Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

China

Now we shall take up the study of Cinchona, or China. Persons who have suffered much from neuralgias due to malarial influences, who have become anaemic and sickly from repeated haemorrhages, are likely to develop symptoms calling for China.

China produces a gradually increasing anaemia, with great pallor and weakness. It is sometimes- indicated in plethoric individuals, but this is the exception, and even in this class we find that the symptoms are tending towards the cachectic state, which is avoided by the prompt action of the remedy.

Throughout the body there is a gradually increasing sensitivity, a gradually increasing irritability of the nerves; the nerves are always in a fret, so that these people will say:

"Doctor, what is the matter with me, I am so nervous?"

Pains: Everywhere there are twinning, tearing, cutting pains in the limbs and over the body. And so great is the sensitiveness to touch that the nerves can many times be outlined; as, for instance, the little nerves in the fingers, because of their extreme sensitiveness.

The China patient grows increasingly sensitive to touch, to motion, to cold air, so that he is chilled from exposure. The pains are brought on by exposure to the wind, by cold air, and are increased by motion and touch.

Old malarial conditions that have been suppressed with quinine; gradually increasing pallor, bloodlessness, cachexia, until the patient is always catching cold, has liver troubles, bowel troubles, disordered stomach, is made miserable and sick by nearly everything he does.

He cannot eat fruit without having indigestion; he cannot eat sour things. He is debilitated, pale, waxy, suffers from pains, such as are found in quinine subjects, and breaks out into a perspiration up the least exertion.

This patient bleeds easily; bleeds from any orifice of the body from the nose, from the throat, from the uterus. And after hemorrhage complaints come on.

Running through the remedy as a general constitutional state is a tendency to congestion and often inflammation, in connection with hemorrhages. Inflammation of the part that bleeds or of distant parts. For instance, a woman aborts, has a haemorrhage, but with apparently no provocation, inflammation of the uterus or of the lungs sets in.

With these inflammations there is also great irritability of the tissues, tearing pains, cramping in the muscles and actual convulsions. When a China patient bleeds a little, for instance, in confinement, right in the midst of the bleeding convulsions come on. You would scarcely need to think of any other remedy.

Secale is the one other medicine that has this, but the two do not look alike. Secale wants the covers all off and the windows open, even in cold weather. It a draft of air blows on a China patient, while in labor, she may go into convulsions.

In the midst of labor the pains cease and convulsions come on. Another feature about this inflammation is its rapid progress and intensity, quickly going into gangrene. Inflammation after haemorrhage and the parts rapidly turn black.

China has a fullness of the veins. Not exactly a varicose condition, but a sort of paralysis of the coatings of the veins. The veins become full during fever.

All of these complaints are such as we find in broken down constitutions, in feeble, sensitive patients, especially in sensitive women. Sensitive to the odors of flowers, of cooking, of tobacco. Weak, relaxed, emaciated, pale, with feeble heart, feeble circulation and tendency to dropsy.

Dropsy runs through the remedy; anasarca and also dropsy of shut sacs. A peculiar thing about this dropsy is, that it comes after hemorrhage. In the anaemic condition; directly following the loss of blood, dropsy appears. This is the typical China patient.

Mucous membranes: Catarrhal condition of all mucous membranes. Gastro-duodenal catarrh, ending in jaundice. Old liver subjects with jaundice. They have lived for a long time under the influence of the malarial miasm. Feeble, sensitive, anemic. We see such cases in the South and Southwest, and long the Mississippi Valley.

Periodicity: is regarded as the most important indication for China, but it is a mistake. Periodicity is the symptom upon which Quinine is given. China has periodicity, but in no greater degree than many other remedies and is not so frequently indicated as routine prescribers suppose. Allopaths give Quinine whenever there is any periodicity in complaints. Still periodicity is a strong feature in this remedy. Pains come on with regularity at a given time each day. Intermittent fevers appear with regularity and run a regular course.

A part of this periodicity is an aggravation at night, and sometimes sharply at midnight. In colic that comes on regularly every night at 12 o'clock, and it may be, perhaps, a week before you, suspect it to be a China colic. A lady had colic and bloating of the abdomen every night at 12 o'clock.

After suffering many nights a single dose of China, prevented any further trouble. Haemorrhage from the nose coming on with regularity. Diarrhoea at night. Several gushing, black, watery stool; during the night; in the daytime, only after eating.

There is a general aggravation after eating. Remember that this is a chilly patient, sensitive to draft, sensitive to cold, whose complaints are brought on by being exposed to cold air; sensitive to touch, sensitive to motion. Extreme irritability of the tissues.

