Other very common and persistent eye symptoms are blurred vision, worse in the evening, muscae volitantes, with threads, specks, chains, black or brownish, usually moving obliquely down in the field of vision. At night there is a halo around lights, with bluish-violet, violet-reddish, and rosy-red rings accentuated. Ulceration of the cornea, the lids on their margins, keratitis, with burning heat, smarting and lachrymation, are all covered by this remedy. There is a kind of dirty ophthalmitis found amongst the children of the “back streets” for which Sulphur is very often required.
Very recently this writer cured a syndrome of symptoms rather dramatically which developed after an acute cold. There was a constant, severe cough caused by a tickling and scratching in the right side of the larynx, with congestion of the sinuses, stitching neuralgic pains into the right eye, and below and above it, with great obstruction of the nose, constant blowing of the nose, and much lachrymation of the right eye especially. The skin over the affected part was of a dusky, reddish-purplish color. Sulphur cleared up most of these symptoms overnight. The tickling and scratchy feeling in the right side of the larynx, causing severe cough, was confirmed by the writer during a proving with a CM potency.
Another observation here is perhaps of value viz., that it would appear that this remedy is very often required, not only to clear up, but also to give a certain amount of immunity against, these colds and coryzas so prevalent in highly industrialized areas with their smog-polluted atmosphere.
The symptoms are usually chronically recurring and characterized by congestion of the sinuses, nasal obstruction with discharge and sore, ulcerated, burning nostrils, oppression of the chest, and terrible coughing, worse in the mornings and evenings, and with lachrymation and heat of the face.
This observation also holds good for many miners and industrial workers, especially those in the early stages of the pneumonconiosis, i.e. silicosis, asbestosis, siderosis, anthracosis, railway men, and workers with industrial chemicals.
The Sulphur type is either a very poor eater or else a voracious feeder. His digestion is so weak that he can only digest the poorest of meals, or he has an amazing craving of food, especially poorest of meals, or he has an amazing craving for food, especially rich foods and sweet foods. He often cannot take eggs or milk. Frequently he drinks too much beverage at the expense of eating a proper meal. This is often the case with mental workers.
A symptom of very great prescribing value is a faint, weak, hollow, hungry feeling, worse at about 11 a.m., which is apt to make the patient press his hand firmly over the epigastrium for relief only while doing so. If something, perhaps only a cup of tea and a biscuit, is not taken then, the patient becomes faint, weak and trembling, perhaps even flatulent and nauseated. Morning sickness, in women with such symptoms is often speedily relieved by a single dose of Sulphur in a high potency.
In the abdomen there is very often rumbling or vague, colicky pains, with fullness, tenderness and soreness, perhaps even drowsiness, worse after meals. A frequently verified symptom of Sulphur is a feeling of bloatedness, congestion and tenderness over the region of the liver, with pains and soreness often extending as far as the chest or scapular region on the right.
Sometimes Sulphur will rehabilitate bleary-eyed, dirty old drunkards, who have no, or hardly any, appetite; whose livers are going into cirrhosis; who have all good intentions to reform, but who do not seem to be able to resist the awful, gnawing, hollow, burning feeling inside and which is speedily relieved by a strong drink for a time. This is a most unfortunate thing, because, if one only had alcohol previously on social occasions, with this sensation there is a strong craving for something like alcohol for relief.
If one takes into consideration with what frequency the above syndrome of symptoms is encountered in practice, it does make one wonder how many of these unfortunate individuals could be saved from the path of degradation of chronic alcoholism by Sulphur in high potency.
Frequently the Sulphur appetite has to be stimulated by condiments, hot sauces with a strong, pungent, sour, peppery taste, or even an alcoholic “appetizer”.
This state of weakness in the gastro-intestinal tract will often progress until there is severe constipation, or alternately constipation followed by two or three days of diarrhoea. The diarrhoea comes on spontaneously; usually chases him out of bed round about 5 a.m., or will start in the early hours of the morning and will go on until about midday, although it may be bad again in the evening. The stools are usually horribly offensive, with burning and excoriation of the anus. Quite often there may be prolapse of the rectum, but more often there is a red, raw, eczematous appearance of the anus and perineal folds, with much burning, terrible itching and a vicious desire to scratch and tear at the parts.
In the female there may be sterility and there may be impotence in the male, most often with itching of the parts, especially in the folds. There may also be sweatiness with stench. In the female there may be itching of the pudenda and vagina, with excoriating, acrid leucorrhoea. Coldness of the male organs, with stitches along the urethral tract, are very common symptoms. There is a very humiliating form of impotence. The desire may be quite strong, but erection so poor that insertion is almost impossible.
Ejaculation may come before intromission, or very soon after and with very little thrill. Quite often the Sulphur type may expatiate volubly on love as as aesthetic concept, but fail miserably when it comes to physical fulfilment. Or again, he may be every sexually inclined, delight in sexual yarns, or practice masturbation to an almost maniacal degree.
Sulphur is full of circulatory disturbances. There are frequent congestions of blood to parts, as to the chest, the head and face, or the extremities, with a sensation of burning heat, often sweating, also flushes of heat. There are reddish- purplish venous congestions, varicose ulcers, with bad smell, burning and itching. Often there are dull, reddish flushes to be seen about the face and neck of women going through the climacteric. Palpitation, dyspnoea, better by sitting up, with easy overheating, aversion to a closed atmosphere, flushes of heat, infra-clavicular pain and stitches on the left, and paresthesia of the left arm, is a syndrome common to this remedy.
The sleep of Sulphur can be much disturbed. Frequent waking is common. A symptom that disturbed this writer much was a sudden, violent jerk throughout the whole body just before dropping off to sleep. There is sometimes talking, singing or weeping in the sleep; also very vivid dreams. This type usually wakes early, or is sleepless during the latter half of the night. He prefers to sleep on the right side.
23 SECOND STREET, REGAL HOUSE,
SPRINGS, TRANSVAAL, U.S.A.
