Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

Mind: The Arnica patient is morose, wants to be let alone, does not want to be talked to, does not want to be approached. He does not want to be approached, both because he does not wish to enter into conversation, a mental state, and also because he does not wish to be touched on account of the great bodily soreness.

These are the two most striking things in this medicine. Irritable, morose, sad, fearful, easily frightened, imagines all sorts of things, especially that he has heart disease, or that he will mortify, or that some deep-seated trouble is upon him. Full of nightmare, dreadful dreams, dreams of muddy water, robbers, etc.

Horrors in the night. He frequently rouses up in the night, grasps at the heart, has the appearance of great horror, fears some dreadful thing will happen. A sudden fear of death comes on at this time, rousing him up in the night; he grasps at the heart, and thinks he is going to die suddenly. He is full of dreadful anguish, but finally he comes to himself, lies down and goes off into a sleep of terror, jumps up again with the fear of sudden death and says:

"Send for a doctor at once."

This is repeated night after night in persons Who are fairly well in the daytime, who have no sympathy because there seems to be no reality in their sickness, only a mental state. It is also seen in persons who have gone through a railroad accident, or through some shock, who are sore and bruised from injury.

They rouse up in the night with a fear of sudden death, with an expression of terror; the horrors they really went through are repeated. This is similar to Opium, only the Opium fear remains, even in the day time. Arnica dreams of it.

When sick in bed afflicted with a zymotic disease, with violent fever, or with fever after an accident or injury, he becomes greatly prostrated, stupid and unconscious. He can be aroused and will answer a question correctly, but goes into a stupor, or be hesitates about a word and is unable to find correct words when trying to answer and goes back into the coma.

When roused up, he looks at the doctor and says:

"I do not want you; I did not send for you; I am not sick; I don't need a doctor."

He will say this even when he is seriously ill. I have seen an Arnica patient lie back upon his pillow after emptying the stomach of a black fluid like blood, seriously ill, with the face mottled, in zymotic sickness or such as threaten malignant chill, that one would think he was almost going to die, look up and say:

"I am not sick; I did not send for you; go home."

Yet when in a state of health he was friendly, kind-hearted, knew me well, glad to shake hands with me; but now he is irritated at seeing me there and insists there is nothing the matter with him. Such is the "shock" state, almost a delirium. After finishing such a sentence he will lie down in a stupor, will lie in bed drawn up in a heap and merely groan when spoken to.

He wants to be left alone, does not want to be bothered, does not want to be talked to. That state ushers in complaints after a shock that has shaken the whole system, that has disturbed the circulation.

When a symptomatic typhoid is coming on, i.e., when an intermittent or remittent is taking on symptoms that are typhoid in character, when the tongue becomes shiny, and sordes appear about the teeth and lips, when there is sinking, and soreness all over the body, there are times when this mental state that I am describing will appear and the patient must have Arnica.

Arnica will interrupt the progress and prevent a typhoid state. Arnica is sometimes suitable to the scarlet fever, when the eruption does not come out, in those severe forms when the body is dusky, mottled and covered with red spots; the patient is constantly turning and that mental state is coming on with moroseness, and stupidity. It is a wonderful remedy, a misunderstood remedy, a misused remedy, because it is almost limited to bruises.

It is one, of sheet anchors in certain seasons, in the malarial valleys of the West, for intermittent fever In congestive chills, in those dreadful attacks with prostration, stupor, mottled skin, with congestion that comes on suddenly, with anxiety.

The doctors know these fevers, they dread them, and can only cope with them by using such remedies as Arnica and Lachesis and other deep-acting medicines. It is not true that these patients must have Quinine.

For many years I practiced among these cases, and I have seen numerous congestive chills and had no need for Quinine. I would rather have my repertory and a few potencies than all the Quinine in the drug -stores.

The sugar pills cure safely, permanently and gently, while the Quinine never cures, but suppresses, and there is nothing in the after history of that patient drugged with Quinine and Arsenic but congestion and violence so long as he lives.

"Horror of instant death, with cardiac distress in night."

From that it spreads on throughout the system, but hat horror of instant death is a striking feature and it comes on regardless of heart disease.

A horror in the night when there is nothing to come upon the patient; a horrible congestion, which affects especially the cerebellum and upper part of the spinal cord.

"Stupor with involuntary discharges."

"Coma, insensibility."

"Lies as if dead."

There symptoms come in the low forms of disease, in the typhoid type of disease. Many of the remittent fevers, if badly treated, or permitted to run their course under bad nursing, will turn into a continued fever.

While the true idiopathic typhoid comes on after many weeks of gradual decline, a symptomatic typhoid may come on suddenly, and it has symptoms of graver form than ordinary typhoid. The idiopathic typhoid will seldom kill and will generally run to a favourable termination, if the doctor stays at home.

This remedy is full of delirium in these low types of fever, even delirium like delirium tremens.

"Hopelessness; indifference."

"Hypochondriacal anxiety, peevishness."

"Fears being struck by those coming towards him."

That is both bodily and mental.

Physical state: Now, with this mental state thoroughly in mind, we are prepared to take up the general physical state, which has in all complaints, all over the body a feeling as if bruised. It is not strange that Arnica is used for bruises, but it is very foolish to put it on the outside and to rub it on in the form of the tincture.

It produces in its pathogenesis mottled spots, like bruises. If you take Arnica internally, in large doses, you will have mottled spots, bluish spots, which become yellowish, due to ecchymoses, from extravasations of the smaller capillaries.