China is indicated in conditions following the loss of blood and other animal fluids; as, for instance, in those who are suffering from sexual excesses, from secret vice. They have become feeble, sleepless and irritable.

There is weakness and general coldness of the skin; twitching and jerking of the limbs; drawing and cramping in the muscles; chronic jerking; epileptiform convulsion; paralytic weakness; rush of blood to the head; ringing in the ears; darkness before the eyes; fainting on the slightest provocation.

Mind: Such is the China cachexia, and with this in view, the mental state will scarcely be a surprise to you. It is just such as you would expect in this nervous, sensitive patient. Weakness of mind. Inability to think or remember. Full of fear at night. Fear of animals, dogs, of creeping things. Wants to commit suicide, but lacks courage. Gradually the mind grows weaker, he uses wrong expressions or misplaces words.

Lies awake at night making plans, theorizing, building air castles, thinking of the wonderful things he is going to do some day. In the morning he wonders how he could have thought such foolish things.

After sleep his mind is clear and he looks more philosophically on the affairs of life. Unable to entertain any mental proposition that, means work. He dreads work. He is apathetic, indifferent, low spirited, silent, disinclined to think. He is unable to control the mind, to make it do what he wants it to do. You see it is not as yet a real insanity.

This state of mind comes on after haemorrhage. Insomnia after haemorrhage. A woman, after having suffered great loss of blood, will be sleepless night after night.

After hemorrhage we may have dizziness. it is a natural consequence; dizziness and fainting. But ordinarily, after the proper diet for a few days, these symptoms will have disappeared. With the China patient they go from bad to worse. The woman after severe haemorrhage does not make blood. There is mal-assimilation, and the vertigo persists for days and weeks. China will restore order.

Head: The remedy is full of headaches. Congestive headaches in broken down constitutions. Extremities cold and body covered with a cold sweat. Rending, tearing pains. Pressing and throbbing. As soon as the air strikes the head those pains come on.

Headache better in a warm room; worse from touch; worse from motion; worse from cold. These are the principal features. A slight touch will aggravate the disturbance. But notice the exception. Hard pressure ameliorates the China pains, as light pressure aggravates.

Sensitiveness of the tissues; sensitiveness along the course of the nerves; the pains are brought on by touch, by cold air. Stitches in the head with pulsation in temples, which can be felt with the fingers; ameliorated by hard pressure, but aggravated by touch.

The jar and motion of walking hurt the head. Even turning over in bed aggravates. Cannot ride in a carriage or anything that jolts. Ameliorated by hard pressure. Throbbing headaches, aggravated by a draft of air, in the open air, from the slightest touch; ameliorated by hard- pressure. The scalp feels as if the hair was grasped roughly. It is sensitive to touch. Profuse sweating of the scalp. Headaches aggravated at night. Headaches from sexual excesses; loss of animal fluids.

Eyes: Now we come to the eye. Photophobia. Yellowness of the sclera, Exposure to cold wind will bring on neuralgia; ameliorated from keeping quiet and from keeping warm.

"Nocturnal blindness, dimness of vision.

Feeling as if sand were in the eyes.

Pains worse from light.

Better in the dark."

Ears: In the ear and the nose you find the same sensitiveness as in eyes every little noise is painful. Ringing; roaring, buzzing, and singing, chirping like crickets in the ears. Dry catarrh of the middle ear. Hardness of hearing is not infrequently the result of this condition.

It gradually increases until there is total deafness, and the noises in the ear continue long after the patient has lost the ability to distinguish articulate sounds. Haemorrhage from the ear. Offensive, bloody, purulent discharges.

Nose: Frequent nosebleed in anemic patients. Here, again, the dryness and catarrhal conditions. Dry coryza; or fluent coryza, suppressed and causing violent head pains. Odors nauseate. Sensitiveness to the odors of flowers, cooking, tobacco.

Face:The face is withered, shrunken, sallow, anaemic, sickly. Red when the fever is on and sometimes when the chill is on, but in the apyrexia pale, sickly and sallow. Neuralgia of the face; tearing, rending, knifelike pains with the usual modalities.

The veins of the face are distended. This is frequently observed during the fever and sweat of the China intermittents.

Teeth: The teeth get loose, the gums swell. The teeth are painful while chewing; they feel too long. Toothache with every little cold.

