SYMPTOMS COMMON AND UNCOMMON



Bry. (a) Pain in hip in chronic arthritis < on coughing. Causticum is frequently quoted for pain in hip on coughing, but I have never found it act. It would seem to be the jarring symptom of Bry. so prominent with the Bry. cough affecting the head and the abdomen more frequently than other regions. (b) Pain in the head “better for eructations. Quick relief after weeks of pain. I have another patient who declares she has “wind in the thighs”, better for eructations, but I have never found anything to cure. She is a chronic gall-bladder case.

Berberis. Pain in the hip on urinating. Case of sciatica which had been very resistant to treatment, but improved quite measurably.

Carbo veg. “Wants doors and windows open” (under Respiration difficult, p.770) is in my experience much more commonly heard than that of “wants to be fanned”. But it must be definite. Thoroughly disgruntled if door is shut.

Cannabis indica., (a) Hears all sorts of tunes, mostly pleasant. Thinks she must be going “dotty”. One dose ! went in the night ! Wonders if she would not like them back again, for they were quite pleasant and made up for lack of a wireless. Present for weeks. (b) People look different. Voices sound different, on verge of insanity, Influenced by letter, walking over doormat on which letter fell ! Constant theorizing, radio location ! Exaggeration of time and space is the usual description, but the whole picture was well covered by Cannabis. Recovery was quick !.

Causticum. Urinating on coughing. Not so common unless in those cases with a prolapse. In these I have found not much value in the symptom. In this case relief was evident and very quick.

Calc. carb. Head sweat at night and on exertion in an adult. This was the patients complaint, so profuse was it. Quick relief. (How few adults are Calcarea.).

Cuprum. (a) Convulsion with colic. Complete Cuprum surely. Not in the Repertory under convulsion though I think you will agree that the analogy was justified. (b) Spasm of cough, “blue in the face” and seemed as if it would suffocate. Whooping cough. Unusually quick cure. One week ! One wonders why Cuprum is not thought of more often in spasmodic asthma. One would like to hear if any here have tried this remedy in the acute attacks of asthma. (c) Cramps in the thighs in acute enteritis. Three cases of the most acute choleric diarrhoea seen during the same week rapidly improved. Almost collapsed in each case. The sort of case which revives ones belief in the highest potencies.

Causticum. Pain abdomen “on deep breathing”. Quick relief in polyposis of the stomach. Thinks he was in for another attack which used to take weeks to wear off.

Cedron. Icy cold nose. Case of shock and grief after sudden death of husband. Usual remedies failed, but on this forlorn hope Cedron was given. Whether post or propter, V. M. B.

Diphtherinum. in membranous tonsillitis not K. L. B. One a very acute Vincents and another a staphylococcal infection. Rare to get membrane here, but it was so.

Dioscorea. The pain is so severe must get up and do something, cf. Cham. (a) The facial neuralgia so bad that she rocked herself about in bed and had to get up and do something ! after failure of Cham. (b) Another, an anginal case, had to get up and do something. (c) Another probably a ureteric stone. Here the symptom helped in diagnosis. Might have been appendix, but what appendix wants to get up and walk about ?.

Eup. per. Pain in the bones. Here the pain was in the sternum, unusual site, and was not related to cough. But the description was “in the BONE.” Quick cure of severe cold, which usually lasted for weeks.

Ferrum. Vertigo on rising from stooping. Not on going down but on coming up ! Old man with high B.P. but was grateful for relief !.

Guaiacum. Dreams of being cut up with a knife. KENT–p. 1237. Dreadful nights GONE, and very grateful!.

Ipecac. Bubbling chest with vomiting of phlegm. This is a winner if given early enough. Here is an interesting history for those who are interested in the Sulphonamides.

A child who usually responded to Ipecac. with very acute bronchitis was given this when the usual attendant was not available, with no result. She was then given M. & B. as there was evidence of congestion and no bronchitis. She was said to have recovered in a night which I believe, but when I saw her three days latter she had her old bubbly bronchitis which Ipecac. quickly cured.

Now this does seem as if the M. & B. was specific to e.g. the pneumococcus but not to the organism or organisms of bronchitis, and yet Sir Almroth Wright has recently stated that the sulphonamides are not just specific to one organism but aid leucocytosis generally. It is an interesting problem in which we ought to have a say. Ipecac. apparently did nothing for the early condition, just as we should expect, for Ipecac. symptoms were not present, but when they were it did. So dont prescribe on old history, lest the condition be not the same.

