Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

Generalities: Baptisia is suitable for acute diseases. It is principally a short-acting medicine, suitable for complaints that are not long lasting. So far as we know it is not an antipsoric, does not go deep into the life.

All of its acute diseases and complaints have the appearance of Zymosis, like scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid, and gangrenous complaints. There is one thing that is unusual about it, it brings on this septic state more, rapidly than most other remedies.

The zymotic complaints of Ars., Phos., Rhus, and Bry., are much slower in their pace. But Baptisia is suitable for typhoids that come on rapidly, and hence it is not so often suitable in idiopathic typhoids.

When an individual comes down suddenly from cold, from malaria, from drinking poisonous waters, and from any zymotic or septic cause he is hurled into bed in a few days, instead of going through a period of four, five or six weeks. The old idiopathic typhoid fevers come on slower.

Baptisia is suitable for those blood poisons that are highly septic such as the puerperal state, such as scarlet fever. He comes down perhaps with the appearance of a sudden violent break down, with a remittent fever.

But all at once it turns continued, and takes on septic symptoms. So much for its progress and its pace. Every medicine must be observed as to its velocity, as to its pace, as to its periodicity, as to its motion, and its wave.

Looking and smelling: We get that by looking at the symptoms. You take an individual who has been down in a mine, in the swam, down in the mud, in the sewers, who has inhaled foul gases, who goes into bed with a sort of stupor, from the very beginning he feels stupid. It is not gradual, but he goes down very suddenly, and he is stupid.

He is prostrated. His face is mottled. Sordes begin to appear on the teeth much earlier than in the regular typhoid. The abdomen becomes distended much earlier than in a regular typhoid; that is one who is accustomed to observing those things knows they are postponed for a number of days; while with this remedy the third day the abdomen is distended, his mouth is bleeding, and is putrid.

His odors are horrible; and he is in a marked state of delirium, such as would not be expected until the typhoid is out for many days. So it has rapid running diseases. It has velocity.

That is, he is going down toward death rapidly. He is increasing in his prostration more rapidly than usual. It is not a gradual decline of days and weeks.

He goes into a state of stupor. When aroused he takes on delirium. It does not matter whether it is scarlet fever, or typhoid fever, or a septic surgical fever, or a puerperal fever, or what.

He has fever, and if you look at him, and talk to him, and turn him over, and rouse him up, and make him realize that you want to say something to him - which is difficult - he gives you the impression that he has been on a big drunk.

That is the first thought you will have in a Baptisia case. His countenance is besotted. It is bloated and purple and mottled. Blood oozes from the mouth. You have seen the besotted countenance of drunkards, and it is like an old drunkard.

Mind: His mind seems to be gone. He does not know what be is talking about lie is in confusion, and when aroused be attempts to say some thing, and utters a word or two and it all flits away, and he is back in his state of stupor again.

No matter what disease that comes in, no matter what inflammation is present, no matter what organ is inflammed, if that state of the blood that can give rise to such symptoms and such sepsis is present, if that state of the mind is present, it is Baptisia.

Discharges: All of the discharges are putrid. The odor is cadaverous, pungent; penetrating. His perspiration, if he has any, is sour, foetid, pungent, and penetrating.

If he has no sweat the body gives off an odor that is unaccountable. The odor is so penetrating that on going into the front door the whole house, if the room is open, is filled with the odor. The odor from the stool is putrid and so penetrating that it can be detected on first going into the house.

Now, a strange thing that runs through the remedy is a peculiar kind of mental confusion, in which he is in a constant argument with his parts.

Delirium: He seems to feel that there are two of him. He realizes a dual existence whenever he is roused up. He will begin talking about the other one in bed with him.

It is said clinically that

"his great toe is in controversy with his thumb."

Or, "one leg is talking to the other leg."

Or, one part is talking to another part; or, he is scattered around over the bed; tumbles and you ask him what he is trying to do.

"why, I am trying to get those pieces together."

He never succeeds; he is in delirium, Of course these are only examples; you will get a new phase every time you get a Baptisia case.

Most of the time he is un conscious except when roused. Sometimes mutters. You will see his lips go, and you rouse him to see what he is about, and he is trying to get the pieces together.

"Confused as if intoxicated."

There are stages when he is not quite so stupid, and he is sleepless and restless. That is the exception. Most, generally you will find him lying upon one side curled up like a dog, and he does not want to be disturbed.