Rending as if teeth were being pulled out, every time the child nurses at the breast. Exudations about the teeth and gums. Black, and foetid great putridity in the lower forms of fever.

Taste: The taste is extremely acute. Exaggerated so that nothing tastes natural.

"Bitter taste in the mouth.

Food tastes bitter or too salty.

Burning as from pepper on tip of the tongue.

Dryness in the mouth and throat.

Difficult swallowing."

Sometimes there is canine hunger, but one of the most common features is loathing of everything; aversion to all food. The China patient is often passive in regard to eating.

Sits down to eat and the food tastes fairly good and he fills up. But it does not matter much whether he eats or not.

"Loathing and violent hunger."

"Hunger and yet want of appetite.

Indifference to eating and drinking.

Only while eating some appetite and natural taste for food return.

Loss of appetite.

Aversion to all food.

Aversion to bread."

His appetite varies. Thirst is peculiar. The patient will say:

"I know my chill is coming on now because I have thirst."

Thirst: before the chill, but as soon as the chill comes on there is no thirst. But when he begins to warm up he begins to get thirsty; that I during the period in which the two lap he is thirsty, but when the chill has fairly subsided and the heat is upon him his thirst subsides also and he only wants to wet his mouth.

But as the hot spell begins to subside he increases the amount taken, and all through the sweat he can hardly get water enough.

Thirst before and after the chill and thirst during the sweat. No thirst during the chill. No thirst during the hot spell. You will cure more cases of intermittent fever with Ipecac and Nux vomica, than with China. China has well-defined chill, fever and sweat.

Stomach: Gastric symptoms from eating fish, fruit, and from drinking wine. Flatulent distension almost to bursting. There are constant eructations, loud and strong, and yet no relief, so extensive is the flatulence. In Carbo veg. after belching a little, there is relief. Lyc. has both.

Tympanitic distension of the abdomen and stomach in low forms of fever. Cannot move on account of soreness in the bowels. Vomiting of blood. Sometimes followed by dropsy of the extremities.

"Hiccough.

Nausea.

Vomiting.

Eructations, tasting of food, or they are bitter, sour.

Frequent vomiting.

Vomiting of sour mucus, bile, blood."

Likely to occur at night. Pulsation in the stomach and rumbling. Cold feeling in the stomach. Fermentation after eating fruit. Acidity. Disorders of the stomach after milk.

Diarrhea: Copious, watery black discharges from the bowels. Gurgling and rumbling in the abdomen. Stool immediately after eating and at night. Great quantities of flatus expelled from the bowels. Diarrhea comes on gradually. Stools more and more watery. Chronic diarrhoea, with emaciation and aggravation at night. Petroleum has a chronic diarrhoea, but only in the daytime.

Genitals: Of the male genital organs the most striking feature is weakness, Of the female genital organs there is a different class of conditions. In the woman who has been subject to uterine haemorrhages you may look out at any moment for a sudden, sharp attack of inflammation of the ovaries.

Hemorrhage from the uterus. Prolapse. Menses, too early and too profuse; black, clotted blood; menstrual colic; metrorrhagia.

Pains and convulsions; convulsions come on in the midst of the haemorrhage; cramps in the uterus along with haemorrhage; labor-like pains; ringing in the ears; loss of sight; sliding down in bed. In confinement the lochia is profuse and lasts too long. Deterioration of health from prolonged lactation; toothache; neuralgia of the face.

Respiration: Difficult respiration, rattling and filling up of the chest with mucus asthma.

"Pressure in the chest, as from violent rush of blood; violent palpitation, bloody sputa, sudden prostration."

Dry, suffocative cough at night; profuse night sweats. Pains in the chest, increasing sensitiveness to cold, heat and redness of the face with cold hands.

Along the spine there are sore spots. Tearing, darting pains in the limbs, ameliorated by heat and hard pressure, brought on by touch, by becoming chilled. Worse at night.

"Knees weak, especially when walking."

China cures low, forms of fever, remittent or intermittent, typhoid or malarial.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Cinchona officinalis. Cinchona calisaya. Peruvian bark. N. O. Rubiaceae. Tincture of the dried bark.

