Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

Cadmium sulph. has been only partially proved, so that only a limited amount of information can be given concerning it.

A medicine may be said to be thoroughly proved when it has left its impress upon all elements of man; when it has affected his memory and his intellect, when it has affected his organs and all their functions, i.e., when healthy man has taken a medicine until all these things are affected and the results are known as the effects of that medicine.

Every medicine affects in some way all these elements of man, and no medicine is well proved until it is known how all these elements are affected.

Mind: There is a dread of work; aversion to doing everything, mental and physical. Anxiety has been brought out more by cures than by the pathogenesis, so that it well enough known to be classed along with Arsenicum for its anxiety; it may well be classed with Arsenicum for its prostration also; it has great weakness; it might also be classed with Arsenicum, because of the organs that are affected, especially because of its action upon the stomach, which is somewhat like Arsenicum, great exhaustion, irritable stomach and vomiting.

It has such vomiting as is found in the lowest forms of fever, such irritable stomach as is found in yellow fever, with black vomiting, and just at this point is the place where the likeness to Arsenicum comes out in the low forms of the fever.

But unlike Arsenicum, running all through the remedy, he wants to be perfectly quiet; part of it is a state of indolence, part of it is an aversion to motion. He is worse from motion, which makes it like Bryonia. So we will see running all through the remedy the exhaustion of Arsenicum and aversion to motion, like Bryonia.

Running through it we find it is spasmodic and nervous; it affects the muscles like Zinc. It is found in its crude state associated with Zinc.

Hering made several observations whereby he tried to prove that substances found together had a relationship and illustrated it by Tellurium which occurs as the telluride of gold. It may be a fact that substances so associated are in some respects similar, but this is only a side thought, as each substance must be studied on its merits,

There must be no guesswork in the study of provings. Every remedy must be used for its own symptoms, and for these there is no substitute. If a remedy does not work, the homeopath can only examine the case anew and seek new symptoms and another remedy.

Head: Vertigo in the room; the bed spins round. The head symptoms, anxiety and vertigo are such as occur in low types of gastro-intestinal irritation, as in continued fevers, deep-seated, slow and sluggish; in yellow fever, with prostration, vomiting of blood, black vomit. Lancinating in the head, pulsating in the temples.

It is not so often called for in ordinary headaches, but in headaches occurring in the low forms of fever, with great rush of blood to the head. Cutting like knives as occurs in yellow fever.

Eyes: The eye symptoms are numerous. Inflammation of a local character; conjunctivitis with discharge, long continued, a chronic conjunctivitis.

Old "sore eyes.," rousing up with every cold and change of weather. Thickening of the conjunctiva. Scrofulous sore eyes. Ulcer spots; old scars which break and heal up.

It does wonderful work in curing old eye troubles; opacities with slow inflammation. Pressure above the eyes. Paralysis of the lids; ptosis. It commonly affects one side of the face and one eye. It has paralytic conditions like Causticum; paralysis of one part or of one edge of the body. After an apoplectic attack when the patient recovers, but weakness of one arm and leg remains, it competes with Phos.

Changes in sensation here and there. Formication of the skin and deeper tissues.

"Asleep" sensation, or like ants crawling in the extremities, deep in the muscles and the skin. Hyperesthesia or anesthesia. Numbness of parts; the nose, one hand; numbness in spots. In this it is similar to Caust. Paralyzed parts are sometimes painful. Crawling in paralyzed parts.

Nose: Old nasal catarrh which has progressed till the nasal bones are being destroyed by caries. Ulceration. Pains in the bones. Sneezing; coryza, boils, abscesses.

Mouth and taste: Disturbances of the taste. It is suitable to low forms of continued fever; it has sordes, dark tongue, bleeding tongue and dry mouth, as in typhus, typhoid and yellow fever. Sluggish tongue; difficulty in moving it. Difficult swallowing. The muscles of the throat are affected causing dysphagia. Constriction of the oesophagus. Violent thirst. Every time he takes cold water, which he craves, goose-flesh comes on, a creeping or horripilation like Capsicum.

