Fever
Characteristic – Suitable to the gouty or rheumatic diathesis, persons with bilious tendency, exceedingly irritable, inclined to be angry, black hair, dark complexion and firm muscular fibre, prone to so-called “bilious attacks,” dry, nervous, slender (Nux).
He ring says: “Indicated in light complexions but more in dark.”
Complaints: when warm weather sets in after cold days, from cold drinks or ices in hot weather, after taking cold or getting heated in summer, from exposure to draft, cold wind (Aconite, Hepar), suppressed discharges of menses, milk or eruption of acute exanthema.
The pains are stitching, tearing, worse at night, greatly Aggravated by motion, Amelioration by rest and lying on the painful side (Ptelea trifoliata, Pulsatilla – Similar pain but Aggravation and Amelioration are opposite, Kali carb.). The parts which are the seat of subjective pain become subsequently sensitive to external pressure, and then swollen and red.
Children dislike to be carried, or to be raised.
Ailments from chagrin, mortification, anger (Colocynthis, Staphysagria), violence, with chilliness and coldness, after anger chilly, but with head hot and face red (Aurum).
Constant motion of left arm and leg (Apocynum, Helleborus).
Excessive dryness of mucous membrane of entire body, lips and tongue dry, parched, cracked, stool, dry as if burnt, urine, dark, and scanty, great thirst, cough, dry, hard, racking, with scanty expectoration.
In delirium: talks constantly about his business, desires to get out of bed and go home (Actea, Hyoscyamus)
Headache: when stooping, as if brain would burst through forehead, from ironing, on coughing, in morning after rising, or when first opening the eyes, commencing in morning and gradually increasing till evening, from constipation, dull pain in forehead.
Headache: gastric, rheumatic, congestive, with vertigo, heaviness, pressure, and rush of blood to head.
Desires things immediately which are not to be had, or which when offered are refused.
Cannot sit up from nausea and faintness.
Pressure, as from a stone, at pit of stomach, relieved by eructation.
Constipation: inactive, no inclination, stool large, hard, dark, dry as if burnt, on going sea (Platina), forerunner of typhoid.
Diarrhea: during hot days in summer, bilious, acrid, like dirty water, of undigested food, from cold drinks when over- heated, from fruit or saurkraut, Aggravation in morning aggravation on moving, even hand or foot.
Vicarious menstruation, nosebleed when menses should appear (Phosphorus): blood spitting, or hemoptysis, during course of typhoid.
Mammae heavy, of a stony hardness, pale, but hard, hot and painful, must support the gland (Phytolacca).
Great thirst for large quantities, at long intervals.
Cough: Dry, spasmodic, with gagging and vomiting (Kali carb.), with stitches in side of chest (Ranunculus), with headache, as if head would fly to pieces, Aggravation after eating, drinking, entering a warm room, a deep inspiration.
Aggravation: Motion, exertion, touch, cannot sit up, gets faint or sick or both, warmth, warm food, at night, suppressed discharges.
One of the chief characteristics of Bryonia is, aggravation from any motion, and corresponding Amelioration from absolute rest, either mental or physical.
Amelioration: Lying, especially on painful side (Ptelea trifoliata, Pulsatilla), rest, cold, eating cold things, pressure, heat, sweat
Complementary: Alumina, Rhus tox.
Type: Quotidian, tertian or quartan fevers, periodical sweats on single parts, restless every other night. Anticipating or postponing. Typhoid, typhus, yellow fever.
Time: All periods time not characteristic Morning.
Cause. – Fevers caused by getting wet (Calcarea, Rhus- Sleeping in damp room or bed, Aranea ), in dry weather, whether hot or cold.
Prodrome: Great thirst for large quantities of cold water. Stretching and drawing in the limbs, violent headache, stitching, jerking, throbbing from before backwards as if the head would burst, vertigo.
Chill: With great thirst for large quantities of cold water, which affords relief ( Ignatia, Nat. – unquenchable thirst, drinks little and often, but drinking causes vomiting, Arsenicum ), heat of the head and face, with flushed cheeks, cough violent, dry, racking, with pleuritic stitching pains in chest and region of the spleen (dry, teasing cough, before and during chill, without pain, Rhus Stitching pain in right hypochondrium and abdomen, oppressed breathing, chill with external coldness of body and violent pains in the limbs, evening chill, frequently only of the right side (chill of right side, with heat of left, Rhus- one-sided chilliness, Causticum, Lycopodium). Shaking chill all over, hot head (internal), red, hot face and cheeks, with intense desire for cold drinks ( Arnica ) Chill begins on lips, tips of fingers and toes, in abdomen or stomach, worse in a warm room than in the open air ( Apis ), worse from moving, lessened by sitting. Desire to lie down, in this stage.