Clinical.─Abscess. Alcoholism. Amblyopia. Anaemia. Aphthae. Apoplexy Appetite, disordered. Asthma. Back, weakness of. Bilious attack. Catarrhal affections. Coma. Constipation. Cough. Debility. Delirium. Diarrhoea. Dropsy. Dyspepsia. Ears, deafness; noises in. Emissions. Empyaema. Erysipelas. Facial neuralgia. Gall-stone colic. Haemorrhages. Haemorrhoids. Headache. Hectic fever. Hip-joint disease. Ichthyosis. Impotence. Influenza. Intermittent fever. Jaundice. Labour. Lactation. Leucorrhoea. Lienteria. Liver, diseases of; cirrhosis of. Menière's disease. Menstruation, disordered. Mercury, effects of. Muscae volitantes. Neuralgia. Peritonitis. Perspiration, excessive. Pleurisy. Prosopalgia. Psoriasis. Pylorus, disease of. Rheumatism. Self-abuse. Sleep, disordered. Spermatorrhoea. Spleen, affections of. Suffocation, fits of. Taste, disordered. Tea, effects of. Thirst. Tinnitus. Tobacco habit. Traumatic fever. Tympanitis. Varicose veins. Vertigo.

Characteristics.─Kina is the Peruvian name for "bark," and "Kina-Kina" is the "Bark of barks." The story of its introduction into European medical practice is one of the romances of the Healing Art; as the story of its frightful abuse is one of its many tragedies. "According to Humboldt," writes Teste, "about 500,000 lbs. of this bark are annually exported to Europe for the purpose of being converted into sulphate of quinine." Well may Teste add the exclamation, "Poor patients!" As with almost every other good thing that comes into its hands, allopathy has contrived to do an infinity of harm with quinine to make up for the good. Some forms of intermittent fever it will cure, if too much of it is not given; others it will suppress or change from intermittent to continuous. The result of suppression is thus sketched by Hahnemann's master-hand: "True, he [the patient] can no longer complain that the paroxysms of his original disease occurs any more on regular days and at regular hours; but behold his livid earthy complexion, his bloated countenance, his languishing looks! Behold how difficult it is for him to breathe, see his hard and distended abdomen, the swelling of the hypochondria; see how his stomach is oppressed and pained by everything he eats, how his appetite is diminished, how his taste is altered, how loose his bowels are, and how unnatural and contrary to what they should be; how his sleep is restless, unrefreshing, and full of dreams. Behold him weak, out of humour and prostrated, his sensibility morbidly excited, his intellectual faculties weakened; how much more does he suffer than when he was a prey to his fever!" (M. M. P.) The number of patients who have been consigned to an early grave by quinine probably falls short only of the number that mercury can claim. When first introduced it was (as chloral and hundreds of other poisons have been since) declared on the highest authority to be incapable of harm "in whatever dose it may be taken." It is only at the end of the nineteenth century that some allopathists are discovering that it is more deadly than the deadliest West African fevers. Every homoeopath knows from experience how true is Hahnemann's picture of quinine effects from the victims of it he has been called upon to treat.

China is placed by Teste in the Ferrum group with Plumb., Phos., Carb. an., Puls., Zinc, and others, which "have the property of remaking the altered blood, or increasing for the time being, in a healthy person, the relative amount of haematin, globulin, fibrin, etc.," but also, "after a certain lapse of time, they produce opposite results─impoverishment, discoloration, and liquefaction of the blood. From this antagonism arise their characteristic effects: Short-lasting, sanguineous congestions (primary effect), and later, discoloration of tissues; fulness of veins; torpor of all functions; dryness of mucous membranes; mucous or purulent discharges; engorgement of the glands which are immediately connected with the circulatory apparatus, as spleen and liver; passive haemorrhages; inertia of involuntary muscles (bowels, uterus); oedema, atonic ulcers, etc.; finally, more or less obstinate nervous disorders, from derangement of sympathetic rather than the cerebro-spinal axis." And it is in cases presenting just such phenomena as these, that China proves its greatest efficacy, as Hahnemann was the first to point out. The glory of Hahnemann and the interest of homoeopathists are inseparably bound up with the history of this drug. It was the first medicine Hahnemann proved; and the one that opened up to his mind the idea of homoeopathy. Cinchona Bark was to Hahnemann what the falling apple was to Newton, and the swinging lamp to Gallileo. Dissatisfied with the explanations of the action of Bark in curing ague that were current in his time, Hahnemann took the powdered Bark himself, being in health, and lo ! an ague attack ensued. A repetition of the experiment produced the same result. Further experiments revealed that action of Bark which is the opposite of "tonic"─positively debilitating, in fact─already referred to.

