Fever
Characteristic – Adapted to diseases of old people, worn out constitutions, especially from inebriety, cachexia, from prolonged or frequent attacks of bilious or intermittent fevers.
Bruised feeling, as if broken, all over the body (Arnica, Lac caninum, Pyrogen).
Bone pains, affecting the back, limbs, head, chest, particularly the wrists as if dislocated, the eyeballs, the more general and severe the better adapted. Like Bryonia, they are accompanied by headache, constipation and pain in hepatic region, but here the similitude ends.
In Bryonia, the perspiration is profuse, easily excited by motion, and the pains compel patient to lie still upon the painful side.
In Eupatorium the sweat is scanty or wanting, the pains cause restlessness without any relief from motion, and there is entire inability to lie on left side.
Pains as if broken, come quickly and go away as quickly (Belladonna, Mag.p., Eup.pur. – reverse of Stannum).
Vertigo: sensation as if falling to the left (cannot turn the head to the left for fear of falling, Colocynthis, Conium).
Cough: chronic, loose with hectic, chest sore, must support it with hands (Bryonia, Nat.c.), Aggravation at night, following measles or suppressed intermittents.
Painful soreness of eyeballs, coryza, aching in every bone, great prostration in epidemic influenza (Lac.c.).
Relations – Followed well by Natr.mur., Sepia and Tuberculinum
Aggravation: Motion, drinking, uncovering.
Type: Tertian, double tertian, rarely double quartan, and then only when changed from original type by Quinine. All types may be cured by it. Anticipating, remittent, bilious, malarial, sporadic La Grippe.
Time: 7 A.M., 7 to 9 P.M., 7 to 9 A.M. one day, lighter chill at 12 M. next day, 10 A.M., 12 to 2 P.M., 5 P.M. Will cure without reference to time, when totality of symptoms is present.
Prodrome: Insatiable thirst, but drinking causes nausea and vomiting, and hastens the chill. Sick stomach and thirst night before the paroxysm. Thirst, sometimes for warm drinks (Casc., Ced.), one to three hours before the chill, he knows the chill is coming because ” he cannot drink enough ” (knows chill is coming because she is thirsty, Caps., Cinchona, nat. ), yawning, stretching, pain in back, especially over right ilium, and the bones of extremities as if broken. Colicky pain in the upper abdomen ( Cocculus indicus ), painful soreness of the eyeballs. Must be covered, before and during chill (covered during entire paroxysm, Nux ). Hungry (Cina).
Chill: With intense thirst, but drinking water increases the nausea, and causes bitter vomiting (drinking causes vomiting, Arsenicum – drinking increases the chill, Caps. ). Chilliness with excessive trembling and nausea (from the least motion). Chilliness in the morning, heat throughout the whole day, but no perspiration. Chill may leave for a few minutes and return again, but no heat in the interval (reverse of Arsenicum, which has alternate chill and heat). Shivering increased by motion, intense, throbbing headache, pain in back and bones of extremities, moaning with pain, distressing pain in stomach and spleen. Yawning and stretching, more shivering than the degree of coldness warrants. Must be warmly covered (Nux). Begins in or may spread from the back, or runs up the back (begins in back between the shoulders, Caps., Polyp. – begins in lumbar region, Eup. Purp. ). At close of chill nausea and vomiting of bitter fluids and bile, aggravated by drinking, or after every draft. (Caps. – sour vomiting at close of chill, Lycopodium). Chilly one day, colic the next.
Heat: Preceded by thirst, which is often felt most between chill and heat ( Arsenicum, Cinchona ) or there may be little thirst, when cephalalgia and bone pains are increased, trembling, faint from motion, great weakness, cannot raise the head while the fever lasts, cheeks mahogany red, throbbing headache, internal soreness from head to foot, all over the body (Arnica), sleep with moaning. Seldom any nausea during this stage, but bitter vomiting (sour vomiting, Lycopodium ) occurs at close of heat if absent at close of chill. Heat and lachrymation. Much shivering even during heat. ” A swallow of water will make him shiver” (will make him shudder, Caps.). Pain in scrobiculus cordis. Fever in the forenoon, preceded by thirst early in the morning, but no chill, attended by fatiguing cough, and not followed by perspiration.
Sweat: Generally scanty, or absent altogether, in which case the headache continues for several hours after fever is gone ( Arsenicum ). When there is much perspiration, it brings relief of all pains except cephalalgia, which is increased (sweat relieves all pains, Nat. ). Coldness during nocturnal sweat. Perspiration, at night giving no relief, during sweat the slightest movement of patient, or jar of bed, will cause a transient chill to run through the frame, especially along the back on uncovering (Nux), not debilitating if profuse (reverse of Cinchona and Carbo vegetabilis ). When chill is severe, sweat is light or wanting and vice versa.
