FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS
Most frequently kreosote is used in putrid and malignant ulcerative processes in the female genital organs, particularly carcinoma of the portio. A foul, yellow or flesh-like (bloody) acrid leucorrhoea which corrodes the external parts is suggestive here. It makes the clothing stiff, indicating the high protein content. Foullochia can also give occasion for the drug in puerperal fever. Burning and corrosive itching on the vulva, between the labia and the thigh, worse on urination, with swelling of the parts seem partly dependent upon the leucorrhoea and partly intrinsic. Itching of the vulva, in the vagina and the anus are good indications in diabetes. The menses appear too early, last too long, are dark, often acrid and offensive. The bleeding is intermittent, ceases on walking or sitting and reappears on lying. Itching in the vagina can increase the libido sexualis. Intermittent bleeding appears after coitus. Before and during the menses, difficulty in heating and ear noises are reported. Downward pressing backache and sacral pain and great feeling of weakness accompany the uterine maladies.
RESPIRATORY ORGANS
Of the irritative manifestations on the respiratory organs the progressive destructive processes are the chief indications for kreosote. Abundant, purulent sputum after each cough may lead to the choice of kreosote in bronchitis foetida, bronchiectasis, lung gangrene, persistent lung inflammation after grippe, also in cavernous tuberculosis with hemoptysis and night sewats. In the chest much burning, pain and oppression is felt, pressure on the sternum with respiratory embarrassment. Hoarseness appears, but carbo vegetabilis is then more frequently in place.
MORE RARELY USED ACTIONS
In severe poisonings the urine is diminished in quantity and colored brown. Nephritis and hemoglobinuria occur. However these end effects do not suggest a preferential trend, much less a stimulative state and one susceptible to improvement by kresote. In the provings a frequent and particularly very sudden urge to urinate is recorded and the urine is often very copious and colorless, or offensive and cloudy. In the enuresis of children in the first sleep, kreosote is recommended. The polyuria is only a very weak support for the connection to diabetes. The similarity here lies much more in the type of nutritional disturbance in the tissue.
It should still be mentioned that kreosote is recommended for the beginning cataract in diabetes. A number of symptoms of cloudy vision are observed in the provings. But whether they arise from the refractive medium of the eye or are associated with the frequent vertigo of acute kreosote action is not determined.
Vertigo with congestion, pulsation, stupefaction and confusion of thought, depression, great sensitivity of the mind with tendency to cry, hopeless despondency, nervous excitability before the menses, are the first signs in acute poisoning of the sensorium and psyche but are of subordinate significance in the selection of the drug. The dissatisfied and contradictory behavior which is mentioned particularly for children, finds no support in the provings.
GENERAL
General exhaustion with trembling and failure of the legs, chilliness, weak, slow pulse, pale yellow appearance or hectic redness are the expressions of the severe state of disease for which kreosote is suited.
Universal modalities are not known for kreosote. The aggravation from rest, particularly from sitting, refers to the back and sacral pains, but the improvement from lying and the aggravation from movement and walking is observed. One can generalize just as little on the aggravation in the open air and from the cold and the improvement from warmth.
SUMMARY
General:
Severe alterations of the blood and tissue. “Decomposition.” Tendency to bleeding, to foul, acrid and corrosive secretions. Putrid inflammations and ulcers. Carcinoma. Diabetic tissue injuries. Cachexia; yellow appearance in chronic deep seated mal- adies.
Chief Trends:
Skin and mucous membranes.
Skin: severe itching, burning; vesicles and pustules. Poorly nourished unhealthy skin, marked bleeding from small wounds, tendency in ulceration and gangrene. Pruritus senilis. Pruritus vulvae. Diabetes! Digestive canal: toothache from caries. Nausea, vomiting of undigested food several hours after eating or regurgitation of sweetish water (organic even malignant alterations or reflexly from other organs).
Old cases of gastric or duodenal ulcer in enfeebled persons.
Gastro-enteritis with nutritional disturbances in children with poor development of teeth.
Female sexual organs: foul, yellow or flesh-like, watery, acrid, corrosive leucorrhoea. Marked inflammatory irritation of the external parts. Putrid ulcers and carcinoma of the portio.
Menses too early, too copious, too prolonged, dark, acrid, offen- sive; intermittent, flow particularly on lying. Intermittent bleeding after coitus. Back and sacral pain with downward pressi- ng in uterine maladies.