It is useful to remember that Ipecac. (as well as Galeum and Mitchella) belongs to the same natural order of plants as China, and the relation of the two to intermittent fever, haemorrhages, and gasto-enteric disturbances is very similar. Coffea also belongs to the Rubiaceae, and is nearly allied in many of its nervous symptoms to China. The tincture of China is antiseptic, destroying amaeboid motion and retarding tissue change. It weakens the heart and impairs the circulation, produces congestions and haemorrhages, anaemia and complete relaxation and collapse. The debility in which China is particularly indicated is such as is caused by an excessive drain of animal fluids, as great loss of blood, excessive suppuration, loss of semen; also after prolonged strain of overwork, mental or bodily. A "pumped-out" condition, and the sensitive, irritable state of mind that accompanies such. The typical fever of China is the intermittent from marsh miasm, tertian, or quartan in type. Chill and heat without thirst, thirst occurring either before or after chill. The chill is followed by long-lasting heat, generally with desire to uncover; face fiery red, often delirium; profuse and debilitating sweat following. In the apyrexial period the face is a sallow dingy yellow, the spleen is enlarged and painful, the appetite is totally lost; or else there is canine hunger; the feet swell, and as soon as the patient closes his eyes for sleep he sees figures. Hectic fever is also characteristic of the drug. Typhoid and gastric fever. Periodicity is a leading characteristic both in fever and neuralgias. "< Every other day" is characteristic. Nash cured a case of acute rheumatism with Chi, on this modality. Haemorrhages occur from every orifice of the body. Koch and others have attributed the haematuria of African intermittents to quinine. There is terrible always < at night. Loss of sight, deafness, ringing in the ears. Great sensitiveness to touch. Even a current of air blowing on the part = great pain (compare Plumb.). Everything tastes bitter, even water (everything except water, Acon.). Chi. is suited to persons of thin, dry, bilious constitution; or to leucophlegmatic persons with a disposition to dropsical affections, to catarrhs or diarrhoea; to affections of women. The mental state shows, in addition to the irritability, the following among other symptoms: "Aversion to be looked at." "Pumped out" (Sil.), unable to think. Delirium from loss of fluids (as hydrocephaloid). Fixed ideas. There is a desire for suicide: "Intolerable anxiety about 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.; he springs out of bed and wishes to take his own life, but does not go near the window or take a knife (compare Alum.); with heat of the body without thirst." The sensitiveness accompanies the headache, which is congestive, throbbing, like many hammers hammering on temples, ringing in the ears, < by slightest contact > by hard pressure); by draught of air; by open air. Weak eyes and ringing in ears, such as follows depletion. The nose, ears, and chin are cold, complexion sallow, dingy, yellow. Neuralgia is generally infra-orbital. Thick dirty yellow coating on tongue; bitter taste on waking. Aphthae of weakly people. Canine hunger, especially at night. Hunger after meals with feeling of emptiness. If a meal is late, he is sure to suffer from it. Total loss of appetite. Full feeling after the least food, but belching only > temporarily. After eating, a lump under mid-sternum. After fruit, diarrhoea. Dyspepsia after loss of fluids. Nausea < on sitting up. Stomach so weak it cannot tolerate any food at all. Very sour stomach. The digestion of Chi. is slow. Chi. is one of the most flatulent of medicines. Guernsey describes it thus: "Uncomfortable distension of abdomen with a wish to belch up, or a sensation as if the abdomen were packed full, not in the least > by eructation." Gastric troubles of children who are always wanting dainties; irritable on waking, bad taste, white tongue. Tympany coming on early in a case. Spleen aching, sore. Liver swollen, sensitive. Feeling of subcutaneous ulceration. Gall-stone colic; duodenal catarrh; jaundice. Fermentation in bowels, frothy, sour diarrhoea. Yellow, watery, undigested diarrhoea with much flatus and no pain. Diarrhoea of dark, inky fluid; stools frequent at night, only after food during the day. (It is useful in cases where purgatives have been abused if Nux fails to cure.) Excessive seminal losses. Menorrhagia; metrorrhagia; post-partum haemorrhages. Leucorrhoea before period, painful pressure towards groins and anus, fetid or bloody leucorrhoea before period; with contractions in inner parts. The breathing has important characters: Asthma; wheezing; suffocative catarrh and paralysis of lungs in old people. Respiration laboured, loud and stertorous, with puffing, blowing out of cheeks on each expiration. [E. Carleton relates the cure of a case of spasm of the glottis in a middle-aged man. Attacks sudden, 3 a.m., suffocation seemed imminent. At length with one tremendous effort, whilst sitting bent forward, a little air would be forced into the lungs in spite of the epiglottis with a noise audible at a distance. After each succeeding expiration the inspiration would become less difficult. Chi. 200 cured. Among this patient's other symptoms were: Unhappy, idea that he is pursued by enemies in business. Scalp sensitive. Humming, throbbing in ears. Thirst for cold water. Saliva found on pillow in morning. Stomach sore to touch. Flesh sore to touch.] The sleep also should be carefully noted, especially the dreams: he cannot get rid of his dreams even after waking; the impression continues. He cannot get wide awake; head remains confused and stupid. Chi. corresponds to hectic and to many conditions of the lungs which are attended with hectic. Suppuration of the lungs, especially in drunkards. Weakening night-sweats. Prostration, chilly, wants to be wrapped up but cannot bear the fire. A. Villers cured with Chi. 30 a girl, twenty, who had, after a chill, a pain in right hip, < by every movement, and which she could only describe as being like the pain in the legs which occurred before the menses. She was pallid and had had much hard nursing work. The catamenia were scanty and she was weak. Three days after taking Chi. the pain was gone, after having persisted for five months. With Chi. I removed the dropsy and relieved all the other symptoms of a case of cirrhosis of the liver in a hard drinker. He remained at his work for many months; but in the end his old habits proved too much for him, and he died from an acute illness following a cold. In this connection may be mentioned the effect of the tincture of China (Cinchona rubra especially) in removing the craving for alcohol in drunkards who wish to reform. Ten to thirty drops two or three times a day is the usual close for this, though where the general symptoms correspond the potencies would probably do better. I have confirmed P. Jousset's recommendation of Chi. Ø in cases of facial erysipelas without vesication. The rheumatism of Chi. is characterised by soft swelling, pale red, very tender to touch. C. M. Boger had such a case in second and third metatarso-phalangeal joints of left foot. The patient said: "With my slippers on I am in agony; but if I put on tight shoes the feet feel pretty comfortable." The Chi. symptoms are generally < from lightest touch; Whereas hard pressure >. < Periodically: 1 a.m. to 10 or 12 or 1 p.m. from 8 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m. Every other day; every fourteen days every night at midnight; during increase of moon; every three months; in autumn. Rest < pains in limbs. Colic > by bending double. Motion > pains in limbs; < vertigo; headache; nausea. Moving eyes < headache. Open air or draught of air <. < During and after stool. > In room or from warm applications. Want to be near a stove; but this < the chill. Neuralgic headache < from anything cold in mouth. Summer = diarrhoea. Sun < headache. Windy, foggy, or wet weather <. Autumn <. After a meal: fulness of stomach. During and after dinner: prosopalgia >. Effects of eating: fish; fruit; bad meat or fish. Effects of drinking: beer; sour wine; new beer; impure water; milk. Drinking < the chill. Warm drinks impede digestion. < From smoking.

