THERAPEUTICS OF FEVER by ALLEN
Fever
Characteristic – Aconite is most frequently indicated in recent cases occurring in young persons, especially girls of a full plethoric habit, who lead a sedentary life, persons easily affected by atmospheric changes, dark hair and eyes, rigid muscles.
Complaints from exposure to dry, cold air, dry north or west winds (land winds), drafts of air while in a perspiration, bad effects of checked perspiration.
On rising from a recumbent posture, the red face becomes deathly pale, or he becomes faint or giddy and falls over, he fears to rise again, often accompanied by vanishing of sight and unconsciousness.
Great Fear And Anxiety of Mind, with great nervous excitability, afraid to go out, to go into a crowd where there is any excitement or many people, to cross a street.
His countenance is expressive of fear, his life is rendered miserable by it, is sure his disease will prove fatal, predicts the day he will die, fear of death during pregnancy.
This mental anxiety, worry, fear accompanies the most trivial ailment.
Music is unbearable, makes her sad ( Sabina – during menses. Nat.c).
Restless anxious, does everything in great haste, must change position often, everything startles him.
Hahnemann says: Whenever Aconite is chosen homoeopathically, you must, above all, observe the moral symptoms, and be careful that it closely resembles them, the anguish of mind and body, the restlessness, the disquiet not to be allayed.
Aggravation: In the evening and night the pains are insupportable, in a warm room, when rising in bed, lying on affected side (Hepar, Nux moschata).
Amelioration: During the day, in the open air (Alumina, Magnesia carb., Pulsatilla, Sabina), while at rest (except at night in bed), after perspiration, from wine.
Relations: Aconite is the acute of Sulphur, and both precedes and follows it in acute inflammatory conditions.
Abuse of Aconite requires Sulphur.
Type: Quotidian, quartan. No regularity, periodicity not marked. Apt to become synochal, or inflammatory symptoms with congestion of local organs, as head chest, may form a complication.
Time: Usually in the evening.
Cause. – Dry, cold north or west winds; hot days and cool nights, getting wet(Dulcamara, Rhus), suppressed perspiration by uncovering or sitting in a draft, by fright; rheumatic exposure.
Chill: Ascends from feet to chest, with internal heat and sensation of hot water in the head, chilly when uncovered or even touched, chilliness on the slightest movement, even by lifting of bed clothes (Nux), cold sensation in blood vessels (Arsenicum, Rhus).
Coldness, with redness and heat of one, coldness and paleness of the other cheek (Chamomilla, Ipecac.). Chill with one hot cheek, contracted pupils, anxiety, or body chilly, with red face. hot cheeks, hot forehead and ear lobules, face hot, hands and feet cold. Chill in extremities to head and face, heat, vice versa.
Heat: With thirst. Towards evening, dry heat in the face, with anxiety, high fever, Dry, Burning Heat, which extends from head and face, burning heat, with chilly shiverings running up the back. Great fear, nervous excitability, Restlessness and Anxious Tossing About, excessive anguish and oppression. Cough during heat, with palpitation and pleuritic stitches in the chest (cough during chill and heat, Bryonia – cough before and during the chill, Rhus ). Red face while lying, and pale face and fainting when rising up. Great thirst for large quantities of water, everything else tastes bitter (thirst for large quantities in every stage, Bryonia, Natrum mur. – only during heat, Ipecac. ). Can not bear to be covered, yet fears to be uncovered (Camph., Secale). Long lasting dry heat.
Sweat: Must be covered as soon as sweat begins, covered or affected parts sweat most profusely (Ant.t.) or perspiration only on side on which he lies (Cinchona, Nit.ac.) sweat on single parts only (Bryonia). Profuse warm perspiration over whole body, by which nervous excitability, restlessness and anxiety are relieved (sweat brings relief of all suffering, Nat.m. ) General warm steaming sweat. Most on parts covered. Profuse during sleep. Worse while seating.
Tongue: Coated white, papillae red and elevated. Strawberry tongue.
Pulse: During chill, intermittent, thread – like, during heat, quick, full, hard, bounding. cold sensation in the blood vessels.
Apyrexia: Never clear. Loss of appetite, sleep restless and disturbed by dreams, very anxious about recovery, weak and exhausted by slightest exertion, either mental or physical.
Is rarely indicated, per se, as the remedy to cure. Cause, often the characteristic indication, then it acts promptly and cures permanently.
Unless indicated by the exciting cause, is nearly always injurious in the early stages of typhoid.
Aconite is never given first to subdue the fever, and then some other remedy to meet the case, never to be alternated with other drugs for the purpose of controlling the fever. If the fever be such as to require Aconite, no other drug is needed. If other drugs seem to be indicated, one should be sought which meets the fever as well, for many drugs besides Aconite produce fever, each after his kind. – Dunham, I, p. 87,
Analysis: Cause, nearly always guiding, exposure to dry, cold winds, drafts of air, effects of checked perspiration, getting wet when heated.
Chill: From extremities to chest and head, one cheek red and hot, the other cold and pale (Chamomilla, Nux), aggravated slightest movement or lifting of bed clothes (Nux).
Heat: Skin dry and hot, face red, or pale and red alternately, burning thirst for large quantities of cold water, intense nervous restlessness, tossing about in agony, becomes intolerable towards evening and on going to sleep, long lasting.
Sweat: Must be covered soon as it begins.
Aconite will sometimes be found serviceable in relieving oppression of the heart and respiration, when this is great during the paroxysm. It is the one exception to the rule which requires the remedy for this fever to be given in the intermission. Where this oppression is great, and the other symptoms do not contradict it, a few pellets of the appropriate potency may be dissolved in water and a teaspoonful given every fifteen, twenty or thirty minutes, according to the symptoms, till relief is obtained. This, if the remedy be the place, will not impede the action of the specific remedy for the case.
This remedy will be the more appropriate if the oppression be accompanied by the characteristic loud complaining, and the equally characteristic fear of death. – Dr. Geo. H. Clark.
