weakness, with great desire and excitement, too rapid emissions, nocturnal pollutions. Impotence after excesses. Nymphomania. Sterility. Menorrhagia. Metrorrhagia, especially in nursing women. Amenorrhoea, with blood-spitting, or haemorrhage from nose, anus or urethra (Bryonia, Hamamelis, Pulsatilla). Chronic metritis. Membranous dysmenorrhoea. Cancer of the uterus, sharp, lancinating pains, bleeding easily. Abscesses and ulcerations of the mammae, with hardness (Coni.); bluish color (Lachesis); red streaks start from the openings in the abscess; fistulous openings with burning, stinging pains; thin, watery, ichorous, offensive discharges (Silicea). Phosphorus is an exceedingly valuable remedy in respiratory diseases, in which it is more often prescribed than in any other form of disease. Laryngitis, with hoarseness and aphonia, larynx extremely sore, so that it causes pain to talk or cough. aphonia from prolonged loud talking. Not useful in the first stags of croup, but may be late in the disease, when collapse threatens, rattling breathing, weak, thready pulse. Said to act as a prophylactic and prevent the rectum of the disease. Tracheitis and bronchitis, with dry cough; worse in going from warm to cold air, from lying on the left side, caused by tickling in trachea, frothy, mucous expectoration, with soreness, oppression and constriction in chest. Occasionally useful in capillary bronchitis. Phosphorus is indicated in a great variety of coughs, the character of which is mostly outlined in the foregoing pathogenesis. It is often a useful remedy for reflex coughs, brought on by excitements strong odors, or any nervous disturbance; also reflex from stomach and hepatic derangement. Phosphorus is an invaluable remedy in pneumonia after exudation has taken place. It is never indicated in the inflammatory stage of this or any other disease, but follows after the symptoms usually indicating Aconite and Bryonia (not in alternation) have subsided and the patient has a dry cough cough with bloody mucus, or rust-colored expectoration, violent oppression or tightness of he chest, difficult breathing, as if a heavy weight lay on the chest, worse when lying on the left side. May be useful whey any part of the lungs are involved, but more often the lower lobe of the right lung. There is complete solidification of lung tissue, with dullness on percussion and an absence of vesicular murmur. In purulent infiltration and abscesses of lungs in the third stage of pneumonia. May be indicated in any stage of pneumonia when typhoid symptoms supervene, as has already been mentioned. Chronic solidification of the lung after typhoid fever. Broncho-pulmonary catarrh, with dilatation or fatty degeneration of the heart. In pulmonary tuberculosis Phos, is valuable in the stage of tubercular deposit, especially of miliary tubercles, attended with afternoon fever, flushed cheeks, dry, short cough, rapid respiration and progressive emaciation. Said to be especially useful in tuberculosis occurring in tall, slender parsons, or in the young who are rapidly growing great debility; frequent attacks of bronchitis; hoarseness and aphonia; dry, tormenting cough; hectic fever. Phthisis florida. Haemoptysis. Fatty degeneration of the heart. Endo-carditis; myocarditis, especially when occurring in the course of pneumonia or acute rheumatism.
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).