Relations.─Botanical, Coffea, Ipec., Galeum, Mitchella. Antidoted by: Ferr., Ars., Nat. m., Carb. v., Aran. d., Eup. perf., Ipec., Merc., Nux, Puls., Rhus, Sep., Sul., Ver. Antidote to: Ars., Calc., Cham., Coff., Fer., Hell., Iod., Merc., Sul., Ver. Is useful in bad effects of tea-drinking and after abuse of chamomile tea (uterine haemorrhage). Compatible: Calc. phos., Fer. Incompatible: After Dig., Selen. Complementary: Fer. Compare: Ars. (prostration without pain, black stools); Carb. v. (flatulence, diarrhoea, great weakness; Chi. stool is caused by every attempt to eat and drink); Coloc. (beer intoxicates easily); Cedr., Caps., Cupr. acet. (black, thin stools); Pso. (rapid exhaustion following acute diseases; Pso. has despair of recovery); Puls. (bitter taste. < Eating at night. As if food lying in oesophagus); Caust. (Menière's disease); Salic. ac. (Menière's disease); Phos. ac. (lientery; seminal emissions; diarrhoea─but this does not exhaust with Phos. ac.); Merc. (chronic salivation); Stram. (black stools); Sul. and Sul. ac. (sensation as if brain were balancing to and fro and striking against skull, occasioning the pains). In aversion to be looked at (Ant. c., Cham., Stram.); < from brandy (Ars., Carb. v., Nux); diarrhoea immediately after eating (Ars., Alo., Lyc., Pod., Staph., Tromb.─Fer. whilst eating); hepatitis with great tenderness (Aco., Ars., Lyc., Merc.); hunger after meals with empty feeling (Lauro., Calc.).

