(4) Phosphoric acidum. This agent is perhaps equally important as Nitri acidum; it has rendered me good service in mercurial syphilis, with ulceration of the lips, velum, and gums; in swelling of bones, bone-pains, and condylomata; Rosenberg has likewise cured with this remedy truely syphilitic, coin-shaped ulcers on the skin and penis, surrounded with a copper-colored border.
(5) Staphysagria. In accordance with Wahle’s and Rummel’s recommendations I have used this remedy with good results, not only in dry, filiform, but also in soft, cock’s -comb-shaped fig warts, and likewise in cases of mucous tubercles. It seems to me particularly indicated when syphilis and mercurial poisoning are combined. I have used it for two or three months in succession, in alternation with Phosphori acidum for mercurial syphilitic bone- pains; and, in alternation with Aurum, for mercurial bodily and moral prostration.
(6) Sulphur. Whatever may be said in its favour, this remedy will never do the least thing against true syphilis, but may be of some use for the mercurial symptoms in the disease. Attomyr’s itching chancre, if it is not a praeputial herpes, cannot be any thing else than a mercurial syphilitic ulcer, for there never is any itching in syphilitic ulcers, until mercurial symptoms begin to develop themselves in them. With these explanatory remarks, we may recommend Sulphur as useful in the following affections. Violently-itching ulcers which in a few days already become covered with a scurf; thick scurfs on the prepuce, from beneath which pus oozes out; cock’s-comb-shaped, soft, spongy, readily- bleeding excrescence on the corona glandis, of the size of a pigeon’s egg; moist warts and condylomata on the hard swollen labium: excoriation and inflammatory redness around the sexual parts, with burning, and secreting a moisture; /excoriation on the swollen prepuce, readily adhering to the linen; copper- colored spots on the forehead; hard, large, inflamed buboes; scattered warts on the thigh; chronic, mild gleet.
Secale 235.–Remedies that are less frequently used.
According to circumstances, these may be a important as the other remedies. We have:
(1) GUAJACUM.– In mercurial syphilis, this remedy deserves much more attention than it has enjoyed heretofore, and which I have used with good effect for: tearing and stinging in the limbs; bone-pains with swelling; stinging, drawing, tearing pains in the skull and nasal-bones; itching, herpetic, ill-defined exanthems.
(2) HEPAR SULPHURIS.– Of no account in pure syphilis, but useful for the following mercurial symptoms; Falling off of the hair; painful tubercles on the head, and nocturnal pains in the integuments of the skull; painfulness of the nose when pressing upon it with inflamed eyes; eruption around the mouth; ulcerated gums, with ptyalism, swelling of the tonsils, hardness of the cervical glands, with stinging during deglutition, or when coughing, drawing in air, and turning in the neck; abscesses in the groin and axilla; diarrhoeic stools, composed of blood ad green mucus; inflammatory swelling of the knee, hands, fingers; readily bleeding ulcers, with nocturnal burning, beating, stinging; nocturnal bone-pains, with chilliness;l prostration, nervousness.
(3) LACHESIS.– Truly suitable only in mercurial, syphilis, although Gross and cured with it a malignant, ulcerated syphiloid, consisting of ulceration, flat ulcers, of the size of peas; likewise a malignant syphilitic ulcer, spreading rapidly, and penetrating to the bone. I have cured with it syphilitic throat-affections, cutaneous pustules and ulcers. Hering relates a case of mercurial syphilis, with the following symptoms; Velum and fauces covered with cicatrices, and small, greenish-yellow ulcers, deeply seated in the folds, with constant titillation, exciting a cough and retching; violent pain when swallowing food, with regurgitation of liquids by the nose; continual spitting, coughing and hawking; painful tubercles on the neck, and soreness of the throat, extending even to the ears, which feel as if stopped up; badly-colored countenance, and yellowish cheeks, with red little veins; nose pointed, with fluent discharge from it, red and swollen, and as if excoriated; paroxysms of headache, as if the head would burst; nocturnal bone-pains.
(4) MEZEREUM.– Chiefly suitable in mercurial syphilis, with or without affections of bones; also for affections of the fauces; Hofrichter has cured; dark redness of the pharyngeal mucous membrane, worse every winter, caused by suppression of gonorrhoea and chancre, with burning dryness of the fauces and larynx down to the chest, together with huskiness of voice, and hawking up of mucus.