Tongue: Coated white or yellow. Taste, insipid, bitter, food has no taste ( Drosera ). Desire for ice cream, thirst. Paleness of mucous membrane of mouth ( Ferrum ) Cracks at the commissures of the lips ( Nat. ) Canine hunger after Quinine.
Apyrexia: Imperfect, very little remission. Jaundiced hue of skin and conjunctiva, loose cough, if any sweat, it is attended with chilliness and worse from motion and uncovering. Bone pains are present in every stage, and only gradually disappear with disappearance of sweat. Feels worse morning of one day, and afternoon of next. The severity of vomiting has relation to time of eating, the nearer the meals the surer to vomit, first of ingesta, afterwards of bile, which is usually bitter.
“Eupatorium has been a favorite remedy with the most successful practitioners where remittent and intermittent fevers have prevailed epidemically in miasmatic districts, along rivers, at fisheries, on marshes, and their several neighborhoods.” C.J. Hempel., S.C., I., p. 696.
” Eupatorium perf., both by its pathogenesis and clinical verification in practice, is one of the most valuable of the Materia Medica in the treatment of western intermittents. ” J.S. Douglas.
To this statement I would add that its efficacy is not bounded by latitude. Sometimes it corresponds to the genus epidemicus, and will alone cure nearly every case, particularly if occurring in autumn. It vies with Arsenicum, Cinchona and Natrum mur. as one of our sheet anchors in this disease, its symptoms are “clear – cut” and well defined, its action prompt and decisive. It has cured in all potencies from the tincture to the cm.
Difference between Arsenic and Eupatorium
Arsenicum
Type. – Quotidian, tertian, quartan, double tertian and quartan. Anticipating. Every fourteen days. Irregular both in type and stage. Time. – Characteristic, 1 to 2 P.M. 12 to 2 A.M. Afternoon paroxysm predominates. Prodrome. – No thirst. Headache, with vertigo and pale face, pain in bowels and watery diarrhea, Debility, great weariness, must lie down. Malaise. Chill. – Irregular, mingling of chilliness and heat, or chills and heat alternate, ameliorated by external heat. Thirst is not always present, if present, drinks little and often, but generally for hot drinks. Thirst, except for hot drinks, contra- indicates. Heat. – Intensive, dry, burning, long-lasting heat, pungent to the touch, and insatiable thirst for cold water. Great restlessness. Must be uncovered. Heat as if hot water were coursing through the blood-vessels. Sweat. – With unquenchable thirst for large quantities of water, which causes vomiting. Cold, clammy. Great weakness and prostration. Previous symptoms relieved during sweat. Tongue. – Tip red, sides furred, with red streaks down middle, brown-blue. Desire for acids, brandy, water tastes bitter, aversion to food. Apyrexia. – Never clear. Great weakness and prostration. Face pale, sallow, sunken or bloated. Debilitating, watery diarrhea. General anemic appearance. Fevers contracted at sea-shore watering-places, appear in autumn, or “wintered over” and come on in spring.
Eupatorium
Type: Tertian, double tertian, rarely double quartan. Anticipating. All types may be cured with Eupatorium. Time: 7 A.M. or 7 to 9 A.M., 7 to 9 A.M. one day, lighter chill at 12 Morning next day. forenoon predominates. Prodrome: Insatiable thirst. Drinking hastens chill and causes vomiting. Know chill is coming because “he cannot drink enough.” Yawning, stretching, backache, and bone pains in extremities. Chill: With great thirst. Begins in back, with yawning, stretching, backache and bone pains. May leave and return, but no heat in interval. Must be covered warmly (Nux-v.). Bitter vomiting at close of chill. More shivering than coldness warrants. Heat: Great weakness, cannot raise the head while the heat lasts. Rarely any thirst, cheeks mahogany red, and intense throbbing headache, a swallow of water produces shivering. Body sore from head to foot. Sweat: Scanty or absent. If much, is more profuse at night and then cold. Relieves all pains except cephalagia, which is increased. When chill is severe, sweat is light or wanting, and vice versa. Tongue: Coated white or yellow, pale, food tasteless, insipid, bitter. Desire for ice cream. Canine hunger after Quinine. Commissures of lips cracked (Nat.). Apyrexia: Imperfect, very little remission. Jaundiced hue of skin and conjunctiva, loose cough. Bone pains in every stage, unless relieved by sweat.
