Cinchona Fever Symptoms


Allen gives the therapeutic indications of the remedy Cinchona in different kinds of fevers like: Continued, Bilious, Intermittent, Malarial, Remittent, Pernicious, Typhoid, Typhus, Septic fever, etc…


Fever

Characteristic – Adapted to stout, “swarthy” persons, to systems once robust which have become debilitated, “broken down,” from exhausting discharges.Apathetic, indifferent, taciturn (Phos-ac.), despondent, gloomy, has no desire to live, but lacks courage to commit suicide.

Ailments: from loss of vital fluids, especially hemorrhages, excessive lactation, diarrhea, suppuration (Chinas.), of malarial origin, with marked periodicity, return every other day.

After climacteric with profuse hemorrhage, acute diseases often result in dropsy.

Pains: are darting or drawing-tearing, in every joint, all the bones, periosteum as if strained, sore all over, obliged to move limbs frequently as motion gives relief (Eup., Rhus), renewed by contact, and then gradually increase to a great height, aggravated slightest touch, ameliorated by hard pressure.

Great debility, trembling, aversion to exercise, nervous, sensitive to touch, to pain, to drafts of air, unrefreshing sleep aggravated after 3 A.M.

One hand icy cold, the other warm (Digitalis, Ipecac., Pulsatilla)

Headache: as if the skull would burst, intense throbbing of head and carotids, face flushed, from occiput over whole head, aggravated sitting or lying, must stand or walk, after hemorrhage or sexual excesses.

Face pale, hippocratic, eyes sunken and surrounded by blue margins, pale, sickly expression as after excesses, toothache while nursing the child.

Excessive flatulence of stomach and bowels, belching gives no relief (Lycopodium, Podophyllum – gives relief, Carbo vegetabilis), aggravated after eating fruit.

Colic: at a certain hour each day, periodical, from gallstone (Card-m.). aggravated nights, after eating, ameliorated bending double.

Labor-pains cease from hemorrhage, cannot bear to be touched, not even her hands.

Hemorrhages: from mouth, nose, uterus or bowels, long continued, longing for sour things, blood dark, or dark and clotted, with ringing in the ears, fainting, loss of sight, general coldness and sometimes convulsions (Ferrum, Phosphorus).

Relations – Complementary: Ferrum.

Aggravation: From slightest touch, every other day, draft of air, milk, at night, after the chills, mental emotion.

Amelioration: Warmth, during rest, pressure, bending double.

Type: Variable. Tertian or double tertian, quotidian or double quotidian, double quartan, malarial, remittent.

Anticipates from two to three hours each attack (Quinine).

“Paroxysm every seventh day, anticipating about three hours each succeeding chill.” – W.J. Hawkes.

Time: Not characteristic, may begin at any hour of day, generally toward midday, never at night. 5 p.m., 5 A.M. Paroxysms return every seven or every fourteen days (Arsenicum, Pulsatilla).

Cause: Paludal fevers have always been considered its special domain. A change of theory may revolutionize the cause to which Cinchona is now supposed to be especially adapted, but thanks to similia it will not in the least affect its homoeopathic indications.

Prodrome: Great thirst ( Caps., Eup., Pulsatilla – thirst and bone pains, Eup. ), canine hunger, nausea, anguish, headache, debility, palpitation of the heart, with anxiety, sneezing when exposed to cold air, oppressive colic, and a general feeling of illness.

“Restless sleep night before the paroxysm.” – Hahnemann.

Chill: Without thirst (Observation by Hahnemann – In all my observations I have found that the Cinchona fever is characterized by the thirst not appearing during the cold stage, either shuddering or chilliness, that, on the contrary, thirst came after the cold stage, or, which is the same thing, that thirst came shortly before the hot stage set in.) (with thirst, Caps., Ignatia, Quin. ). Thirst ceases as soon as chill begins. General shaking chill over whole body, beginning in the legs below the knees, increased by drinking. Shivering or chilliness, with goose – flesh, after every swallow of drink (abstains from drinking because every swallow increases the chill, Eup.perf.- because drinking causes vomiting, Arsenicum – shuddering and chill after every drink, Caps. drinking makes headache and all symptoms unbearable, Cimex ). Thirst before or after, but not during the chill. Coldness and shivering when walking in the open air at 5 p.m., disappearing in the room, an hour afterwards, great heat, especially in the face, increased on motion and on walking (Bryonia), thirst follows an hour after the disappearance of the heat. Wants to be near the stove, but it increases the chill ( Ipecac. relieved by heat of stove, Ignatia relieved by external heat, Arsenicum ). Internal and violent chill, with icy cold hands and feet, and congestion of blood to the head. Chill with pain in the liver. Shaking chill and internal coldness for several hours, shivering over the whole body without thirst, coldness of the hands and feet even in a warm room, chill alternating with heat, skin cold and blue ( Camph., Carbo vegetabilis hands cold, nails blue, Nux ). Sensation of internal coldness in upper abdomen, after every swallow of drink, and renewed on every inspiration. Coldness over whole body as if dashed with cold water (Ant- t., Rhus). Paleness and icy coldness of the hands and feet, aggravated by walking, vertigo and paleness of the face.