And then, one cannot be available always !.

Iod. Cough worse in a warm room. Also from tickling in the throat pit like Rumex, but Rumex is usually worse cold air.

Kali nit. Pain like a knife in sternum on coughing. Severe cold and cough quickly cleared up.

Kali sulph “Bubbly base” after congestion. Cleared chest after failure of Nat. sulph. Like Kali carb. BUT “productive,” as the orthodox prescriber would describe it.

Kali carb. Earache with M.P. Other drugs have it. Grumbling symptoms of Kali carb. confirmed, and administration proved the wisdom thereof !.

Kali iod. Sore throat, worse talking. Often helpful. I cannot say I find most throats Mercury, as some do.

Kali ars. Pain of diabetic neuritis worse 1-3 A. M. after failure of Arsenicum itself. (Remember to correct your times according to the changes !).

Kali carb. Cutting in right side chest < lying that side. The sort of pain which makes patient grunt ! Often R. basal pneumonia, often, too, referred pain simulating appendix or G. B. cf. Localization. Aconite. R. apex. Apical pneumonia, often delirious. Why ? But Aconite confirms, for it has all the delirium we could wish for.

Lyssin. Fear of water, of swimming, or even of having a bath. A case of frequent micturition with no organic cause V.M.B. and this case had all sorts of treatment, including many months psycho-analytical investigation.

Lueticum. Pain “dusk to dawn” in shingles pain : relief after years of suffering.

Lycopodium. Desires warm drinks during fever. I had never found it useful before, but just recently acute chest with fever, T. normal in 12 hours and much better every way. Eup, per. also has it, but one should expect some other symptom as a guide.

Medorrhinum. Pelvic cellulitis not G.C. Three cases very much improved on analogy.

Merc. Desires “butter”. Quite an obsession. Half an inch thick. Led to great improvement in general condition.

Merc. Throbbing pain vagina. Profuse vaginal discharge. Pain improved and discharge. It was not a trichomoniasis.

Muriatic ac. Aching pain in the legs > moving, after failure of Rhus tox. Patient with a chill complained bitterly, not of cough or headache, but of the constant aching in legs behind knees. After failure of Rhus, Mur. ac. cleared all up. KENT– p. 1087, aching yet not in general rubric.

Nat. mur. “Coldness round the heart in coronary artery thrombosis; very speedy recovery though he had another and final one a year later.

Nux vom. Nasal discharge worse eating or drinking; KENT–p. 338.

Nat. mur, Pulsating pain in the deltoid muscle. Acute. Quick recovery. Thanked me for the relief !.

Phos. Pain in chest, > lying on the back, possibly more common than R. or L. modalities, Mostly pneumonias < lying either side, both cough and pain.

Phos. Cough worse change warm to cold and cold to warm. Remember Rumex also has both, but < cold is more frequently emphasized.

Pic. ac. Hot burning feeling over the back, worse excitement. Nervous subject, but said afterwards, “I wish you could cure my tonsils as quickly as you have cured my back.” She has chronic septic tonsils which want removing but she wont have an operation.

Platina. Tight feeling like a band above the knee. Painful knee due to a wrench which had been so severe as to cause patient to lie up. Relief. No swelling, no difference in measurements of the two knees. Useful symptom in phlebitis.

Pneumococcin. After failure of Puls. and Kali sulph., cleared up an obstinate chest; symptom, sweetish sputum !.

Sulphur. Pain in the ear with eructations ! Tarentula also has it but so has WAX, and wax it was which, when removed, removed the pain !.

Sulph. Hot, thirsty, irritable, dirty. Pulmonary congestion, but received Nat. Sulph. before it cleared, the signs at the left base being the last to go. Often one finds another drug allied to that first chosen is the real remedy; but then the case does change, e.g. Bry. to Rhus. and not infrequently Rhus. to Bry. are quite frequently seen in my experience.

Spigelia. “As if blood bubbling in the legs.” I think this was from Roberts Sensation “as if— —“, another very valuable book, though one would like to know his authorities.

W. L. Templeton