Respiratory passages: Copious, purulent sputum. Progressive destructive processes; foetid bronchitis, bronchiectasis, lung gangrene, tuberculosis.
DOSE
It has been recommended in the D 3 up to the D 30 and higher. I have observed good effects from the D 6.
OTHER TAR PRODUCTS —————— Pix liquida, a product of dry distillation of various conifera, is not proven. Its action on the skin from external application is generally known. The skin inflammations are associated with marked itching and burning, yet on the other side, wood tar through the phenol contained in it, also markedly relieves itching. With prolonged external use there is an inflammation of the hair follicles. Internal use proceeds as the external, in chronic eczema with marked itching, particularly on the backs of the hands, psoriasis and particularly acne.
The internal use for muco-purulent sputum from chronic bronchitis still occurs in many places. As with kreosote the sputum is offensive and here also suggests a destructive process. Moreover rough rales and a pain near the origin of the third rib cartilage on the left side, may be correctly related with the left brochus.
Wood tar also provokes irritative manifestations in the urinary passage and has been employed at times in cystitis. The explanat- ion through a disinfectant effect is not sufficient. The dose is usually in the low potencies.
Ichthyol, a distillation product of bituminous deposits with fossil fish inclusions, is obtained in Tyrol and contains 10 percent sulphur. This tar product is also unproven. Outside of the indications also mentioned for pix liquida there is a connection described bed for rheumatic-gouty affections, which may well be traced to the sulphur fraction.
Naphthalin C10H8 is composed of two benzol rings joined together and is a constituent of bituminous tar. It is also unproven. But its actions are known to some extent from many poisonings when it has been taken in excess for intestinal parasites (hookworm, oxyuris), or when de-mothing tablets are accidentally eaten by children. Also the continual inhalation of the vapor or dust can give occasion for poisoning. Peculiar alterations develop in the eyes by the external or internal influence, particularly chorio- retinitis and turbidity of the lens (naphthalin cataract). Naphthalin has been recommended in cataract, amongst others by Tischner.
In dermatology beta-naphthol, an OH compound of naphthalin, also a phenol, is used in parasitic skin diseases, acne, psoriasis, pruritus and prurigo. Likewise the inhalation of naphthalin can provoke itching and exanthemata, still it is used therapeutically in skin inflammations. The severe toxic manifestations are nephr- itis, hemoglobinuria and methemoglobinuria, icterus, swelling of the spleen, clouding of the mind, loss of consciousness, finally spasms and death. Inflammation of the bladder and the urethra, particularly at the orifice of the urethra are noted. But all these trends of action in homoeopathy have hardly been utilized up to the present. On the other hand asthma, hay fever and whoop- ing cough are the chief indications of the remedy: spasmodic sneezing, spasmodic asthma and dry spasmodic cough in children and old people with emphysema. Usually the lower potencies (1-3 triturations) are recommended but D 12 is suggested by Cartier in bronchitis with spasmodic cough and tenacious sputum.
ACIDUM CARBOLICUM (PHENOL)
The simple phenol, C6H5OH, is indeed not an organic acid but like all OH compounds of the aromatic series has a much stronger acid character than the alcohols (OH compounds) of the aliphatic series. Therefore the name carbolic acid is not entirely wrong. Phenol appears in the destruction of living substances. Thus it occurs also in wood tar amongst other homologous phenols. It develops in the animal body as a decomposition product of proteins in the intestine, and after absorption product of proteins in the intestine, and after absorption (particularly after conversion into the polyphenol hydrochinone) is bound to sulphuric acid and glucuronic acid, made harmless, and is excreted in the urine. In general the benzol ring is not split in the organism as the open, aliphatic series.
Leeser, a Consultant Physician at the Stuttgart Homeopathic Hospital and a member of the German Central Society of Homeopathic Physicians, fled Germany in 1933 after being expelled by the German Medical Association. In England Otto Leeser joined the staff of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. He returned to Germany in the 1950s to run the Robert Bosch Homeopathic Hospital in Stuttgart, but died shortly after.
Otto Leeser wrote Textbook of Homeopathic Materia Medica, Leesers Lehrbuch der Homöopathie, Actionsand Medicinal use of Snake Venoms, Solanaceae, The Contribution of Homeopathy to the Development of Medicine, Homeopathy and chemotherapy, and many articles submitted to The British Homeopathic Journal,