Fever
Characteristic – Best adapted to persons, young or old, who have suffered from exhausting diseases (exhausted from loss of vital fluids, Cinchona, Phos-ac., Phosphorus). Cachectic, with weak vitality.
Persons who have never fully recovered from the exhausting effects of some previous illness, asthma dates from measles or pertussis of childhood, indigestion from a drunken debauch, bad effects of a long ago injury, has never recovered from effects of typhoid (Psorinum).
Weakness of memory and slowness of thought.
Ailments: from Quinine, especially suppressed intermittents, abuse of mercury, salt, salt meats, or spoiled fish, meats, fats (Cepa), getting overheated (Ant-c.).
Diseases of venous system predominate (Sul.), symptoms of imperfect oxidation (Argentumnit.), deficient capillary circulation causes blueness of skin and coldness of extremities, vital powers nearly exhausted, desires to be constantly fanned, must have more air.
Patients crave things that make them sick, old topers crave whiskey or brandy, want clothing loose around abdomen.
Weak digestion, the simplest food disagrees. Excessive accumulation of gas in stomach and intestines, after eating or drinking, sensation as if stomach would burst. Eructations give temporary relief. Effects of a debauch, rich food, late suppers.
Bad effects from loss of vital fluids (Causticum), hemorrhage from any broken down condition of mucous membrane.
Hemorrhage from any mucous outlet, in systems broken down, debilitated, blood oozes from weakened tissues, vital force exhausted.
Epistaxis in daily attacks, for weeks, worse from exertion, face pale before as well as after a hemorrhage.
Hippocratic face, very pale grayish-yellow, greenish, cold with cold sweat, after hemorrhage.
Looseness of teeth, easily – bleeding gums.
Awakens often from cold limbs, especially cold knees.
In the last stages of disease, with copious cold sweat, cold breath, cold tongue, voice lost, this remedy may save a life.
Aggravation: Generally worse in changes of weather, especially warm damp weather, or in protracted sultry heat of summer or autumn, butter, pork, fat food, abuse of quinine, bark, mercury, mornings.
Amelioration: From being fanned, cool air, eructations.
Relations – Complementary: Kali carb.
Want of susceptibility, lack of reaction to well selected remedies (Laur., Opium, Val.)
Compare: Cinchona, Plumb. in neglected pneumonia, especially in “old topers,” Ant-t. in threatened paralysis from inability to expectorate loosened mucus, Caps., Carbo vegetabilis in fevers.
Type: Periodicity not marked. Quotidian, tertian or quartan. Hectic, septic, typhoid, typhus, pernicious yellow fever.(In Memphis during the epidemic of 1873, charcoal came much into favor as a prophylactic; out of more than fifty persons who took it and were constantly exposed to the fever, not one was attacked. The usual dose was half a teaspoonful of the crude powder two or three times a day. – Dr.MORSE)
Time: 10 or 11 A.M. – evening.
Yearly return of paroxysm ( Lachesis, Sul. ).
Cause: Fevers from getting over – heated, from living in damp dwellings.
Prodrome: Headache, throbbing in temples, backache, tearing toothache, and tearing pain in the limbs, cold feet, the two latter may attend the entire paroxysm.
Chill: With thirst, at times left sided, begins in left hand and arm (begins in right arm, Mercuriusper. ). Chill with headache and unusual lassitude, with icy – coldness of the body and cold breath (with terrible coldness as if lying on ice, Lycopodium – as if a piece of ice were lying on the back between the shoulders, Lachn. ), shivering and chills in the evening, mostly only on left side ( Causticum – right side, Bry ), evening chill with tired, weary feeling and flushes of heat. Coldness of the knees, even in bed (Apis), of left arm and left leg, very cold hands and feet, finger nails blue. Irregular paroxysm, sometimes sweat first, followed by chill ( Nux. ).
Heat: Without thirst. Sensation of heat with great anxiety in the evening, although she was cold to touch all over, flushes of burning heat in the evening, with headache, flushed face, vertigo and nausea, tired, aching pain in legs, pain in stomach, abdomen, spleen, oppressed breathing ( Apis, Arsenicum ). Heat and chill are distinct and independent, rarely heat and sweat commingled together or alternate (chill and heat are mingled, Arsenicum – heat and chill alternate, Calcarea ). Flushes of burning heat in evening, usually without thirst. Headache continues after the sweat, Arsenicum Eup. ). Loquacity during hot stage ( Lachesis – during chill and heat, Podophyllum ).
” Chill with a marked degree of thirst, no thirst, or but slight during the fever, but to compensate for lack of thirst, the patient wishes to be constantly fanned.” – Guernsey.
Sweat: Profuse, of a sour of putrid odor, at night, great disposition to sweat even when eating ( Carbo a. ). Moist on upper parts of body. Sour morning – sweat, which makes his person offensive, feet sweat when walking, sweats easily in a warm room, and is just as easily chilled. Tearing pain in the legs and teeth.
Tongue: Coated with white, yellow fur, dry, fissured, lead – colored ( Arsenicum ), cold and contracted. Bitter taste before and eating. Aversion to milk, which causes flatulence, to meat and fat things (longing for them, Carbo a. – longing for coffee, sweet and salt things, Nitr.ac. ).
Pulse: Weak, irregular, intermitting, indicative of rapid sinking.
Apyrexia: Prostration, paleness, weakness of memory, melancholic disposition. Gastric symptoms, stomach and abdomen distended with gas after eating (least mouthful fills up to the chin, Lycopodium ). Sensation as if stomach or abdomen would burst after eating or drinking. Great foulness of the excretions. ( Baptisia )
” In cachectic patients with profuse sour – smelling perspiration, thirst only during the chill, excitability of nervous symptoms. Patients debilitated from previous drugging, and frequent suppression of paroxysm by Quinia. One – sided chill (left) during afternoon, great prostration, with icy coldness of the body, thirst and rapid sinking, small pulse, contracted, cold and cadaverous tongue and face, with cold breath. ” – T.D. Stowe.
This picture very closely resembles a so-called “pernicious” or ” congestive fever.”
Analysis: In patients who have been exhausted by some deep – seated cachexia or exhausting disease, abuse of mercury, salt, quinine, vital powers low, great prostration.
Chill, with thirst, one – sided, left hand and arm, icy coldness of the body, rapid sinking, cold breath.
Heat, without thirst, flushed face, loquacity, desire to be fanned.
Sweat, profuse, sour, offensive, sweats when eating (Carbo a.).
Persons who have never recovered from effects of some previous illness of injury, suppression by Quinine or drugging, typhoid or yellow fever.