Heat: Without thirst(Observation by Hahnemann – There is likewise no thirst in the Cinchona fever during the hot stage, except some burning of the lips or some dryness of the parts, which dryness accounts for the symptom, sensation of slight thirst during the hot stage, “the thirst accompanying flushes of heat.” In the Cinchona fever thirst sets in after the hot, or, which is the same thing, during the sweating stage.) General heat, with distended veins, congested headache, desire to uncover, but chilly when uncovered (chilly when uncovered in any stage of paroxysm, Nux. ). Canine hunger or aversion to food, pain in the region of the liver, back, chest, limbs: dryness of mouth and dry, burning lips, with redness of face and often delirium. Long – lasting heat, with sleep. Cough dry, spasmodic, fatiguing, with pain in both hypochondria and at pit of stomach (with stitching pain in chest, Bryonia ). Heat of the whole body, externally and internally, with swollen veins of the arms and hands, without sweat or thirst. Heat of the whole body, aggravated by walking (relieved by walking, Caps. ). Sensation of heat in abdomen as of hot water running down. The cheeks are red and hot to the patient, although they are not warm. If he eats in this stage, sleepy after eating. On the least movement an unpleasant sensation of heat in the head and stomach.

“Entire absence of thirst during height of paroxysm.” – Ad. Lippe.

Sweat: With great thirst. The first indication of its approach is the return of the thirst which preceded the chill, but which was absent during the cold and hot stages. Intense thirst during chill and especially during heat, positively contradicts Cinchona.

Sweating during sleep. On being covered he sweats profusely all over, this he cannot avoid, although very troublesome, he is so sleepy he cannot get up. Partial, cold, greasy, or as if mixed with oil, profuse and debilitating (profuse, but not debilitating, Sambucus ), sweat on the back or side on which he lies (sweat on the side not lain upon, Benz. ) Profuse sweat over the whole body when walking in the open air ( Bryonia ) – relieved by motion, Caps. ). The sweat parboils the skin ( Canch. – parboils the fingers, Ant-c. ). Often slow in becoming established, and frequently out of all proportion to the intensity of the cold and hot stages (see Eup..)

“The patient sweats profusely, especially on the back and neck, when he sleeps. ” – Hahnemann.

Tongue: White or yellow, thick, dirty coating. Taste too acute. Bitter taste in the mouth. Indifference to all food, even when thinking of it. Toothache, especially when infant nurses ( Silicea ).

Pulse: Quick, hard and irregular during chill and heat, slow, feeble in apyrexia, sometimes intermittent, more quiet after eating, great swelling of the veins.

Apyrexia: Sweats easily, great debility and exhausting night – sweats continue, followed by ringing in the ears, and constricting sensation over vertex from ear to ear. A saffron yellowishness of the skin of scalp, face, neck, chest and abdomen ( Chelidonium ), with the characteristic anemic and Cachectic appearance, once seen, never forgotten. There is swelling of both hypochondria, which are painful to pressure and worse by motion, bending, or coughing. Swelling, pain and pressure of epigastric region, with hypertrophy of spleen. Entire loss of appetite, with sinking feeling in stomach, or hunger easily satisfied. Bitter eructations and bitter vomiting (sour eructations and sour vomiting, Lycopodium ). The urine is scanty and turbid, with a yellow or brick – dust sediment, and general dropsical symptoms are often present. Bloated or tympanitic abdomen, and hard spleen or liver in nursing children, with profuse sweating and great weakness (without profuse sweating, Arsenicum ) This constitutes the paroxysm of Cinchona. But Cinchona has also another, an exception to the rule (probably secondary reaction) which is often confounded with Arsenicum, hence its notice in this place. It has only two different stages – Chill and Heat.

H. C. Allen
Dr. Henry C. Allen, M. D. - Born in Middlesex county, Ont., Oct. 2, 1836. He was Professor of Materia Medica and the Institutes of Medicine and Dean of the faculty of Hahnemann Medical College. He served as editor and publisher of the Medical Advance. He also authored Keynotes of Leading Remedies, Materia Medica of the Nosodes, Therapeutics of Fevers and Therapeutics of Intermittent Fever.