This is, to a certain extent, what takes place in bruising. It is an extravasation of blood from the capillaries, and sometimes from the larger vessels.

But all over the body he is sore and bruised, as if he had been beaten. If you watch an Arnica patient in order to get the external manifestations of his state, you will see him turning and moving.

You will at once ask yourself, Why is he restless? and if you compare remedies in your mind, you will say, He is like Rhus tox.; he stays in a place a little while and then he moves.

No matter if he is only semi-conscious; you will see him make a little turn, part way over, and then a little further over, and so on until he is over on the other side.

Then he commences again, and he will shift a little and a little, and so he turns from side to side. The question is, why does he move so, why is he restless?

It is an important matter to solve. We notice the awful anxiety of the Arsenicum patient that keeps him moving all the time.

We notice the painful uneasiness felt all over the body with the Rhus patient so that he cannot keep still.

The Arnica patient is so sore that he can lie on one part only a little while, and then he must get off that part or to the other side. So if we ask him,

"Why do you move so?"

he will tell us that the bed feels hard. That is one way of telling that the body is sore.

A more intelligent individual will say it is because he is so sore and feels as if bruised and beaten, and he wants to get into a new place.

Soreness: This state of soreness is present if it be a symptomatic typhoid, an intermittent fever, a remittent fever, or after an injury when he is really bruised all over. You get the same continual uneasiness and motion, moving every minute. He moves and thinks that now he will be comfortable, but he is comfortable only for a second.

The soreness increases the longer he lies, and becomes so great that he is forced to move. With Rhus tox. the longer he lies the more restless he grows and the more he aches, until he feels as if he will fly if he does not move.

With Rhus tox. the uneasiness passes off after moving, and with Arnica the soreness passes off if he gets into a new place. With Arsenicum you see him moving about and look wild, and he is anxious, and this anxiety forces him to move, and he gets no rest, for he keeps going. The Rhus tox. and Arnica patients get better from every little motion.

The Arnica patient bleeds easily; his blood vessels seem to be relaxed, and extravasation is easy. Blue spots come easily upon the skin, and internally the mucous membranes bleed easily.

The parts that are inflamed bleed. He is subject to catarrhal conditions, and if he has a cough he bleeds easily. The mucus that is hawked out of the chest and throat is streaked with blood, or dotted with tiny pin-head blood clots. His urine contains blood and there is bleeding from the various orifices of the body. There is not sufficient tone in the fibres of the vessel to hold the blood within the vessel walls and they ooze.

All over the body there is a lameness, and soreness, and a feeling as if bruised; a rheumatic lameness; the joints are swollen, sore and lame. If an acute disease becomes more severe, we shall find the mental symptoms as described, and there will be an increasing soreness in the muscles. Arnica is very suitable for that sore, bruised condition of the body, therefore Arnica is a very important remedy in injuries, bruises and shocks, injuries of joints, injury of the back with lameness and soreness.

In such conditions Arnica becomes one of the first remedies, and unless there are general decided symptoms calling for other remedies it should be the first remedy. Arnica will very often take all the soreness out of a sprained ankle and permit him in a few days to go walking about, to the surprise of everybody.

The black and blue appearance of sprained joints will go away in a surprisingly short time, the soreness will disappear, and he will be able to manipulate that joint with surprising ease. I have seen a sprained ankle when it was black and blue, so swollen that the shoe could not be put on, but after a dose of Arnica, the swelling disappeared in an astonishing way, the discoloration faded out and the patient was able to stand on the foot.

No such result can be obtained with the use of Arnica lotion externally. A high potency of Arnica is most satisfactory in bruises, and when no decided contra-indication is present Arnica is the first remedy; but for the weakness of tendons that follows such a condition Arnica is not always sufficient, and the Rhus tox. is its natural follower.

If the weakness and tenderness remain in the joints, follow the Rhus with Calcarea. One will not, of course, give these remedies all on the same day, and not in the same glass, but will wait until all the good has been gotten out of the Arnica before following with Rhus.

It is quite a common thing for aching and restlessness and weakness to come into a part that has been injured, and Rhus is then a suitable remedy; and it is quite common for a joint that has been badly treated to remain sore and weak, and then Calcarea comes in as a natural follower of the Rhus tox. and then we have to resort to Causticum,

Staphisagria, and other remedies, because of some peculiar feature in the case, but these remedies are all related more or less to Arnica, Rhus and Calcarea. For another class of injuries compare Ledum and Hypericum.

Arnica is useful in some chronic cases; especially in old cases of gout. It is quite a common thing for old cases of gout to rouse up into a new soreness of joints, with great sensitiveness.

You will see the old grandfather sit off in a corner of the room, and if he sees little Johnnie running towards him, he will say:

"Oh, do keep away, keep away."

Give him a dose of Arnica and he will let Johnnie run all over him. He does not want to be touched or approached; he feels that anything that is coming towards him is going to hurt him. He is extremely sensitive, his joints are sore and tender, and he is afraid they will be hurt.

This medicine has erysipelatous inflammation. If you have an erysipelas of the face with the mental state described, with soreness, and sort bruised feeling all-over the body, you need not wait longer before prescribing Arnica.

The sore, bruised feeling all over the body, and the mental state, would decide in favor of Arnica against any medicine.

In inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, of the liver, and even in pneumonia, the mental state and the sore, bruised feeling all over the body would enable you to do astonishing work in such cases, even though Arnica has never produced pneumonia.

It has all there is of the rusty expectoration, with all the soreness of the chest and catarrhal state, the coughing and gagging, and sore, bruised feeling all over the body, and then add to this the condition of stupor and the mental state that belongs to the inflammatory condition of any organ and is especially strong in this medicine. We do not have to worry about any particular fineness of diagnosis to settle upon Arnica.

Arnica has aversion to meat, broth and milk. There is great thirst at particular times, for instance, during the chill of intermittent fever he has thirst, while at other times he is thirstless.

"Vomiting of dark-red coagula, mouth bitter; general soreness." Vomiting of black, inky substances.

Arnica is a useful remedy in inflammatory conditions of the abdomen, liver, intestines, with tumefaction tympanites, prostration, tendency to uneasiness, and so sore that he cannot be touched. This state also comes with typhoid.

Do not forget the symptoms of Arnica in appendicitis. You do not need to run for the surgeon for every case of appendicitis if you know Bryonia, Rhus tox., Belladonna, Arnica and similar remedies. The homoeopathic remedy will cure these cases, and, if you know it, you need never run after the surgeon in appendicitis except in recurrent attacks.

If you do not know your remedies, you will succumb to the prevailing notion that it is necessary to open the abdomen and remove the appendix. It is only deplorable ignorance that causes appendicitis to be surrendered to the knife.

Offensiveness is a feature of Arnica; there is offensiveness of the eructations, and the flatus. The stool is horribly offensive.

"Nightly diarrhea."

"Stool involuntary during sleep."

"Stools of undigested food, purulent; bloody slimy, mucus: Dark blood, very foetid stool.

Here we see the tendency to oozing from the mucous membranes. Black watery stools with black vomit.

"Retention of urine from exertion,"

from overwork, from injury, from concussion of the brain, from some violent accident. The urine is brown, or inky, dark.

"Piercing pains as from knives plunged into the kidneys."

"Urine very acid, with increase of specific gravity."

Pregnancy: Another feature of Arnica occurs in pregnant women. The extreme sensitiveness, soreness or tenderness throughout the whole body is especially felt in the abdominal viscera, in the uterus and pelvic region.

Sensitiveness to the motion of the foetus sore and bruised; the motions of the foetus are very painful and keep her awake all night. Arnica will remove that soreness and she will not distinguish the motion of the foetus It is not an increased motion of the foetus, but that she is sensitive to it.

"Constant dribbling of urine after labor."

A general feature also of the remedy is that the body is cold and the head hot; the whole body and the extremities are cold, but the head feels hot.

This is a marked condition in sudden congestive attacks, in congestive chill and congestive intermittent fevers. This, sometimes, is the very beginning of a severe attack when there has been almost no warning except a night or two of bad dreams and distress, fearfulness and stupefaction, with soreness in the body. If he comes out, of this, an increased soreness in the body comes on, which grows worse and worse until he is sore and bruised all over.

Children: Children going into severe attacks of infantile fever may threaten convulsions, the head is hot and the body cold. Most physicians will think of Belladonna, which has such cold extremities and such a hot head. Do not forget Arnica, especially in those children who seem to have an aversion to being touched, and scream out every time the mother takes bold of the leg or arm.

Look into the history a little and you will see that this is a soreness, and if you strip the child you may observe dusky spots, which give an added indication of Arnica.

This is a whooping-cough remedy; you can easily conjure up what the indications are for whooping-cough; aggravation from touch, sore, bruised condition, spasmodic cough with expectoration of blood, or dark blood-streaked mucus, or little tiny pin-head dots all through the mucus. Vomiting of food with black mucus. The mental state of the child can easily be imagined.

The child is cross and fretful.

"Cough excited by cries in children when accompanied by anger and tossing about."

"Paroxysms of cough at night."

"Whooping cough; child cries before paroxysms as though in fear of soreness."

You can easily apply that which we have seen in the remedy to the various diseases that come on. Stitching pains in whooping cough, pleuritic pains with catarrh of the chest, with pneumonia or pleurisy, inflammatory conditions.

It has also more lingering complaints, "fatty degeneration of the heart."

Stitches in the cardiac region, stitches from left to right.

"Weary, bruised, sore, great weakness, must lie down, yet bed feels too hard."

It will be well to read over all these symptoms; there are numerous particulars in the remedy, many little symptoms that are of great interest.

It follows well after Aconite and is complementary to Aconite, Ipeca and Veratrum.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Arnica montana. Leopard's-bane. Fallkraut. N. O. Compositae. Tincture of whole fresh plant. Tincture of root.

Clinical.─Abscess. Apoplexy. Back, pains in. Baldness. Bed-sores. Black-eye. Boils. Brain, affections of. Breath, fetid. Bronchitis. Bruises. Carbuncle. Chest, affections of. Chorea. Corns. Cramp. Diabetes. Diarrhoea. Dysentery. Ecchymosis. Excoriations. Exhaustion. Eyes, affections of. Feet, sore. Haematemesis. Haematuria. Headache. Heart, affections of. Impotence. Labour. Lumbago. Meningitis. Mental alienation. Miscarriage. Nipples, sore. Nose, affections of. Paralysis. Pelvic haematocele. Pleurodynia. Purpura. Pyaemia. Rheumatism. Splenalgia. Sprain. Stings. Suppuration. Taste, disorders of. Thirst. Traumatic fever. Tumours. Voice, affections of. Whooping-cough. Wounds. Yawning.

