Fever
Characteristic – Especially adapted to the nervous temperament, women of a sensitive, easily excited nature, dark hair and skin, but mild disposition, quick to perceive, to execute. In striking contrast with the fair – complexioned, yielding, lachrymose, but slow and indecisive Pulsatilla.
The remedy of great contradictions: the roaring in ears ameliorated by music, the piles ameliorated when walking, sore throat feels ameliorated when swallowing, empty feeling in stomach not ameliorated by eating, cough aggravated the more he coughs, cough on standing still during a walk (Ast-fl.), spasmodic laughter from grief, sexual desire with impotency, thirst during a chill, no thirst in the fever, the color changes in the face when at rest.
Mental conditions rapidly, in an almost incredibly short time, change from joy to sorrow, laughing to weeping (Croc., Nux moschata).
Persons mentally and physically exhausted by long concentrated grief, involuntary sighing, and a weak, empty feeling at pit of stomach, not ameliorated by eating.
Desire to be alone.
Finely sensitive mood, delicate conscientiousness.
Inconstant, impatient, irresolute, quarrelsome.
Amiable in disposition if feeling well, but easily disturbed by very slight emotion, easily offended.
The slightest fault finding or contradiction excites anger, and this makes him angry with himself.
Bad effects: of anger, grief, or disappointed love (Calcareap., Hyoscyamus), from bad news, from vexation with reserved displeasure, from suppressed mental sufferings, of shame and mortification, broods over imaginary trouble in solitude.
Children: when reprimanded, scolded, sent to bed, get sick or have convulsions in sleep.
Headache, as if a nail were driven out through the side, relieved by lying on it (compare, Cof., Nux vomica, Thuja).
Cannot bear tobacco, produces or aggravated headache (Lobelia).
In talking or chewing, bites inside of cheek.
Sweat on the face, of a small spot only, while eating.
Prolapsus ani from moderate straining at stool (nitricum acidum, Podophyllum, Ruta).
Constipation: from carriage riding, of a paralytic origin, excessive urging, felt more in upper abdomen (Verbascum), with great pain, dreads to go to closet, women who are habitual coffee drinkers.
Hemorrhoids: prolapse with every stool, have to be replaced, sharp stitches up the rectum (Nit ac.), aggravated for hours after stool (Rat., Sul.).
Cough: dry, spasmodic, after warm drinks, every time he stands still during a walk, the longer he coughs the more the irritation to cough increases.
Twitchings, jerkings, even spasms of single limbs or whole body, when falling asleep.
Pain: in small circumscribed spots, oversensitive to (Cof., Hepar).
In most cases Ignatia should be give in the morning.
Relations – Incompatible: Cof., Nux vomica, Tabacum
Ignatia bears the same relation to the diseases of women that Nux does to sanguine, bilious men.
“There are many more Ignatia persons in North America than Nux vomica persons.” – Hering.
Aggravation: Tobacco, coffee, brandy. Contact, motion, strong smells, mental emotions, grief, etc., cold air.
Amelioration: Warmth, hard pressure, lying on the back.
Type: Quotidian, tertian, quartan. Irregular, continually changing, especially by the abuse of Quinine (Eup.).
Postponing or anticipating, the former the rule, the latter the exception (postpones anticipates, Gambogia). typhoid.
The attacks are irregular both in periodicity and evolution of stages. Return each spring after suppression by Quinine.
Time: Irregularity of hour, characteristic. Paroxysm at sunset, late in the afternoon or evening, then fever heat nearly all night. At all periods.
Prodrome: Violent yawning and stretching, sometimes terrible shuddering.
Chill: Always with great thirst for large quantities of water (same, but in all stages, Bryonia before and during chill, Caps., Carbo vegetabilis, Eup. ), only during chill (if thirst in any other stage, it is light and in short spells). Chill commences in upper arms and spreads to back and chest (in both arms at once, Belladonna in hands and feet, Gelsemium chill begins in and spreads from arms, goose – flesh, hot face, drowsy, motion, aggravated by getting out of bed, Helleborus). Chilly at sunset, chilly in cool air, very cold all over, with one – sided headache. Shaking chill, with redness of the face, in the evening. Coldness and chilliness of whole body, or only of posterior portions, ameliorated at once in a warm room or by a warm stove (kali c.). Chilliness on the back, and over upper arms, with heat of ears, about the knees, which are cold externally, in the face and on the arms, with chattering of teeth and goose – flesh, feet and legs, thigh and forearm, chill of single parts only (chill and heat of single parts, Belladonna, Rhus ), proceeding from the abdomen (most severe in abdomen, Meny. from the stomach, Calcarea running to an terminating in the stomach, Arnica ). During the chill: ill humor, colic, nausea, vomiting of food, mucus and bile (rare), great paleness of face, pain in back, lameness of lower limbs. Chill and coldness aggravate the pains. External coldness, internal heat, or internal chill with external heat.