(5) PHOSPHORUS.– I have used this remedy with more or less success for; syphilitic psoriasis in the palms of the hands, and on the soles of the feet; old roseola syphilitica; syphilitic psoriasis; mercurial-syphilitic ulcers on the prepuce; vague bone-pains and exostoses.
(6) SABINA.– Hahnemann informed me, when I assisted him, in 1833 and 1834, in getting out his Chronic Diseases, that he considered Sabina equally important as Thuja in sycosis; I know that he had provings of this drug which have never seen the light. Hartmann recommends Sabina for abnormal granulations, and Cl. Muller for fig-warts, with intolerable burning and itching; in such cases, large doses of Mercury had most probably been employed.
(7) SARSAPARILLA.– Recommended by Trinks and others for secondary syphilis, more properly, perhaps, for mercurial syphilis. Rummel has used a decoction of Sarsaparilla, with good effect, for syphilitic psoriasis; in one case, where I gave Sarsaparilla 30 for arthritic-pains, I have seen old, dry fig- warts, remaining after mercurial treatment, disappear. It has also done me good service in mercurial bone-pains, where I used it together with Phosphorus, Aurum, and Nitri Acidum.
Secale 236.– More Recent Remedies that have been but little used.
(1) ARGENTUM.– This remedy was proposed in 1811, as a substitute for Mercury. Its range of action is confined to mercurial affections, more particularly to angina. Under the internal use of Argentum nitricum, 3d attenuation, I have seen cock’s-comb-shaped protopathic fig-warts on the pudendum disappear in two cases; in one case, they were seated, like a silvery wreath, on the margin of the labia-majora. I have found it of no use in cases of inflamed buboes; in one case, it has seems to promote the healing of a bubo.
(2) BADIAGA.– On account of the resemblance, which this sea- sponge bears to Lycopodium, it may become an important remedy for secondary and perhaps consecutive products of syphilis. Rosenberg has cured with it an oblong, rather hard swelling of the left inguinal gland, of the size of a pigeon’s egg, and coming on after suppression of chancre.
(3) CORALLIA RUBRA.–According to Attomyr, Corallia is chiefly indicated for syphilitic erosions, or superficial, lardy-looking, mostly red ulcerations. Attomyr has cured with Corallia a case of balanorrhoea, and Bernstein a flat, round ulcer on the prepuce.
(4) FERRUM IODATUM.– May become highly useful in mercurial cachexias caused by abuse of Mercury, even to ptyalism.
(5) IODINE.– Recommended by Trinks and Lobethal for mercurial cachexia, and more particularly for mercurial ptyalism.
(6) KALI HYDROIODICUM.– Recommended by Lobethal, who remarks that small doses of this agent are of no use, but that it has to be employed in gradually increased quantities of thirty to sixty grains to several ounces of water. Rosenberg prescribed one grain in six ounces of water, curing with this dose more rapidly than Lobethal. The latter recommends it for fig-warts, swelling of the bones, inflammation of the periosteum, tubercular and papulous eruption in the face, carious ulcers, and other products of secondary syphilis. Rosenberg has cured with it idiopathic buboes. This remedy seems particularly adapted to combinations of mercurial and syphilitic symptoms, but likewise to that period of the syphilitic disease (see No. 196), where the metamorphosed products of the virus are no longer contagious (truly secondary period). When given in large doses for contagious primary symptoms, its effect is only palliative. Such results should be avoided by the physician, unless he does not mind changing the character of the disease to that of latent syphilis. Where the virus had become essentially modified by a previous use of large doses of Mercury, the Iodide of Potassium becomes indispensable. The chief symptoms that Lobethal and Rosenberg have cured with this remedy, are the following; Deep, lardaceous chancres, of the size of peas, with hard edges, on the inner surface of the labia-majora; buboes in both groins, of the size of pigeon-eggs; deep, ulcerated, bubo, with pouting lips; tubercular pustules in the face, on the forehead and nose; roseola on the chest and extremities; broad, badly-colored, gummatose ulcerations in the cellular tissue; badly-colored, large cutaneous ulcerations; swelling of bones; mercurial, bloody diarrhoea, with tenacious; horrid nocturnal bone-pains; falling off of the hair.