Causation.─Fluids, loss of. Onanism. Chill. Anger. Coryza, suppressed. Tea. Alcohol. Mercury.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Apathy and moral insensibility.─Hypochondriacal dejection.─Great anxiety.─Disposition too scrupulous.─Disposition to be alone.─Discouragement.─Ill-humour, with disposition to hurt other people's feelings.─Discontent; the patient deems himself unfortunate, and ill-used by the whole world.─Excessive irascibility, with pusillanimity, and inability to bear the least noise.─Disobedience.─Contempt for everything; everything appears insipid.─Slovenliness, with easily provoked tears, or with irritability.─Fear of dogs and of other animals, esp. at night.─Nervous irritation, with slowness of ideas.─Great abundance of ideas, and of projects, with slow progress of thought (esp. in the evening and at night).─Dread of labour.

2. Head.─Dull confusion of the head, as from prolonged watching.─Sensation of emptiness in head.─Vertigo after losses of fluids; with fainting; ringing in ears; loss of sight; cold surface.─Vertigo on raising the head, esp. in the occiput, as if the head were going to sink backwards.─Vertigo with nausea.─Attacks of headache, with nausea and vomiting.─Headache as from suppressed coryza.─Heaviness in the head with faintness.─Cephalalgia in the forehead, on opening the eye.─Pain, as from a bruise in the brain, with pressive piercing in the crown of the head, aggravated by meditation and conversation.─Pressive headache, esp. at night, with sleeplessness; or by day, and < in the open air.─Acute starting, or pressive pains in the head.─Headache, as if the head were going to burst, with sleeplessness at night; ameliorated in the room, and when opening the eyes.─Shooting pains in the head, with strong pulsations in the temples.─Congestion in the head, with heat and fulness.─Movements and painful throbbings of the brain, compelling movement of the head up and down.─Headache, increased by touch, movement, and walking, also by a current of air, or by walking against the wind.─Headache often attacks only one side.─Sensibility to the touch of the exterior of the head, and even of the roots of the hair.─Headache, as if the hair were torn out, or the scalp were contracted.─Shooting pressure in the frontal protuberances.─Sweat on the scalp.

3. Eyes.─Pressure in the eyes, as from drowsiness.─Pains in the eyes, as from pressure on the margins of the socket.─Pain, as if a grain of sand were introduced into the eye, during movement.─Painful smarting in the eyes.─Inflammation of the eyes, with heat, redness, burning and pressive pains, and aggravation in the evening.─Eyes dull.─Prominent eyes.─Cornea dull, as if there were smoke in the posterior part of the eye.─Yellowish colour of the sclerotica.─Weeping, with tingling on the internal surface of the eyelids.─Weakness of sight, permitting only the outline of proximate objects to be seen.─On reading, confusion of the characters, which appear pale and surrounded by a white edge.─Pupils dilated, and deficient in sensibility.─Blindness, as if from amaurosis.─Sparkling, black, dancing spots, and obscuration before the eyes.─Sensitiveness of the eyes to the bright sunlight.─Photophobia.

4. Ears.─Tearing in the ears, mostly in the external ear.─Intolerance of noise.─Shootings, buzzing, and tinkling in the ears.─Hardness of hearing; humming and roaring in ears.─Ringing in ears, with headache in temples.─Redness and heat of the external ear, and esp. of the lobes.─Eruption in the concha auris.

5. Nose.─Nose hot and red.─Tearing in the dorsum of the nose.─Bleeding of the nose; after blowing it.─Bleeding of the nose and of, the mouth.─Dry coryza, with toothache and lachrymation.─Coryza, with sneezing.─Suppressed coryza (headache from it).

6. Face.─Heat and redness of the face, esp. of the cheeks and of the lobes of the ears.─Complexion pale, earth-like (face sunken), sometimes of a blackish yellow.─Face dejected, with the eyes sunk and surrounded by a livid circle, and nose pointed.─Face bloated.─Rheumatic pains in the face.─Lips dry, blackish.─Lips cracked.─Swelling of the lips.─Burning, itching pustules on the lips and on the tongue.─Pain and swelling of the sub-maxillary glands.

7. Teeth.─Odontalgia, with starting or drawing pains (in the upper molar teeth), provoked by the open air, or by a current of air.─Dull and distressing pains in carious teeth.─Throbbing toothache > by external warmth.─The toothache manifests itself chiefly after a meal, and at night (< by smoking), and is mitigated by strong pressure, or by closing the teeth; a slight touch aggravates it excessively.─Loose teeth painful only when masticating.─Teeth covered with a black coating.─Swelling of the gums.