Characteristics.─Growing on the mountains, Arnica may be said to possess a native affinity to the effects of falls. As its German name, Fallkraut, attests, its value as a vulnerary has been known from remote times. It may be said to be the traumatic par excellence. Trauma in all its varieties and effects, recent and remote, is met by Arnica as by no other single drug, and the provings bring out the appropriateness of the remedy in the symptoms it causes. Tumours in many parts, following injury, have been cured by Arnica, including scirrhous tumours of the breast. Nervous affections as chorea after falls. It is suited to plethoric red-faced persons; "Arnica is particularly adapted to sanguine, plethoric persons, with lively complexions and disposed to cerebral congestion. It acts but feebly on persons who are positively debilitated, with impoverished blood and soft flesh. This may be the reason why it is eaten with impunity by herbivorous animals as Linneus remarks" (Teste). It is suited to persons who are extremely sensitive to mechanical injuries, and who feel the effects of them long after; persons easily made train-sick or sea-sick. Patients complain that the bed is hard no matter how soft it may be. Arn. corresponds to the effects of violent cough or sneezing; the child cries before cough comes on (or with the cough) in whooping-cough. Chronic bronchitis when patients have bruised, weak aching in the chest, or great sensitiveness of the chest on exertion, or walking. Allied to wounds are haemorrhages, and Arnica causes and cures haemorrhages of many kinds: dilatation and rupture of small blood-vessels. Vomiting, coughing, purging, accompanied by streaks of blood in ejecta; extravasation of blood into the conjunctiva as in whooping-cough. Haemorrhages into the tissues of internal organs or the skin. An odd symptom of Arnica is "coldness of the nose." A case of facial (left) neuralgia, face swollen, dark red, very painful to touch, was cured with Arnica (radix), the guiding symptom being "cold nose." Patient had bitter taste; was very excitable, and < at night. Ussher notes that the local use of Arnica produced an extraordinary growth of hair on a limb. This suggested the use of an oil mixed with Arn. 1x in a case of baldness, which was followed with marked success. Arn. affects the left upper extremity and the right chest. There is a putridity in connection with Arnica excretions, as with Baptis., which it resembles in typhoid conditions: putrid breath; fetid sweat. With Arnica there is apt to be incessant passing of stool and urine in these states. Nash gives the following as "leaders": "Stupor, with involuntary discharge of faeces and urine." "Fears being touched or struck by those coming near him." Putrid smell from mouth." "Bruised, sore feeling in uterine region; cannot walk erect." "While answering falls into a deep stupor before finishing." "Head alone, or face alone, hot; rest of body cool." "Many small boils, painful, one after another, extremely sore." "Suddenness" is a feature of Arn. pains and action. P. P. Wells relates a cure of double pleuro-pneumonia in a child with sudden stabbing pains on both sides of the chest almost preventing breathing. Arnica instantly caused a violent aggravation, the next instant relief was perfect, and the child fell asleep breathing naturally. I once ran a piece of wire into the tip of one of my fingers, causing paralysing pain. I applied Arn. 1x at once, and the pain was better instantly─seeming to be wiped out from the point of injury up the arm. There is < in damp, cold weather with Arnica, which is included by Grauvogl among the remedies suited to the hydrogenoid constitution (comp. Baryt. c.). Motion and exertion <. (Bruised, aching sensation in chest on walking.) > Lying down, and lying with head low; but < lying on left side.

Arnica should not be used externally where there is broken skin. For torn and lacerated wounds Calendula must be used locally.

Relations.─Teste takes Arn. as the type of his first group, which includes Ledum, Crot. t., Fer. magnet., Rhus t., Spig. Compare: Abrot., Absinth., Calend., Chamom., Cina, Gnaphal., and other Compositae. Complementary: Acon. Similar to: Acon., Am. c., Croton (swashing in abdomen), Arsen., Baptis. (typhoid states─Bap. "feels ill," Arn. "feels well," resents being thought ill), Bell., Bry., Cham., Chi., Euphras., Calend., Hep., Hyper., Ham., Ipec., Led., Merc., Puls., Ran. scel., Rho., Ruta, Staph., Silic, Symph., Sul., Sul. ac., Verat. Follows well: Aco., Ipec., Verat., Apis. Followed well by: Aco., Ars., Bry., Ipec., Rhus t. Action aided by: Arsen. (dysentery and varicose veins). Injurious in: Bites of dogs or rabid or angry animals. Antidote to: Am. c., Chi., Cicut., Fer., Ign., Ipec., Seneg. Antidoted by: Camph., Ipec. (to massive doses); Coffee (headache); Aco., Ars., Chi., Ign., Ipec. (to potencies). Wine increases unpleasant effect of Arnica.

Causations.─Mechanical injuries. Fright or anger. Excessive venery (vaginitis in the female, impotence in the male).

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Hypochondriacal anxiety with fear of dying and disagreeable temper.─Declines to answer any questions.─Great agitation and anguish, with groans.─Unfitness for exertion, and indifference to business.─Apprehension and despair.─Over-excitement and excessive moral sensibility.─Great sensitiveness of the mind with anxiety and restlessness.─Tendency to be frightened.─Quarrelsome.─Combative, quarrelsome humour.─Tears.─Shedding of tears and exclamations of rage.─Opinionated.─Foolish gaiety, levity, and mischievousness.─Absence of ideas.─Depression of spirits and absence of mind.─Says there is nothing the matter with him (in typhoid fever, etc.).─Abstraction and musing.─Unconsciousness (like fainting after mechanical injuries).─Delirium.