Again, when the stupor is not so great he is restless and turns and tosses. In that case he cannot sleep, because he cannot get the pieces together. He feels if he could once get matters together he could go to sleep, and these parts that are talking to each other keep him awake. His mind wanders as soon as his eyes are closed. Dullness, especially at night. Indisposition to think. Mind seems weak.

There you find the whole picture of the mental aspect in all complaints, in all acute diseases but they all come on in a hurry.

They are zymotic, of a low form such as scarlet fever, such as malignant diseases; and yet it takes on a continued type of fever.

These patients will die in from ten to twelve days if let alone. Whereas, ordinary typhoid will run for weeks, and sometimes die at the close of four weeks in a crisis.

The bleedings are black and offensive. The putridity is marked. In the mouth, the mucus from the throat and nose is bloody and putrid. It has a diarrhoea.

Stools: Thin, faecal, watery, yellow. It has a typical typhoid discharge; the most typical typhoid stool is like yellow corn-meal mush, coming on many times a day, but soft, pappy, just about the consistency of soft mush.

This remedy has that stool, but it is not the commonest form - but the black, the brown, the dark. In treating a good many cases of typhoid it was my fortune to observe a large number of Baptisia cases, which the remedy cured promptly.

The stool where the Baptisia did the most service was like ground up slate, slate colored, brownish. The odor was penetrating. In addition to that I have seen this medicine cure that kind of diarrhoea when it was slate colored, even thin as water, if it was horribly putrid like decomposed meat; like the cadaver, attended with great prostration.

I have seen it cure that diarrhoea when there were none of the elements of typhoid fever present a simple prostrating form of diarrhoea.

Exhaustion. Exhaustion comes rapidly. In three days he has a deathly sinking coming over him.

Headaches: The headaches are nondescript. Only those congestive attacks, frontal headaches - violent pains in the head, and especially in the occiput, such as occur in the low forms of disease.

I hardly ever go into the details of headaches. Baptisia is not a headache remedy. It is not a remedy that we would single out to treat headaches with, except such violent pains in the head of a congestive character that are associated with this low form of fever.

Face: It has characteristic eye symptoms. Congestion. Redness.

Pains in the eyes, and back of the eyes. So it has with hearing. So it has with nasal symptoms. But associated with fevers. But as soon as we come to the face we begin to realize the Baptisia symptoms, that besotted expression.

The countenance shows that. The eyes show it, the face shows it. And these are the symptoms:

"Dark red with besotted appearance. Hot and perceptibly flushed; dusky."

That tells the whole story. Burning; beat in the face.

"Critical sweat on forehead and face. Anxious, frightened look."

On rousing from sleep looks as if he had a horrible dream.

And then comes the mouth, and the teeth, and the throat, and the tongue, all show marked Baptisia features.

The tongue is swollen, painful, offensive. Covered with black blood. Raw; denuded. Stiff and dry as leather. Described as if it was made of wood, or burnt leather; ulcerated. Ulceration runs all through the remedy.

Aphthous patches. These little ulcers that start no bigger than a pin-head become black and are so offensive and run together so that the whole surface of the mouth will be in a state of ulceration; raw and denuded, oozing a thick saliva that is putrid.

Throat: The throat takes on ulceration; is raw and bleeding.

There may be diphtheritic exudations in the throat, but round about it there are those low, dark, offensive surfaces. The throat is greatly swollen, and it is with difficulty that he can swallow.

Baptisia has been a very useful remedy in gangrenous sore mouth and sore throat.

"Cancrum oris." The ulcers spread rapidly and eat rapidly.

They are really phagedenic. Sordes form rapidly on the teeth. And when he is roused from sleep after a few hours of stupor there is a building up on the lips and around the corners of the mouth ridges of dry blood; very offensive.

Bleeds much from the mouth, throat and nose. Thick oozing. Putrid.

"Tongue red, and dry in the middle, The roof of the mouth swollen and feels numb. Foul or bitter nauseous taste in the mouth. Tongue of a dark hue. Tongue dry, brown down the centre. Tongue covered with a thick, brown crust. Tongue yellowish white, deeply furred."