Stomach: The stomach gives us the strongest and most important symptoms. The stomach quits business; no digestion. Everything sours; fluids and the simplest things taken are changed and come up sour, mixed with blood or bile; rancid eructations; with great exhaustion.

The nausea is distressing. Nauseated all the way down to the abdomen like Ipec., Ant. t., and Asarum, extensive nausea. Cold sweat. Vomiting of yellow-green mucus.

Touching the lips brings on nausea. Looking over the symptoms narrated here an experienced practitioner would think of gastritis-vomiting of the simplest things. Irritation of the stomach after tedious sickness, like cerebro-spinal-meningitis, typhoid, yellow fever.

The stomach gives out; there is no digestion, and everything is vomited. He is convalescing, but his stomach is irritable. He wants to keep still. The Arsenic prostration and irritable stomach occur at the beginning of the fever, with heat and restlessness.

This medicine comes in after the fever, and, with his anxiety he wants to keep still. Arsenic has anxiety and wants to move from bed to bed, and from chair to chair, and he fears death.

In this medicine he seems to say:

"Don't speak to me; don't bother me; let me die in peace."

He wants to be perfectly quiet, and the state occurs at the close of a febrile disease. Many of these patients die because they cannot eat, but this remedy will save them. When you have a case of cancer, with burning, prostration, and vomiting, Cadmium sulph. will relieve these symptoms for weeks, I have seen them where the pains have been relieved by anodynes until nothing would stay on the stomach, and this medicine would relieve. It is a great remedy in the gastric irritation of carcinoma, a great palliative; coffee ground vomiting,

Burning and cutting pains in the stomach. Gastric symptoms, such as occur in pregnancy, in old drunkards. Burning in the stomach extending up into the oesophagus; fluids burn all the way up into the mouth and throat; sour, acid fluids. Cold sensation in the stomach. Cholera infantum with irritation of the stomach.

Pain in the abdomen with vomiting. Lancinating in the abdomen from these pains we see it is a medicine which profoundly affects the liver, spleen, stomach and other abdominal viscera. Gangrene threatens. The main remedy in the hands of good prescribers.

Relapses in fever, with vomiting, diarrhoea, and great prostration. At times a case of yellow fever gets along fairly well, but a draft causes a slight cold and on come sudden prostration, black vomit, death. In that state it competes with Carbo veg., which used to be the main remedy in the hands of good prescribers.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Sulphide of Cadmium. Cd S. Trituration.

Clinical.─Apoplexy. Boils. Chilblains. Cholera infantum. Corneal opacity. Eyes, affections of. Facial paralysis. Indigestion. Meningitis. Nasal polypus. Ozoena. Yellow fever.

Characteristics.─Cadmium is found in nature in intimate association with Zinc, which it nearly resembles in action, but Cadmium acts more powerfully. The profound action of Cad. s. on the stomach─burning and cutting pain, intense retching, gagging, bringing up tough mucus, intense nausea and vomiting─led to its being given in yellow fever with brilliant success. Black vomit is very characteristic. The least thing touching the lips will excite vomiting. Pitchy taste; food tastes like salt. Cadm. is a cross between Bry. and Ars.: it has the desire to keep quiet of Bry., with the exhaustion and stomach irritability of Ars. (Kent). Cadmium is a chilly medicine. There is icy coldness─coldness even when near a fire. Horripilation: after drinking; with hot hands. Sweat in axillae. Effect of a draught of cold air in checking sweat. < From cold air; itching of skin when cold. < Sunshine. < In morning and after sleep. < Walking; < ascending stairs. < When swallowing. < After grief. < After intoxication. > By eating. Effects of: anxiety, or fit of passion; of cold winds (facial paralysis). Acts well in drunkards. It is a notable antipsoric. There is much itching of skin; at night in bed; when touched; when cold; > scratching, which causes a voluptuous feeling. Skin blue; yellow; scaly, cracking, damp, suppurating herpes; chilblains. Cutting, lancinating pains are prominent; also a sense of constriction. The nasal symptoms are very important; no remedy has served me better in cases of ozaena and polypus.

