Plumbum is a remedy adapted to diseases of spinal or cerebro spinal origin. Violent contractions and retractions worse at night characterize. In the limbs there is stinging, tearing, tingling, and twitching, with paralysis. There may be convulsions or spasms, followed by paralysis without consciousness, or muscular atrophy from spinal sclerosis. Patient assumes strangest positions in bed. With Plumbum, processes, are show and insidious. There is wasting of single parts, especially upper limbs.
A prominent symptom is retraction of the abdomen with violent colic and sensation as if the abdominal wall was drawn as if by a string to the spine. There is constriction of internal organs and painful contraction of the arms which are drawn up. Colic may alternate with delirium or may occur during a costive state. Stools become hard, lumpy, black-similar to sheep dung-or conglomerate masses, during spasms of arms. A peculiar sensation in abdomen at night requires violent stretching in every direction for hours.
Plumbum affects the liver, also left side of abdomen, produces dark brown so-called liver spots at climacteric. On the skin, anaesthesia or hyperaesthesia may be marked. Excessive and rapid emaciation is not uncommon. The face may be greasy or shiny, expressive of great anxiety and suffering-or ash colored, pale, corpse-like and sunken.
We find great despondency, melancholy, debility, and weakness, excessive fear, hysteria; or patient may be timid, taciturn, changeable emotionally; or again of slow perception and intellectual torpor and unable to find the right word, or showing globus hystericus.
Remember Plumbum where assimilation is destroyed, in obstructive fistula with terrible colic, fecal vomiting, in intussusception or strangulated hernia, paralysis of urinary organs with granular kidney, cold sweat during stool offensive foot sweat, coldness from exertion, and burning in body and limbs. In general there is aggravation from motion and company and relief from hard pressure of rubbing.
Thus, in Plumbum we find a patient gradually slowing down, and similar in symptomatology to the susceptibility to Lead Palsy in industry or Lead Cold of painters. Paresis, then paralysis, is the picture. Blue line on gums of wrist-drop shows depth of action of the element. The hysterical phenomena paralysis of extensors, and above symptoms point to a remedy affecting spinal cord and nerves, muscles, the abdomen, kidneys, blood vessels and blood. The powerful action on the cerebrospinal system results from softening and induration of nerve centers followed by paralysis and atrophy. Recall the spasmodic obstinate constipation, Plumbum produces complete or partial paralysis with atrophy and excessive loss of tissue.
A. OCULAR FORM.
1. Diplopia.
a. Clarke, Hering, Allen, Knerr.
b. could see distinctly as ever with either eye separately, but when he looked with both, the object appeared double.. Allen. 2. Ocular Palsy.
a. complete paralysis and insensibility of eyelids.
Hempel.
b. external muscle of the eye was paralyzed.. Allen.
c. strabismus; one eye turned towards the nose and unable to be rolled out. Allen
3. Impaired Visional Acuity.
a. sight confused, as if directed through a mist, which forces the patient to rub his eyes… Clarke.
b. one eye never goes blind alone.. Hull.
c. convulsions or paralysis or the hands are succeeded by a sudden obscuration of sight, increasing in a few hours to sudden blindness and generally disappearing as suddenly… Hull.
d. dimness of sight, especially of right eye.. Allen.
e. sudden loss of vision followed by a paralytic spasm, and loss of consciousness… Allen.
B. SPINAL FORM.
1. debility of arms, with atrophy, loss of sensation and. trembling.. Herring.
2. numbness, formication and weakness in upper parts, followed. by all symptoms of motor and sensory paralysis in these. parts… Allen.
3. some anaesthesia of the forearm.. Allen.
4. an anaesthesia of hands…Allen.
5. numbness of legs and feet.. Clarke.
6. insensibility of legs.. Knerr.
7. feeling of numbness outside of right leg, from hip to knees, always coming on at night and continuing for an uncertain time… Hering.
8. a sensation of numbness in the feet with difficulty in putting them to the ground… Clarke.
9. the soles feels dead as if made of wood, and when stepping on. them as if there were several round sausages under them, that prevented a free gait… Allen.
10. pain in back; at times better from hard pressure.. Knerr.
11. diminished sensibility of whole right side of the body.. Knerr.
12. anaesthesia-the entire surface of the body was deprived of. sensibility… Allen.
13. urging of urine.. Knerr.