Ulcers all over the mouth. Baptisia has cured the ulcerated sore throat of young mothers - and nursing sore mouth in children, when the parts become dusky and ulcers spread, and the mouth is putrid, and prostration is coming on rapidly. The child or the mother is growing weak with great rapidity, is becoming prostrated.

Now, all this without fever.

Many of these ulcerative states in Baptisia are not attended with fever, it seems sometimes as though there were not life enough to get up a fever. Aphthous appearance in typhoid, in children, and with nursing mothers.

Canker sores in the mouth.

"Putrid ulceration of the whole buccal cavity."

Now, with all this trouble saliva pours into the mouth, is thick and ropy and runs all over the pillow; like we find in Mercury.

The sore throat may be gangrenous. A strong feature of it is that the ulcers are rapid and painless, as if numb, without sensation. But it has a painful sore throat.

"Fauces dark red; dark, putrid ulcers; tonsils and parotids swollen. Putrid sore throat. Tonsils and soft palate swollen, not accompanied by pain."

Great swelling; great tumefaction; purplish.

The darker it is the more likely would I be to think of Baptisia -but never a bright red. I have never seen the Baptisia mental state associated with a bright red appearance. That low form of mental state is associated with blood decomposition, with duskiness, with a dark appearance of the skin, and of the mucous membranes. Not bright red, not pink, as we find in Bell.

Bell is more commonly bright red, although it has duskiness, but nothing to the extent of Baptisia.

There is nothing like the putridity in Bell. that there is in Baptisia.

"Oesophagus feels as if constricted from above down to stomach."

Oesophagus: Now, we have another phase of it. From the sore throat the trouble extends into the oesophagus, and the oesophagus is at first in a state of spasm. Later it is paralyzed. Fluids will at first go down the throat, but he cannot swallow a particle of solids.

The bolus of food will go into the upper end of the oesophagus and there it chokes him and feels like a lump, and he chokes and struggles and gags and throws it back, and then takes water or fluids.

He can swallow fluids but he cannot swallow solids. Every particle of solid food gags; but he can swallow liquids. Natr. mur. and quite a number of other remedies have spasms of the oesophagus coming on with nervous complaints, but in this low state I know of no other medicine having that one symptom, having these features, and the paralysis, and the spasmodic condition of the oesophagus.

"The oesophagus feels as if constricted from above down to the stomach."

Constrictive feeling causing frequent efforts at deglutition; throat sore, feels constricted. Can swallow only liquids. Children cannot swallow solids. The smallest solid substance causes gagging, thus he cannot use anything but milk; sometimes, thin, watery, offensive passages day and night; associated with the putridity, with the offensiveness, with the duskiness and with the prostration.

You need to know no more, if it is diphtheria, or scarlet fever, if it is typhoid fever, that will lead you to a certain remedy.

"Paralysis of the organs of deglutition."

To draw out from every remedy that which is positive to get the associations that make up a particular remedy and that only is the duty of every clinician.

Abdomen: The abdomen is distended; the stomach is distended. We may have these symptoms in inflammation of the liver, when this remedy would be useful. Along with the diseases that I have mentioned, tympanitic abdomen.

Great soreness in the right iliac fossa; so sore and tender, no bigger than a fist; but all of this putridity, - I am sure, would prevent you from using a knife to cut off that little appendix.

"Foetid, exhausting diarrhoea. Aphthous diarrhoea which means that the parts of the anus that roll out are ulcerated, little aphthous patches inside of the margin."

"Involuntary diarrhoea."

Involuntary urine and stool in these low forms of disease.

"Dark brown, mucous and bloody stools. Foetid stools."

It has dysentery. After confinement the lochia stops. Great tenderness of the abdomen. All these putrid signs-breaking down of the blood, the appearance of the face, the sudden prostration, suddenly becoming stupid; and add to that the mental symptoms-these are all signs for Baptisia in puerperal fever.

Now, intermingled with this after the case has been running on a few days the limbs become helpless and tremulous.

The tongue when it is put out is tremulous. The hand when it is raised is tremulous, and the limbs are tremulous. Quivering all over the body. Prostration. increases. The jaw drops and he lies upon the back unconscious, with the mouth wide open. He gradually slides down toward the foot of the bed.

A peculiar sort of paralytic weakness. This is how the prostration increases with the disease; but even yet when he is as low as this, with the signs present, Baptisia will break that fever. Baptisia will stop the typhoid fever, when it is indicated. Prostration and trembling Huddles down in bed, feels as if sinking away.