Heat: With increased thirst, same cough with pleuritic stitches as in chill (dry cough during heat, Aconite Ipecac. ), increased headache and vertigo, pain in limbs aggravated by motion, nausea and vomiting. Dry, burning, internal heat, as if the blood in the veins was burning, or as if molten lead was running through the blood – vessels ( Arsenicum, Rhus ). More fever in a warm room than in the open air, aggravation of all the sufferings during the heat. Heat: with desire to uncover, in face with red face, with bitter taste. Wants to be quiet and not move about in any stage. Paleness of face. Thirst less than in cold stage.
Sweat: Profuse, sour, oily (as if mixed with oil, Chinch.). Easily excited by exercise in open air ( Am.m. ), even from slow waking, it runs in streams from his face. Sweat flowed in streams from whole body, even dropping from the hair ( Cinchona – the least exertion puts him into a perspiration, Psorinum ). Sweat in short spells, and on single parts only ( Petr), profuse, at night and towards morning. Sweat on side on which he lies (on side not lain upon, Benz., San.). Sweat relieves.
Tongue: Thick, yellow coating on the tongue, mouth and lips dry and peeling off ( Cinchona, Ipecac. ), everything tastes bitter. Mouth bitter when not eating. Desires things which are refused when offered. Aversion to food or drink (aversion to meat, Arnica- to pork, Drosera ).
Pulse: Full, hard, rapid and tense, sometimes intermittent.
Apyrexia: All symptoms of this stage are characteristic and should be carefully studied. Gastric symptoms predominate ( Ant.c., PUls., Nux. ), but the general constitutional are almost always to be found and if present are guiding. Every spot in the body is painful to pressure. (Soreness of the part lain on, which compels him to move, although motion hurts, Arnica, Baptisia, Pyrogen ). Feels best when lying upon painful side.
” When fever is caused by getting wet, occipital cephalalgia, preceded by rheumatic pains in muscles of whole body, loss of appetite, eating a mouthful suffices, rotatory vertigo, redness of face, and thirst in all stages of paroxysms.” Dr. Higgins.
Analysis: Boenninghausen’s picture of the Bryonia fever: “Pulse hard, frequent and tense.
Chill: Chill and coldness predominate, often with heat of head, red cheeks and thirst. Chill with external coldness of the body. Chill and coldness most at evening or on the right side of body. Chill more in the room than in the open air.
Heat: Dry, burning heat for the most part internal only, and as if the blood burned in the veins. All the symptoms are aggravated during the heat.
Sweat. – Much sweat: easy sweating, even from walking slowly in the cold open air. Copious night and morning sweats.” CLINICAL
Case I.
Tertian, the fever anticipates one or two hours every day. The paroxysms are preceded by vertigo, with headache, and stitching in the chest during an inspiration. Moderate chilliness, followed by great heat. Delirium. Unquenchable thirst, with dry cough. Lastly sweat. Bryonia 18 two doses, after fever. Cured. – Hom. Clinique. Pr. Com., I., P. 181.
Case II.
Tertian fever (this man had received large doses of Quinia under allopathic treatment). Violent chilliness for half an hour every third day at noon, preceded by violent headache, after this the skin became warmer, the pulse full and frequent, but no heat properly so called, although there was violent thirst. Sweat considerable. The apyrexia was characterized by pricking and cutting in the chest, especially when coughing, the cough being dry and troublesome. Face pale, no gastric symptoms, pulse normal, sleep tranquil. Bryonia 21 soon after attack. Two days after, a feeble paroxysm. No return. Dr. Thorer, Hom. Clinique. Pr. Com., I., p. 38.
Case III.
Intermittent fever. Patient had “double legs” while taking Bryonia. The symptom disappeared after taking Petroleum 200, one dose. – GilBert.
Case IV.
Remittent fever. The symptom of the whole body being “double” was present for several days, though the patient was improving under Arsenic, with it there was occipital headache and vertigo on sitting up. After a dose of Bryonia the “double” first disappeared, then the headache followed, and the next morning the vertigo was gone. – Gilbert.