14. incoordination of movements of the upper extremities,. which consist in an indefinite and irregular series of. contractions, and have root alternately in the flexor and. extensor muscles… Allen.
15. indicated in the disease known as Multiple Sclerosis by this. symptom; tremor, followed by paralysis… Farrington.
16. paralysis of arm, and wrist-joint… Hull.
17. excepting in cases of general paralysis, only the posterior. muscles of the limb are deprived of contractility in. paralysis of the upper extremities…. Allen
18. first indication of paralysis of the arm noticed after. writing and manifested itself by weariness and trembling of hands, and inability to completely extend fingers.. Allen.
19. spasms in fingers lead to paralysis.. Allen.
20. paralysis of hands.. Knerr.
21. paralysis of lower limbs… Hull.
22. stiff neck, paralysis of cervical muscles.. Hull.
23. Plumbum is indicated in paralysis of organic origin;. paralysis of the spinal cord as in multiple sclerosis. Farrington.
24. motor and sensory paralysis affecting whole right side the. body… Allen.
C. CEREBRAL FORM.
1. convulsive movement of arms and hands, with pain in joints. Clarke.
2. slow perception … Clarke.
3. head convulsed and heavy, as from apathy and melancholy. Clarke.
4. weakness or loss of memory; unable to find the proper word. Hering.
D. CEREBELLAR FORM.
1. multiple sclerosis; tremor of right arm during voluntary motion; arms are “shaky” when he attempts to use them; tremor of arms preceded by weakness and numbness… Hering.
2. whole arm trembles so much that he could not bring a glass to the lips.. Allen.
3. well-defined oscillations in upper limbs.. Allen.
4. trembling of hands… Allen.
5. uniform oscillations of hand…. Allen.
6. when walking, the assistance of a servant was required on each side, and then his knees bent under him and his gait was tottering.. Allen.
7. shaking, like a trembling of the legs. .. Allen.
8. unsteady walk with tendency to paralysis… Allen
E. MID-BRAIN FORM.
1. slowness of mind melancholia, sadness, feeling of sin, inclination to deceive, hysteria, changing from one group of symptoms and emotions to another, mental and emotional symptoms exaggerated by exertion, patient is always cold and emaciated, no ability food, assimilation destroyed…. Kent
F. BRAIN STEM FORM.
1. paralysis of tongue preventing speech; cannot put out the tongue…. Clarke.
2. paralysis of throat and inability to swallow.. Kent. 3. globus hystericus… Kent.
4. tongue trembles without being paralyzed…. Allen.
5. an attempt at articulation, tongue is seen to move with difficulty…. Knerr.
6. heavy tongue… Knerr.
7. dizziness to point of falling senseless… Clarke.
8. vertigo-especially on stooping or looking up into air…Clarke.
9. faintness; faints on going into a room full of company.. Hering.
10. while hard at work and apparently in the best of health, fell suddenly back, unconscious… Allen.
11. everything seemed to tremble and whirl… Allen
G. PERIPHERAL NERVE FORM.
1. falling asleep of the leg from knee to foot…. Allen.
2. feet constantly inclined to fall asleep… Allen.
3. wrist-drop… Clarke
H. MISCELLANEOUS.
1. drawing and tearing in arms… Clarke.
2. drawing and tearing in fingers….Clarke.
3. difficulty in moving fingers… Clarke.
4. great languor and weariness of lower limbs.. Hull.
5. lame feeling in legs.. Hering.
6. lay with the limbs drawn up … Allen.
7. cramps in legs… Knerr.
8 cramps in soles of feet… Clarke.
9. the feet are pressed to the floor with difficulty, as if made of wood… Hering.
10. one foot began to drag, and soon it was only possible to creep on all fours… Hering.
11. a spasmodic working of feet from side to side and they would often draw back out of the shoes…. Allen.
12. toes moderately flexed, could not be extended… Allen.
13. weakness of feet… Allen.
14. heaviness and weariness of soles of feet, especially noticed when sitting … Allen.
15. quite painful formication in soles of feet… Allen.
16. paralyzed feeling in joints of feet… Knerr.
17. heaviness of eyes when moving them… Clarke.
18. lids spasmodically contracted… Hering.
19. sensation of pricking in the eyes… Allen.
20. jerking tearing in left eyeball… Allen.
21. contraction of muscles in neck … Kent.
22. tension in neck extending to ears when moving… Hering.
23. distortion of spine… Clarke.