Lies in a semiconscious condition when she appears dying. Excessive drowsiness. Delirious stupor, Lies in a semi-comatose state.

"Discharges and exhalations foetid."

Breath, stool, urine, ulcers; all putrid. Ulceration of mucous membranes.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Wild Indigo (United States of America.) N. O. Leguminosae. Tincture of fresh root and its bark.

Clinical.─Abortion, threatened. Apoplexy. Appendicitis. Biliousness. Brain softening. Cancer. Consumption. Diphtheria. Dysentery. Enteric fever. Eye, affections of. Gall-bladder, affections of. Gastric fever. Headache, bilious. Hectic fever. Hysteria. Influenza. Mumps. Oesophagus, stricture of. Plague. Relapsing fever. Sewer gas-poisoning. Shivering. Stomatitis. Tabes mesenterica. Tinea capitis. Tongue ulcerated. Typhus. Variola. Worms.

Characteristics.─Baptisia has gained its greatest reputation as a remedy in typhoid fever, to the symptoms of which its pathogenesis strikingly corresponds. But it is only when it is used strictly in accordance with its symptoms that it will give successful results. When given as a matter of routine there are sure to be failures. Another disease in which it has proved specific in a large number of cases is epidemic influenza. The besotted countenance, bleary eyes, aching head, sore throat, pains and soreness all over the body, and profound prostration which are present in all typical cases indicate Baptisia before any other remedy.

Among the chief symptoms of the remedy are the following: Stupor, falls asleep whilst being spoken to, confused as if drunk. Cannot keep his mind together, a wild wandering feeling. This scattered feeling is further exemplified in the illusion that the body is double; limbs separated and conversing with each other; can't sleep because body seems scattered about and cannot collect pieces. There is a dull heavy sensation in head with drowsiness and heavy eyelids. The head feels large, with a numb feeling of head and face. Bruised headache; soreness as if in brain; bruised feeling in occiput; heavy feeling at base of brain with drawing in cervical muscles. Frontal headache with pressure at root of nose. The neck is tired, cannot hold head easy in any position. The eyes cannot bear light; burn; are weak; painful on reading. Weight on eyes; eyeballs sore, lame on moving. Blear-eyed. Lids partially paralysed. An illusion of smell "as of burnt feathers" has been caused and cured by it. Pain in left parotid gland. Flat, bitter taste. Tongue swollen; feels numb; speech difficult. Is coated whitish yellow, and feels burnt or scalded. Dry, parched, brown centre; cracked and ulcerated. Canker sores in mouth. Ulcerations. The sore-mouth of sucklings. Painlessness is a feature in the sore throat; putrid, painless, dark ulcers. Oesophagus feels constricted down to stomach; can only swallow liquids; cases of convulsive contraction of oesophagus and cardiac orifice, with regurgitation of food, have been cured by it. In one case, that of an old man, food could be swallowed and retained some days, but not on others. He had always liked very hot food. The oesophagus was red and granular. Bapt. 12 cured. Nausea, retching and vomiting. Sinking, gone feeling. Pain in liver; and especially in gall-bladder; in spleen; in right iliac region; in groins; glands swollen. Soreness of abdominal muscles and right iliac region. Fetid exhausting diarrhoea; dysentery in autumn or hot weather. Worms. The urine is high-coloured, scanty, alkaline, fetid. Orchitis, squeezed pain in testes. Hale considers it specific in threatened miscarriage from mental depression, shock of bad news, watching, fasting, or low fever. Patients in these conditions often complain of "dreadful sinking at the stomach," fetid breath and other symptoms of Baptisia. Many cases of phthisis are relieved by this remedy when the symptom and type of fever correspond. Lumbar backache. Feels as if lying on a board. Pain in sacrum. Weakness of lower limbs. Left foot much prickling and numbness. Numbness and soreness are very general in Baptisia patients. It has cured hysteria with prostration, numbness and fear of paralysis, wanted to die, rubbed hands continually, restlessness. The bed feels hard. There is excessive drowsiness. < On waking; < walking; < open air; < cold wind; < autumn or hot weather.