2. Head.─Whirling giddiness with obscuration of the eyes, chiefly on getting up after sleeping, on moving the head, or in walking.─Giddiness, with nausea; when moving and rising; better when lying.─Vertigo when shutting eyes.─Pressive pains in the head, principally in the forehead.─Cramp-like compression in the forehead as if the brain were contracted into a hard mass, chiefly when near the fire.─Pain, as if a nail were driven into the brain.─Dartings, pullings, and shootings in the head, principally in the temples.─Incisive pain across the head.─Cutting through the head, as with a knife, followed by a sensation of coldness.─Stitches in the head, esp. in the temples and forehead.─Effects from concussion on the brain.─Pain in the head over one eye, with greenish vomiting (after a strain of the back).─Heat and burning in the head, with absence of heat from the body.─Burning and heat in the head, the rest of the body is cool (night and morning, < from motion, > when at rest).─Heaviness and weakness of the head.─Pains in the head, brought on, or aggravated by walking, ascending, meditating, and reading, as well as after a meal.─Tingling at the top of the head.─Immobility of the scalp.

3. Eyes.─Pain, like excoriation, in the eyes and in the eyelids, with difficulty in moving them.─Red, inflamed eyes.─Inflammation of the eyes with suggillation after mechanical injuries.─Burning in the eyes, and flowing of burning tears.─Eyelids swollen, and with ecchymosis.─Pupils contracted.─Eyes dull, cloudy, and downcast.─Eyes prominent, or half open.─Fixed, anxious look.─Obscuration of vision.

4. Ears.─Pain, as of contusion in the ears. Acute pulling in the ears.─Shootings in and behind the ears.─Hardness of hearing, and buzzing before the ears; from blows.─Blood from ears.

5. Nose.─Pain, as of contusion in the nose.─Tingling, in the nose.─Nose swollen, with ecchymosis.─Nasal haemorrhage.─Ulcerated nostrils.─Coryza, with burning in the nose.─Cold nose (A. radix).

6. Face.─Face pale and hollow, or yellow and bloated.─Heat in the face without heat in the body.─Hard swelling, shining redness and heat in one cheek, with throbbing pain.─Puffing of cheeks on breathing.─Tingling round the eyes, in the cheeks, and in the lips.─Pustulous eruption on the face, chiefly round the eyes.─Dryness, burning heat, swelling, and fissures in the lips.─Ulceration of the corners of the mouth.─Paralysis of the lower jaw.─Painful swelling of the submaxillary glands, and of those of the neck.─Trismus, with the mouth closed.

7. Teeth.─Pain in the teeth, with swelling of the cheeks and tingling in the gums.─Sensation of pulling in the teeth while eating.─Loosening and elongation of the teeth.─Toothache after operation.

8. Mouth.─Dryness of the mouth, with thirst.─Saliva mixed with blood.─Sensation of excoriation and itching on the tongue.─Tongue dry, or with a white coating.─Putrid smell from the mouth in the morning.

9. Throat.─Sensation as if there were something hard in the throat.─Deglutition hindered by a kind of nausea.─Noise while swallowing.─Burning in the throat, with uneasiness, as from internal heat.─Bitter mucus in the throat.

10. Appetite.─Taste putrid or bitter, or slimy.─Bitter taste, esp. in the morning.─Thirst for cold water, without fever.─Longing for alcoholic drinks.─Thirst for water, or desire to drink, with repugnance to all liquids.─Loathing of food─principally milk, meat, broth, and tobacco.─Liking for vinegar.─Want of appetite, and tongue loaded with a white or yellowish coating.─(In the evening) immoderate appetite, with sensation of fulness and cramp-like pressure in the abdomen, immediately after a meal.─Irritable and plaintive humour, after a meal in the evening.

11. Stomach.─Frequent eructations, esp. in the morning, empty, bitter, putrid, as from rotten eggs.─Belches after coughing.─Rising of a bitter mucus or of salt water.─Nausea, with inclination to vomit, chiefly in the morning.─Nausea, and empty vomiturition.─Retching even in the night, with pressure in the precordial region.─Vomiting of coagulated blood, of a deep colour.─After drinking (or eating), vomiting of what has been taken, often with a mixture of blood.─Pressure, fulness, contraction, and cramp-like pain in the stomach and in the precordial region.─Shootings in the pit of the stomach, with pressure extending to the back, and tightness of the chest.

12. Abdomen.─Shootings in the region of the spleen, with difficulty of breathing.─Pressure in the hepatic region.─Abdomen hard and swollen, with pain of incisive excoriation in the sides, chiefly in the morning, mitigated by the emission of wind.─Pain in the umbilical region when moving.─Shocks across the abdomen.─Pain, as of contusion, in the sides.─Flatulence, having the smell of rotten eggs.─Cutting, colicky pains in the abdomen.─Colic with strangury.─Tympanites.

13. Stool and Anus.─Constipation, with ineffectual attempt to go to stool.─Stools in the form of pap, of an acid odour.─Flatus, smelling like rotten eggs.─Diarrhoea, with tenesmus.─Frequent, scanty, small, mucous stools.─Involuntary stools, chiefly during the night; thin, brown, or white.─Stools of undigested matter.─Purulent, bloody stools.─Haemorrhoids.─Pressure in the rectum.─Tenesmus.─Thread-worms.

