Hepar sulph. also has stool after drinking. It is marked by its difficult evacuation of soft excrement or of bloody mucus with tenesmus. During stool, there is inclination to lie down; rumbling and nauseous feeling in the abdomen. After stool, sore pains in anus and rectum; obstruction of the nose after stool. It may be indicated in maltreated chronic cases with a history of abuse of mercury or quinine.
Kali bichromicum has a field in these conditions that is marked by more or less chronicity. It often Canth. when the characteristic stool like scrapings of Canth. has been followed by jelly-like stools; in these conditions it will probably cure the patient. The tongue is smooth, red and cracked. There are frequent brownish, frothy, watery or bloody evacuations gnawing about the navel and tenesmus. Involuntary, painless and odorless stools; or bloody and extremely painful. Periodical dysentery every year in early summer, returning on the same date; there may be alternation of this annual dysentery with rheumatic symptoms in the autumn. (Colch.: autumn dysentery, spring rheumatism.).
It is understood that this study of dysentery does not attempt to over all the possible remedies that may be called for, but it does indicate the necessity for consideration of the peculiar symptoms of the patient and therefore of the remedy of so demanded, for the cure of the patient.- H.A.R.
A review of the symptoms of the different remedies we have given above, with a recollection of what we have said of generic and specific symptoms of the disease and the drug, will make easy a clear understanding of the true nature of the specific treatment of this and other diseases. It will be in these groups of the symptoms of the different drugs, that there is little of resemblance between those of one drug to that of either of the others. There are almost no repetitions of the symptoms of one drug in those of any of the others. this makes certainty of knowledge of the true remedy, under the guidance of the Law of Similars, a comparatively easy matter.
That which is like, in the disease, to either of these groups, is not like to either of the others. Look at the symptoms of three first remedies in the list, Aloes, Arn. and Ars. There is no resemblance. Take the generic symptoms of this disease as they stand represented in the same drugs, and the resemblance is so great as to make uncertainty inevitable. It is still worse if we take that other most important group in the treatment of dysentery, Caps., Merc. and Nux v. It is next to impossible to distinguish between these symptoms as they are found in the pathogenesis of these drugs. But with the peripheral, or specific, symptoms, there is no difficulty at all, and it is chiefly under the guidance of these, according to the Law of Cure, that we secure the greatest safety and success.