Relations.─Compare: Zn. (but in Zn. the action is primarily on brain; in Cadm. primarily on stomach); in constriction across chest with palpitation, K. chlo.; weakness, nausea, vomit and burning, Ars.; black vomit, affections of drunkenness, Ars., Lach.; in nausea and retching, Asar., Bry., Crot. t., Cup., Nux, Pod., Ant. t.; in deathly nausea, Ip., Tab.; greenish gelatinous vomit, Aethusa, Ars., Bry., Ip., Ver.; gelatinous stools, Alo., Cubeb., Hell., K. bich., Pod., Rhus, Sep. (green); loss of breath on going to sleep, Carb. an., Carb. v., Op., Grind., Lach. Followed well by: Bell. (rolling of head with open eyes in cholera infantum); Carb. v., Lob. inf. (in yellow fever); Nit. ac.; Alet. (nausea of pregnancy). Follows well: Ip., Ars., Bell.

Causation.─Sun. Draught of air. Cold wind. Alcohol.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Excessive irritability.─Horror of solitude and of work.

2. Head.─Constriction; stitches; pulsation.─Hammering in the head, preceding vomiting.─Headache with restlessness, icy coldness of body, epistaxis, constriction in throat, thirst, nausea, vomiting; mostly present when awaking, in open air, from draught of air, in sun.─Herpes on temples.

3. Eyes.─Cannot read small type.─Night-blindness.─Scrofulous inflammation.─Opacity of cornea.─Hot tears.─Swellings of lids.─Hollow eyes; blue circles.

4. Ears.─Sounds echo in head.

5. Nose.─Ulcerative or cancerous smell (ozaena).─Tightness at root and tension in nose.─Obstruction of nose by swelling.─Numbness of nose.─Erysipelas.─Boils on nose.─Caries of nasal bones.─Ulceration of nostrils.

6. Face.─Spasmodic movements of upper lip.─Facial paralysis from cold air─crawling sensation─chronic eruption on forehead, nose, and round mouth.─Swelling of lips.

8, 9. Mouth and Throat.─Salivation.─Taste first sweetish, then bitter and burning.─Fetid breath.─Ulcers; dryness; itching; burning; constriction in throat.─Dysphagia.

11. Stomach.─Nausea; must lie quiet.─Nausea in mouth; chest; abdomen.─Saltish, rancid belchings, cold sweat on face.─Vomiting of acid or yellow substances, cold perspiration on face and cutting pains in abdomen.─Black vomit.─Burning and cutting pain in stomach.─Gastric symptoms < after drinking beer; in forenoon; during pregnancy; in drunkards; after cramps in stomach.

12. Abdomen.─Pain in abdomen with vomiting.─Pain and pulsation in sides of abdomen.─Cutting pains in bowels and kidneys.─Lancinations in l. hypochondrium.─Symptoms of stomach and hypochondria < by walking or carrying burdens.

13. Stools.─Stools, almost gelatinous, yellowish-green, semi-fluid. (Cholera infantum.)

14. Urinary Organs.─Severe cutting in region of kidneys; urine suppressed, or scanty, or bloody.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─(Too frequent seminal emissions checked by it.)

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Acts well during pregnancy.─Erysipelas of mammae.─Inflamed nipples.

17, 18. Respiratory Organs and Chest.─Chest feels dilated.─Feeling as if lungs adhered to chest.─Cough with loss of consciousness, agitation, red face, pain in stomach, or vomiting of bile.─Interrupted breathing during sleep.─Chest symptoms < squatting.─Brown spots on chest.─Swelling of external chest.

21. Limbs.─Suppuration of axillary glands.─Brown spot on elbow.─Boils on buttocks.─Restlessness; jactitations; startings.

26. Sleep.─Sleeps with eyes open.─Stops breathing on going to sleep; wakes up suffocating.─Symptoms < after sleep.─Annoying protracted sleeplessness.