14. Urinary Organs.─Tenesmus.─Spasmodic retention of urine, with pressure in the bladder.─Ineffectual attempts to make water.─Involuntary emission of urine, at night in bed, and in the day, when running.─Frequent micturition of pale urine.─Urine of a brownish red, with sediment, of a brick colour.─Emission of blood.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Bluish red swelling of the penis and of the scrotum.─Inflammatory swelling of the testes (in consequence of contusion).─Purple-red swelling of the penis and testicles, after mechanical injuries.─Hydrocele.─Painful swelling of the spermatic cord, with shooting in the testes, extending to the abdomen.─Sexual desire increased, with erections, pollutions, and seminal emission on the slightest amorous excitement.─Impotence from excess or abuse.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Discharge of blood from the uterus, between the periods, with nausea.─Excoriation and ulceration of the breasts.─Soreness of the parts after a severe labour.─Violent after-pains.─Erysipelatous inflammation of the mammae and nipples.─Violent stitches in middle of l. breast.─Vomiting of pregnancy.─Threatened abortion from fall, etc.─Feeling as if foetus were lying crosswise.─Tumour of breast.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Dry, short cough, produced by a titillation in the larynx.─Cough at night during sleep.─Paroxysm of cough, preceded by tears, and cough with children after having wept and sobbed from caprice and waywardness.─Whooping-cough; child cries before the cough comes on; and after.─Cough with bloodshot eyes, or nose-bleed.─Even yawning provokes a cough.─Cough with expectoration of blood; the blood is clear, frothy, mixed with coagulated masses and mucus.─Even without cough there is expectoration of black, coagulated blood after every corporeal effort.─Inability to eject the mucus; what the cough detaches is therefore swallowed.─On coughing, shooting pains in the head, or a bruise-like pain in the chest.─Breath fetid; short, and panting.─Excessive difficulty of breathing.─Cough worse in the evening till midnight, from motion, in the warm room, and after drinking.

18. Chest.─Respiration short, panting, difficult, and anxious.─Rattling in the chest.─Oppression of the chest and difficulty of breathing.─Respiration frequently slow and deep.─Shootings in the chest and sides, with difficulty of respiration, aggravated by coughing, but breathing deeply, and by movement; better from external pressure.─Pain, as of a bruise and of compression in the chest.─Burning or rawness in the chest.─Sensation of soreness of the ribs.─Stitches in the chest (l.), aggravated from a dry cough, with oppression of breathing; < from motion, > from external pressure.

19. Heart.─Beating, and palpitation of the heart.─Pain from liver up through l. chest and down l. arm, veins of hands swollen, purplish; sudden pain as if heart squeezed or had got a shock (angina pectoris).─Heart strained; irritable; stitches in; from l. to r.─Painful pricking in the heart, with fainting fits.

20. Neck and Back.─Weakness of the muscles of the neck; the head falls backwards.─Painful swelling of the glands of the neck.─Pains, as from a bruise, and of dislocation in the back, in the chest, and the loins.─Tingling in the back.─Great soreness of the back.─Dragging-down pain and sense of weight in loins.

22. Upper Limbs.─Pain, as if from fatigue, and crawlings in the arms and in the hands.─Pain, as of dislocation, in the joints of the arms and hands.─Tingling, in the arms.─Sensation of soreness of the arms.─Sensation as if the joints of the arms and wrists were sprained.─Darting in the arm.─Veins in the hands swollen, with full and strong pulse.─Want of strength in the hands on grasping anything.─Cramps in the fingers.

23. Lower Limbs.─Pains, as from fatigue or from dislocation, or acute drawing in the different parts of the lower limbs.─Painful paralytic weakness in the joints, chiefly of the hip and knee.─Want of strength in the knee, with failing of the joint when walking.─Tension in the knee, as from contraction of the tendons.─Pale swelling in the knee.─Sensation of soreness in the legs.─Inflammatory erysipelatous swelling of the feet with pain, and aggravation of the pain by movement.─Hot, painful, hard, and shining swelling of the great toes.─Tingling in the legs and feet.

24. Generalities.─Tearing, drawing in outer parts.─Pricking, from without, inward.─Pressing in inner parts.─Tingling in outer parts.─Acute drawing, crawling, pricking, or paralytic pains, and sensation as from a bruise in the limbs and the joints, as well as in the injured parts.─Pain, as if sprained in outer parts, and in the joints.─Pains, as of dislocation.─Rheumatic and arthritic pains.─Restlessness in the diseased parts, which causes them to be constantly in motion.─Aggravation of pains in the evening and at night, as well as from movement, and even from noise.─Unsettled pains, which pass rapidly from one joint to the other.─Soreness of the whole body, with tingling.─Stiffness of the limbs after exertion.─Muscular jerking.─Stiffness and weariness of all the limbs.─Sensation of agitation and trembling in the body, as if all the vessels were throbbing.─Extreme sensibility of the whole body, chiefly of the joints and of the skin.─Over-sensitiveness of the whole body.─Bleeding of internal and external parts (vomiting of blood).─Ebullition of the blood, and congestion in the head, with heat and burning in the upper parts of the body; and cold, or coolness, in the lower parts.─Fainting fits, with loss of consciousness, in consequence of mechanical injuries.─Convulsions, traumatic trismus and tetanus.─General prostration of strength.─Paralytic state (on the l. side) in consequence of apoplexy.─Dropsy of inner parts.