Relations.─Compare: Arn., Arsen., Bry.; Gels. (malaise, nervousness, flushed face, drowsiness, and muscular soreness); Ecchin. angust., Hyo., Kali mur., Lach., Mur. ac. and Nit. ac. (typhoid); Nux v., Op., Rhus t. Follows well: Ars. is followed well by: Tereb., Nit. ac., Ham. Silic has, like Bap., ability to swallow only liquids (like milk), but unlike Bap., Silic has aversion to milk. Ecchinacea angustifolia is perhaps its nearest analogue.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Stupor; falls asleep while being spoken to, or answering; heavy sleep till aroused; awakes only to again fall asleep in the midst of his answer, which he vainly endeavours to finish.─Indisposed to think, want of power; mind seems weak, confused, as if drunk.─Cannot confine his mind: a sort of wild, wandering feeling.─Gloomy, unhappy state of mind.─Body feels scattered about, tosses around to get the pieces together; cannot sleep because he cannot get pieces together.─Mind wanders as soon as the eyes are closed.─Mentally restless but too lifeless to move.─Indisposed to think; inability to memorise.─< When thinking of pains in various parts of body.

2. Head.─Vertigo, and weak feeling of entire system, esp. lower limbs and knees.─Vertigo, with paralysis of eyelids.─Peculiar feeling in head, which is never felt except during fever, excitement of brain such as precedes delirium.─Dull, heavy pressive headache.─Frontal headache, with pressure at root of nose; with feeling of fulness and tightness of whole head.─Head feels large and heavy, with numbness of head and face.─Sharp darts of pain in supraorbital nerve at foramen.─Frequent sharp pains by spells in r. and l. temple.─Soreness in the brain, worse on stooping.─Top of head feels as if it would fly off.─Dull, bruised feeling in occiput.─Skin of forehead feels tight.─Scalp feels sore.─Sensation as if head swelling.─Neck feels so tired she cannot hold her head easy in any position.

3. Eyes.─Cannot bear light eyes burn but do not water.─Feeling as if eyes would be pressed into head eyeballs feel sore, with great confusion of sight; cannot place anything until after looking at it a few seconds; everything appears to move.─Severe pains in eyes on reading, compelling to stop.─Bloated feeling of eyes, glistening; disposition to have them half closed.─Eyeballs feel sore; sore and lame on moving them.─Partial paralysis of lids.

4. Ears.─Dull hearing.─Delirium with almost complete deafness.─Slight pain in l. parotid gland.

5. Nose.─Dull pain at root of nose; crampy sensation.─Sneezing and feeling as after a severe cold; slight bleeding from r. nostril of bright red blood, thick.─Epistaxis of dark blood.─Sensation of fulness; oedema of affected parts, esp. in choanae.─Illusion of smell: as of burnt feathers.

6. Face.─Face flushed, dusky, hot; dark-red, with a besotted expression.─Muscles of jaw rigid.

8. Mouth.─Sordes on the teeth and lips.─Tongue yellow along the centre; first white, with reddish papillae, followed by yellow-brown coating in centre, edges dark-red and shining; dry, brown down the centre; cracked, sore, ulcerated.─Filthy taste with flow of saliva.─Saliva rather abundant, somewhat viscid, tasting flat.─Numb, pricking sensation in tongue.─Putrid ulcers of the buccal cavity, with salivation.─Mouth and tongue very dry in fevers.─Putrid; offensive; faecal breath.─Flat, bitter taste in mouth.

9. Throat.─Pain and soreness of fauces.─Constrictive feeling in throat, causing frequent efforts at deglutition.─Throat feels swollen or full.─Fauces dark-red; dark, putrid ulcers; tonsils and parotids swollen; absence of pain, and great prostration.─Difficult deglutition; can only swallow water; oesophagus feels as if constricted from above down to stomach.

11. Stomach.─Sinking, gone feeling at the stomach.─Constant desire for water, with nausea and want of appetite.─Great thirst.─Loss of appetite; averse to nourishment and stimulants.─All symptoms < from beer.─At night, frequent pain in the epigastric region; < from turning over, which he had to do all the time.─Full feeling in stomach.─Heavy gnawing in stomach.─Burning heat rising up to throat.─Pains in stomach; feeling there as of a hard substance.