“The febrile coldness relieved by external warmth is characteristic of Ignatia.” – Hahnemann.
Heat: Without thirst. Heat of the whole body in the afternoon, without thirst, with sensation of dryness of the skin. External heat and redness, without internal heat. Sudden flushes of heat over the whole body. External warmth is intolerable (Pulsatilla), must be uncovered as soon as heat begins (Aconite, Secale). One ear, one cheek, and side of the face red and burning ( one cheek red and hot the other cold and pale, Chamomilla ), hot knees with cold nose, heat of the face, with coldness of the hands and feet, continuous quick alternations from heat to cold. Heat and coldness of single parts (Apis, Belladonna). Deep snoring sleep during heat (Apis, Opium), frequent sighing, beating headache, vertigo, delirium, pain in stomach and bowels, vomiting of ingesta, with coldness of the feet and spasmodic twitching of the extremities. Urticaria over the whole body, with violent itching, easily ameliorated by scratching, which disappears with the sweat (itching, stinging, nettlerash before and during chill, Hepar during chill and heat, Rhus see Dulcamara ). Patient is hungry after the fever (Eup.).
“The heat of Ignatia is almost always external, also, there is very seldom thirst with this heat, even in intermittent fever, hence Ignatia is able to cure homoeopathically and permanently in the smallest dose, intermittent fever which presents thirst during chill but not during heat.” – Hahnemann.
Sweat: Without thirst, warm perspiration of extremities, usually light, though general. Fainting during sweat, or as the heat passes into sweating stage. Sweat when eating. Sensation as if sweat would break out over the whole body, which, however, does not follow. Warm perspiration on the hands, or on the inner surface of the hands and fingers, in the evening, at times cold, but generally warm and sour – smelling.
Tongue: Clean. Saliva has sour taste. Food tasteless.
Apyrexia: Complete. The face is pale, eruption on the lips and in the corners of the mouth, lips dry and chapped, hungry about 11 A.M. (Sul.), but little or no appetite at time of meals, aching pain in pit of stomach, colic, with hard stools and ineffectual urging, pain in back and limbs, languor, apathy, giving away of the knees, starting in sleep, or sound sleep with snoring. The sleep usually continues from the heat during and through sweating stage, into apyrexia. All pain and headache aggravated by tobacco and coffee.
“During the chill thirsty, seeks external warmth, during the fever heat, no thirst, external warmth very pleasant, sitting up relieves the chill.” – Hahnemann.
Ignatia is adapted to recent mild cases, or long – lasting and complicated ones, particularly those occurring among women and young people of a highly nervous organization. No remedy has thirst during chill and in no other stage, chill relieved by external heat, and heat aggravated by external covering, so prominently marked as Ignatia. The Ignatia patient is able to resume his occupation as soon as paroxysm is over. Ignatia is indicated if the tertian type has become quartan after taking large doses of Quinine.
Difference between Gelsemium and Ignatia
Gelsemium Time: 2 p.m., 4 to 5 p.m., and 9 p.m. Regular – every day at same hour. Morning fever, without chill. Prodrome: No symptoms. Chill: Without thirst, commencing in hands and feet. Chills follow each other in wave – like rapid succession up the spine from sacrum to occiput. Heat: Without thirst. flying heat and flushes followed by perspiration. Sweat: Profuse, coming on gradually, relieving all the pains. Tongue: Yellowish – white, breath fetid. Saliva blood – colored. Apyrexia: Often wanting or very short. Intermittents often become remittents.
Ignatia
Time: Not characteristic, chill late in afternoon or evening. Irregular – anticipates or postpones. Morning fever, with chill. Prodrome: Yawning and stretching. Chill: With great thirst, commencing in upper arms and spreads to back. Shaking chill with red face, relieved at once in warm room or by heat of stove. Heat: Without thirst. External heat and redness, without internal heat. Sweat: Light, warm, chiefly on extremities, or of the face only. Tongue: Clean. Saliva has a sour taste. Food tasteless. Apyrexia: Complete. Face is very pale. One type frequently changes to another.