25. Skin.─Hot, hard, and shining swelling of the parts affected.─Stings of insects; snake-bites.─Red, bluish, and yellowish spots, as if from contutions.─Black and blue spots on the body.─Yellow-green spots, caused either by a bruise or by disease.─Bed sores; blue mortification.─Miliary eruption.─Petechiae.─Many small boils, or blood-boils; one after another, extremely sore.

26. Sleep.─Great drowsiness during the day, without being able to sleep.─Inclination to sleep, early in the evening.─Comatose drowsiness with delirium.─Wakens at night with a hot head, and is afraid to sleep for fear of its recurrence.─Anxious dreams about animals.─Sleep not refreshing and full of anxious and terrible dreams, and waking with starts and frights.─Dreams of death, of mutilated bodies, of unbraiding, of indecision.─During sleep, groans, talking, snoring, involuntary stools and urine.─Giddiness on waking.

27. Fever.─Pulse very variable, mostly hard, full and quick.─Chilliness, internally, with external heat.─Great chilliness, with heat and redness of one cheek.─Chilliness of the side on which he lies.─Head alone, or face alone, hot, rest of body cool.─Shivering, principally in the evening, and sometimes with a sensation as if one were sprinkled with cold water.─Heat in the evening or at night, with shivering on raising the bed-clothes, even slightly, and frequently with a pain in the back and in the limbs.─Dry heat over the whole body, or only in the face and on the back.─Fever, with much thirst, even before the shiverings.─Before the fever, dragging sensation in all the bones.─Intermittent fever; chill in the morning or forenoon drawing pains in the bones before the fever; changes his position continually breath and perspiration offensive.─During the apyrexia, pain in the stomach, want of appetite and loathing of animal food.─Perspiration smelling sour or offensive─sometimes cold.─Typhus, putrid breath and stool.─Nocturnal acid sweat.

Keynotes and Characteristics with Comparisons of Some of the Leading Remedies of the Materia Medica (Allen's Keynotes), Henry Clay Allen

Leopard's Bane (Compositae)

Nervous women, sanguine plethoric persons, lively expression and very red face. For the bad effects resulting from mechanical injuries; even if received years ago. Especially adapted to those who remain long impressed by even slight mechanical injuries. Sore, lame, bruised feeling all through the body, as if beaten; traumatic affections of muscles. Mechanical injuries, especially with stupor from concussion; involuntary faeces and urine; After injuries with blunt instruments (Symph.). Compound fractures and their profuse suppuration (Calend.). Concussions and contusions, results of shock or injury; with laceration of soft parts; prevents suppuration and septic conditions and promotes absorption. Nervous, cannot bear pain; whole body over-sensitive (Cham., Coff., Ign.). Everything on which he lies seems too hard; complains constantly of it and keeps moving from place to place in search of a soft spot (the parts rested upon feel sore and bruised, Bap., Pyr.; must move continually to obtain relief from pain, Rhus). Heat of upper body; coldness of lower. The face or head and face alone is hot, the body cool. Unconsciousness; when spoken to answers correctly but unconsciousness and delirium at once return (falls asleep in the midst of a sentence, Bap.). Says there is nothing the matter with him. Meningitis after mechanical or traumatic injuries; from falls, concussions of brain, etc. When suspecting exudation of blood, to facilitate absorption Hydrocephalus; deathly coldness in forearm of children (in diarrhoea, Brom.). Apoplexy; loss of consciousness, involuntary evacuation from bowels and bladder; in acute attack, controls haemorrhage and aids absorption; should be repeated and allowed to act for days or weeks unless symptoms call for another remedy. Conjunctival or retinal haemorrhage, with extravasation, form injuries or cough (Led., Nux.). Gout and rheumatism, with great fear of being touched or struck by persons coming near him. Cannot walk erect on account of a bruised sort of feeling in the pelvic region. Tendency to small, painful boils, one after another, extremely sore (small boils in crops, Sulph.). Paralysis (left-sided); pulse full strong; stertor, sighing, muttering. Belching; eructations; foul, putrid, like rotten eggs. Dysentery; with ischuria, fruitless urging; long interval between the stools. Constipation: rectum loaded, faeces will not come away; ribbon like stools from enlarged prostrate or retroverted uterus. Soreness of parts after labor; prevents post-partum haemorrhage and puerperal complications. Retention or incontinence of urine after labor (Op.).

Relation. - Complementary: to, Acon., Hyper., Rhus. Similar: to, for soreness as if bruised, Bap., China, Phyt., Pyr., Rhus, Ruta, Staph. Arnica follows well: after, Acon., Apis., Ham., Ipec., Ver., is followed by Sul. ac. In ailments from spiritous liquors or from charcoal vapors, Arn. is often indicated (Am. c., Bov.). In spinal concussion, compare, Hyper.

Aggravation. - At rest; when lying down; from wine.

Amelioration. - From contact; motion (Rhus, Ruta).

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

Bruised, sore feeling all over; bed feels too hard.

Head, or head and face hot; body and extremities cold.

Ecchymoses; as from bruises.

Stupor; answers, then falls back into stupor (fevers).

Taste and eructations and stool like rotten eggs.