12. Abdomen.─Pain in liver, from r. lateral ligament to gall-bladder; can scarcely walk, it so augments pain in gall-bladder.─Constant severe pain over gall-bladder.─Constant pain in stomach and liver; < walking; hot sensation; heavy aching in liver.─Pain in liver region on going upstairs.─Constant aching distress in stomach and umbilical region.─Pain in region of spleen, with darts of pain in body, esp. in carpus, metacarpus, and phalanges.─R. iliac region sensitive.─Fulness and distension of the abdomen.─Abdominal muscles sore on pressure.─Sharp, rheumatic pains in groins, lasting a short time but returning after short interval, < from walking.─Glands of l. groin swollen; painful on walking.

13. Stool and Anus.─Frequent small, thin, dark, offensive, and acrid stools.─Very fetid, exhausting diarrhoea; excoriating.─Stool papescent, with large quantities of mucus; no pain.─Dark-brown mucous and bloody stools, with tenesmus and typhoid tendency.─Dysentery: rigors, pains in limbs and small of back; stools small, all blood, not very dark but thick; tenesmus; great prostration, brown tongue, low fever; in autumn or in hot weather, constipation; severe, with haemorrhoids; in afternoon.─Stricture from piles.

14. Urinary Organs.─Stitches in region of r. kidney; shooting in l. kidney.─Burning when urinating.─Urine rather scanty, dark-red colour; alkaline; fetid.─Light-green urine.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Orchitis.─Pressing pain in l. testicle; cramp, as if squeezed.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Menses too early and too profuse.─Excites abortion.─Lochia acrid, fetid.─Puerperal fever.─Stomatitis materna.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Aphonia.─Larynx sore to touch, painful swallowing or speaking.─Fetid breath.─Awakes with great difficulty of breathing; the lungs feel tight and compressed; must have fresh air.

18. Chest.─Constriction and oppression of the chest.─Weight and oppression in precordial region, with a feeling of unsatisfied breathing; afternoon.─Sharp pains in centre of sternum.─Dull stitches in l. nipple.

19. Heart and Pulse.─Feeling of greatly increased compass and frequency of heart's pulsations; seem to fill chest.─Pulse at first accelerated, afterward slow and faint.

20. Neck and Back.─Neck tired; sore down neck.─Stiffness and lameness of cervical muscles; < on moving head.─Back and hips very stiff, ache severely; < walking.─Feels as if lying on a board; changes position often, bed feels so hard; < in region of sacrum.─Dull sacral pain, compounded of a feeling as from a pressure and fatigue, from long stooping; soon extending round hips and down r. leg.

21. Limbs.─Wandering pains in all the limbs with dizziness.─Drawing pains in arms and legs; aching in the limbs.

22. Upper Limbs.─Constant twitching in l. deltoid.─Pain in l. shoulder, extending down arm.─Pains in bones of arms and hands.─Numbness of l. hand and forearm, with prickling.

23. Lower Limbs.─Soreness in front of thighs, < after sitting.─Limbs weak and vacillating.─L. foot numb, prickles.─Burning of top of r. foot from toes to back of foot.

24. Generalities.─Restless; does not sleep quietly; wants to be on the move.─Great languor; wants to lie down.─Tired, bruised, sick feeling in all parts of the body.─Weak and tremulous, as if recovering from a severe illness.─Great weakness, esp. in lower limbs.─Prostration, with disposition of fluids to decompose.─Indescribable sick feeling all over.─Numbness prickling and paralytic feeling over the whole body, esp. l. side.─Ulceration of mucous membranes, esp. of the mouth, with tendency to putrescence.─Discharges and exhalations fetid.─Sensation all over the body as if bruised or beaten.─Feels as if lying on a board; changes position, bed feels so hard makes him feel sore and bruised.

25. Skin.─Great burning and heat in skin; < in face.─Livid spots over body and limbs.─Eruption like measles or urticaria.─Confluent small-pox, tardy eruption.─Foul, gangrenous, eating syphilitic sores.

26. Sleep.─Delirious stupor; falls asleep while answering a question or being talked to.─Sleeps well till 2 or 3 a.m., then restless till morning.─Drowsy, stupid, tired feeling; disposition to half close the eyes.─Restless, with frightful dreams.─Wants to get out of bed.─Cannot sleep, limbs seem scattered about so.

