The firm rock upon which homoeopathy rests, and upon which it hopes to continue to rest is Similia similibus curantur. Then the only way for us to keep it on that rock is to increase, and increase our knowledge of, our materia medica.
For me to comment on a drug, as well known to you as Arg. -n., is like the Englishman carrying coal to Newcastle. I agree with Dr. Dieffenbach, that papers on Materia medica are better printed and read, than read before a body of this nature. I also agree with Dr. Boger, that good things cannot be repeated too often. And I agree still more with Dr. Farrington, that symptoms are copied from materia medica to materia medica in a stereotyped fashion.
However, there are so many good things in Arg. n. that I propose to rehash a few of them, and present them in a little different style. It is not how many symptoms you can produce in our papers, but of what importance those are that we do produce.
The symptoms most necessary to know, and essential, are those produced directly on EVERY normally healthy human being, and not those individual symptoms produced by the drugs arousing the latent predispositions peculiar to the individual himself, no matter how prominent or important such symptoms may appear.
Every drug has, of necessity, a grand characteristic or distinguishing mark or keynote that distinguishes it from all other drugs, around which, when found, all the direct pathogenetic group circles. They are the real essentials, having genetic group circles. They are the real essentials, having which, any curable diseases will yield to that particular drug, without having to resort to other drugs.
As far as I have been to distinguish, I find the grand characteristic or keynote of Arg. n. to be: General tremulous weakness attended by nervous restlessness, palpitation and sighing, with an especial craving for sweets and sugar which make one sick.
Among the essential group, including the foregoing keynote, I find: Anxiety. Fear of death, and of failure. Hurry, must always be doing something, yet accomplished nothing, always thinking one will be too late. Especially nervous at 11 A.M. Vertigo. Head dull. Tip of tongue red and painful. Aversion to light. Flatulence. Better open air. Worse warm room, heat of fire and nervous excitement.
Under MIND , and found under no other known drug, we have: Anxiety while walking, which makes one walk faster. WE find anxiety and terror of anticipation, and dread of the feature.
Under VERTIGO, and found under no other known drug, we have: Vertigo on looking at houses, or tall buildings.
Under HEAD, we find that the head is involved in all the affections calling for Arg. n.
Under EYES, and found under no other known drug, we have : Inflamed eyes from being over the fire, better cold applications; and pterygium, of a pinkish color. We are told that the 200x dilution often relieves when the crude drug fails. The eye discharges are thick, yellowish, profuse and bland, and is especially useful where Merc. or Puls. fail. The eyes are > open air, cold washing, cold applications, and in the dark room, and are < warm room and heat of fire, An occasional dose of Puls. is said to favor the action of Arg. n. in ophthalmia.
Useful in myopia, where Spong. was given for goitre., Arg. n. is similar to Plus, but with Puls. the lids do not thicken. While the discharges Arg. n. resemble both those of Merc. and Plus., Arg. n. differs from the mentals of Puls., and the nightly aggravation from Merc. The inflammatory symptoms of Arg., n. are violent, but Arg is preferable if the lids thicken. Great photophobia accompanies the headaches and nervous troubles, muscular coordination is lost, unable to fix the eye steadily, everything blurs. Sight of the eye suffers as the abdominal symptoms increase.
Under NOSE, and found under no other know drug, I find Discharge from posterior nares, in forenoon.
Under MOUTH, and found under no other known drug, I find: Food escapes from the mouth while chewing.
Under THROAT, I find: A tendency to warty growths and polypi.
Under STOMACH, and found under no other known drug, I find: Eructations causing faintness. Then I find loud, noisy eructations, preceded by yawning and followed by deep sleep. Arg. n. is said to be unrivalled for the gastritis of drunkards. The stomach pains radiate in all directions from the pit, and are better and worse gradually. Arg. n. craves sugar and must have it, though it makes one sick, and acts like a physic. When Verat. seems indicated in eructations that cause faintness, and fails. Eructations accompany all the gastric ailments. Cardialgia that threatens to pass into cancer of the stomach. Disordered stomach of children from sweets, like Ant. c., but not as irritable as Ant. c.
Under ABDOMEN, and found under no other known drug, I find: Hypochondria sore, bruised, during diarrhoeic stool. Then I find: Abdomen distended almost to bursting, with flatus, the passing of the flatus up or down giving no relief, the reverse of Carb. v.
Under RECTUM, and found under no other known drug, I find: Loud flatus, after sugar. Then I find: Diarrhoea in nursing children from nursing mothers, or wet nurses, eating too much candy.
Under STOOL, and found under no other known drug, I find: Green stools, like chopped spinach,in flakes, expelled with much spluttering, < drinking, and especially eating freely of candy and sugar. The green stools are remarkable. The childs stool turns green while standing on the diaper.
Under URINARY, and found under no other known drug, I find ineffectual urging to urinate, but as soon as one ceases to strain the urine and stool pass involuntarily. The urine is scanty, with stomach and bowel troubles; profuse with nervous troubles, the reverse of Agar, and incontinence with paralysis.
Under GENITALIA, I find Aggravation during the menses is a strong indication, she is free at other times, the reverse of Lach. There are terrible cutting pains in gonorrhoea, with bloody urine., but Canth, at the close of urination. Like Sec., Arg. n. has prolapsus uteri in scrawny women who are feeble and dried up, but Arg. n. has not the intolerance to heat and the aversion to being covered of Sec.
Under LARYNX, and found under no other known drug, I find inflamed larynx of singers.
Under CHEST, I find : Intense spasms, and like Stann., a handkerchief held before or near the mouth causes dyspnoea.
Under LIMBS, and found under not other known drug, I find: Calves feel rigid and stiff. Then, while the Arg. n. patient staggers in the dark, like Alum., Alum. has constipation, Arg. n. flatulence.
Under BACK, and found under no other known drug, I find: Sacrum heavy during stool. better standing.
Under CHILL, and found under no other known drug, I find: chill on entering a warm room from the open air. Chilliness and nausea are the most troublesome of the febrile symptoms.
Under HEAT, and found under no other known drug, I find: intermittents, with haemorrhage from the lungs.
Under GENERAL, I find: Nervousness, general trembling, restlessness and sighing respiration characterize Arg. n. Arg. n., like Nux, is one of the very best of remedies in nervous breakdown. Patients who cannot go out into the moonlight without an umbrella (Ant c., without getting sentimental).
TOLEDO, OHIO.
Mr. F.H., age about 55. Occupation: office man in telephone company office.
Hay fever. Has spit blood most of his life until four or five years ago; better after first frost. Better last summer after a visit in the pain woods. Eruption in front of abdomen now and in small of back; intense itching.
Pinus sylvestris IM. gave great improvement.
-VIRGINIA M. JOHNSON, M.D.