Recent and remote affections from injuries, especially contusions or blows.

Haemorrhages, the result of mechanical injuries.

* * * * *

This is the leading remedy for bruises and the results therefrom, and the symptoms – "Weakness, weariness, sensation as of being bruised." "Felt as if bruised over the whole body", as found in the provings, explain the reason and the many cures it has made, even in the high and highest potencies, of both acute and chronic affections. The result of trauma is another evidence of the truth of our law of cure. One of the best characteristics is "Everything on which he lies seems too hard" (Pyrogen.); he must keep changing his position to get relief. This is because of the sensation of soreness as if bruised all over.

Baptisia has – "Feels as if lying on a board; changes position bed feels so hard, makes him feel sore and bruised."

Phytolacca has- "Feels sore all over from head to foot; muscles sore and stiff, can hardly move without groaning."

Rhus toxicod. has – "Soreness in every muscle, which passes of during exercise; feels stiff and sore on first beginning to move".

Ruta has – "All parts of the body on which he lies are painful as if bruised."

Here are five remedies which seem much alike, and other might be added, like Staphisagria, which has – "All the limbs are sore as if bruised, and as if there were no strength in them", and

China – "He is sore all over, in the joints, the bones, and the periosteum, as if they had been sprained, like a drawing, tearing, especially in the spine, the sacrum, the knees and thighs." Now to know thus far of these remedies would be of little use for therapeutic purposes, for it would be senseless to prescribe all of these remedies mixed together, and full as much so to prescribe one of them to the exclusion of all the rest without a good reason for so doing. Fortunately there is always a possibility of making choice between them, but it is not always easy. Take, for instance, Arnica and Baptisia. Both have the symptom of sore bruised feeling. Both have feeling as if the bed were too hard. Both have stupor, from which they can be aroused, but fall quickly back into it again. Both have a dark streak running through the tongue.

Both have a deep red face, and all these similarities often occur in the course of a typhoid fever. How are we to choose between them? Look further. If in addition to these symptoms the patient "tosses about the bed, reaching here and there, and in his delirium complaining that he cannot get himself together". Baptisia is the remedy, or if the stool, urine and sweat are extremely offensive, it is Baptisia. If the stool and urine are passed unconsciously and there appear suggillations under the skin, Arnica is the remedy. Now here are only a few of the characteristic differences. There are others, and we must "watch out" for them. It is no harder to choose between these two remedies than it is to choose sometimes between Hyoscyamus and Opium in the same disease. Here is the place where the old physician might exhort the young as Paul did Timothy. "Study to show thyself approved, * * * a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the truth, etc." Such close prescribing is business of course, and is also successful. If I came to a case that had the bruised sensation very markedly in connection with a diphtheritic throat I would not give Arnica, because it does not have that kind of throat; but Phytolacca has, and it has one other symptom of Arnica, viz.: heat and redness of head and face, while the body and limbs are cool or cold.

I have met many such cases of diphtheria, and if prescribed early Phytolacca cures without the aid of any other remedy. Again if I found a patient with the sore, bruised sensation, who was brought into that condition by getting wet while perspiring, or by lying on damp ground, or between damp sheets, or from a strain of the muscles, Rhus toxicodendron would be the remedy.

If in cases of actual injury I should find the bruise in the periosteum or bone, I should expect more benefit from Ruta, which seems to be better also than Rhus tox. in one kind of muscular strain, viz., strain of the ciliary muscles. I have often relieved sewing girls or students of pains in the eyes from this cause and have sometimes enabled them to lay off the glasses that had been prescribed by the opticians. It is much better to use this remedy in a weakened power of accommodation than to try and compensate for it with artificial lenses. Of course where the impaired vision is purely optical this cannot be done.

So we might go on to draw the diagnostic symptoms between all the various remedies having a similar symptom if we had time and space. But it would not be the best thing to do, for every physician should get in the habit of doing this for himself.

In addition to all that has been said about the great value of the sore as if bruised sensation of this remedy, it should always be remembered in affections, acute or chronic, which are the result of trauma. Among these are concussion; fracture of the skull with compression of the brain; headaches of long standing; meningitis: apoplexy; inflammation of the eyes with suggillations, or even retinal haemorrhages, where it expedites the absorption of the blood clots, deafness, epistaxis, newly filled teeth, affections from blows on stomach or other viscera. I once cured a man who had suffered from what he and his physician had called dyspepsia for several years. He had been obliged to give up his business because he could not eat enough to support his strength. He had been told by his physician that he would never be well again and had given up hopes himself. This condition was caused by the kick of a horse upon the region of the stomach. A few doses of Arnica 200th cured him in a short time and he resumed his business. Now I will conclude Arnica with a few characteristics that are genuine, and have been, with me, of inestimable value.

"Stupor with involuntary discharge of faeces and urine."

"Fears being struck or touched by those coming towards him."

"Putrid smell from the mouth."

"Offensive eructations or flatus, smelling like rotten eggs."

"Bruised sore feeling in uterine region, cannot walk erect."

"Soreness of parts after labor prevents haemorrhages or pyaemia."

"Cough; child cries before paroxysms, as if sore."

"While answering falls into a deep stupor before finishing."

"Head alone, or face alone, hot, rest of body cool."

"Many small boils, painful, one after another, extremely sore."

"Prevents suppuration and septicaemia and promotes absorption."

Arnica, although an old remedy, is not so often used as it should be in general practice.