27. Fever.─Chilly going into the open air; chills over the back and lower limbs.─Chilly, with soreness of body.─Whole surface hot and dry, with occasional chills, mostly up and down the back.─On awaking, 3 a.m., flashes of heat; feeling as if sweat would break out.─An uncomfortable burning all over surface, esp. face; moves to cool part of bed; finally rises, opens window and washes.─Typhoid and cerebral forms of fever.─Beginning of typhus when the so-called nervous symptoms predominate; causes sweat to break out and relieve; typhus; critical sweat on forehead and face.─Fever originating from confinement on shipboard, without good care or food.─Fetid sweat.

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

Wild Indigo (Leguminosae)

For the lymphatic temperament. Great prostration, with disposition to decomposition of fluids (Pyr.); ulceration of mucous membranes. All exhalations and discharges fetid, especially in typhoid or other acute disease; breath, stool, urine, perspiration, ulcers (Psor., Pyr.). Aversion to mental exertion; indisposed, or want of power to think. Perfect indifference, don't care to do anything, inability ot fix the mind to work. Stupor; falls asleep while being spoken to or in the midst of his answer (when spoken to, answers correctly, but delirium returns at once, Arn.). Tongue: at first coated white with red papillae; dry and yellow-brown in center; later dry, cracked, ulcerated. Face flushed, dusky, dark-red, with a stupid, besotted drunken expression (Gels.). Can swallow liquids only (Bar. c.); least solid food gags (can swallow liquids only, but has aversion to them, Sil.). Painless sore throat; tonsils, soft palate and parotids dark red, swollen; putrid, offensive discharge (Diph.). Dysentry of old people; diarrhoea of children, especially when very offensive (Carbo v., Pod., Psor.). Cannot go to sleep because she cannot get herself together; head or body feels scattered about the bed; tosses about to get the pieces together; thought she was three persons, could not keep them covered (Petr.). In whatever position the patient lies, the parts rested upon feel sore and bruised (Pyr. - compare, Arn., Pyr.). Decubitus in typhoid (Arn., Mur. ac., Pyr.).

Relation. - Similar: to, Arn., Ars., Bry., Gels., in the early stages of fever with malaise, nervousness, flushed face, drowsiness, and muscular soreness. When Ars. has been properly given or too often repeated in typhoid or typhus. After Baptisia: Crot., Ham., Nit. ac. and Tereb. act well in haemorrhage of typhoid and typhus.

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

Mind confused; as if drunk; cannot collect himself; feels scattered about, cannot get pieces together.

Face dark, dusky; eyes bleared, besotted expression.

Mouth ulcerated, with foul smell; or, dry, tongue dry in a streak down the centre.

Abdomen sensitive in right iliac region, with rumbling.

Stool loose, and urine with all other discharges; very offensive.

Awakes with oppressed feeling, must have more air.

Great prostration with aching and soreness all over. Great typhoid remedy.

Can swallow liquids only; least solid food gags.

In whatever position the patient lies the parts rested upon feel sore and bruised. (Lach., Pyr.).

* * * * *

Baptisia tinctoria will quite naturally come in here, as it is often indicated after the Gelsemium stage is over in fevers. Typhoid fever can be aborted under proper homoeopathic treatment, no matter what the old school says to the contrary. I have had but one case of typhoid fever run its full course in seven years, and that was a case of a young lady whose mother tried to treat her, until the disease was fully established. The symptoms indicating Baptisia are, in the first stage, great nervousness, chilliness, aching pains all over, but especially in head, back and limbs, and a sensation of soreness all over; feels as if bruised. Then the patient grows weak, prostrated, drowsy, becomes confused, the face and eyes suffused so as to give it a "besotted appearance"; the sensorium is so blunted that the patient falls asleep even before he can answer a question, or while he is in the middle of an answer. Then the tongue becomes streaked down the middle, at first white, even becomes brown in a well-defined streak down the middle, and as he comes more fully under the typhoid influence he mutters and reaches about the bed, tossing to and fro, and if he says anything he says he feels "scattered around the bed and is trying to get the pieces together". Now the bowels begin to rumble, especially in the ilio-caecal region, which is also sensitive to touch; later still the bowels begin to discharge, and all the discharges (stool, urine and sweat) are extremely offensive. This is a true picture of a Baptisia typhoid, and I have aborted in the first stage many cases and even checked their progress (in other cases) and cured them when they had been running eight to twelve days. I have used both the low and high preparations with equal success, but now use the 30th potency.