8. Mouth.─Dryness of the mouth.─Clammy mouth with insipid watery taste.─Accumulation of mucus in the mouth.─Putrid taste of the mouth.─Tongue cracked, black, or loaded with a yellow or white coating.─Thick, dirty coating of the tongue.─Burning shootings in the tongue.─Burning biting, as from pepper, on the tip of the tongue, succeeded by ptyalism.─Ptyalism (with nausea, from the abuse of mercury).─Painful swelling of the tongue towards the root.─Failure of speech.─Flow of blood from the mouth.

9. Throat.─Dryness of the throat.─Shootings in the throat, esp. on swallowing, provoked by the least current of air.─Swelling of the palate and of the uvula.

10. Appetite.─Sickly, mucous, or watery taste, esp. after drinking.─Aliments appear insipid or too salt.─Sweetish taste in the mouth.─Acid, or bitter taste in the mouth; also of food and drink.─Repugnance to food and drink, with a sensation of fulness.─Sour taste of coffee and of rye-bread.─Bitter taste of beer, and of wheaten bread (beer, tobacco).─The food tastes too salt.─Dislike to butter, beer, and coffee.─Great desire for wine; for acid fruit.─Dislike to water, with desire for beer.─Burning thirst; the patient drinks often, but little at a time.─Bulimy, with sickly taste in the mouth, nausea, and inclination to vomit.─Voracity.─No desire for eating and drinking.─Appetite only while eating, with indifference to all food.─Desire for a variety of food, and confused longing for dainties, without knowing exactly which.─Violent thirst for cold water (drinks but little at a time, but often).─After each draught of liquid, shuddering or shivering, with corrugated skin, shootings in the chest, or colic.─Acid risings, and derangement of the stomach, after drinking milk.─Great weakness of digestion; after the most moderate meal, uneasiness, drowsiness, great fulness in the stomach, and in the inferior part of the abdomen, lassitude and indolence, insipid taste in the mouth, hypochondriacal humour and headache.─Weakness of digestion; the food is not digested, if taken too late in the day.─Bitter, acid, or tasteless risings, esp. after eating.─Indigestion after a late supper.

11. Stomach.─Risings, esp. after a meal, mostly bitter, acid, or tasteless.─Risings, with taste of food.─Pyrosis, accumulation of water in the mouth, inclination to vomit, and pressure on the stomach after eating the least thing.─Vomiting of acidulated slimy matter, of water and of food.─Vomiting of blood.─Pressure at the stomach and cramp-like pains, esp. after having eaten.─Sensation of excoriation and pressure on the epigastrium, esp. in the morning.

12. Abdomen.─Pains in the hypochondria.─Shooting and pressive pains in the hepatic region, esp. when it is touched.─Hardness and swelling of the liver.─Swelling (inflammation) and hardness of the spleen.─Shootings in the spleen when walking slowly.─Cuttings in the umbilical region, with shuddering.─Pulsations in the pit of the stomach.─Strong pressure, as if from a hard body, and fulness in the abdomen, esp. after a meal.─Fermentation after eating fruit.─Dropsical swelling of the abdomen (meteorism), with asthmatic sufferings and fatiguing cough.─Partial swelling of the abdomen, as from encysted ascites.─Excessive inflation of the abdomen, as from a kind of tympanitis.─Hardness of the abdomen, as from induration of the viscera.─Colic, with insatiable thirst.─Excessively painful colic; cramp-like and constrictive pains in the abdomen.─Inflammation and ulceration of the abdominal viscera.─Pressive shooting colic (under the navel) esp. on walking quickly.─Incarceration of flatus, which escapes neither upwards nor downwards.─Flatulent colic in the depth of the abdomen, with contraction of the intestines, and pressing forward of flatus towards the hypochondria.─Escape of fetid flatus.─Pressure towards the inguinal ring, as if a hernia were about to protrude.

13. Stool and Anus.─Faeces small, and evacuated slowly.─Difficult evacuation of soft faeces, as if from inactivity of the intestines.─Frequent evacuations of the consistence of pap, or frothy.─Putrid or bilious evacuations.─Slimy, watery, yellowish diarrhoea.─Diarrhoea after eating fruit.─Diarrhoea, particularly after meals, at night, involuntary.─Loose evacuations, with excretion of all the undigested food.─Painless diarrhoea, accompanied by great weakness.─Blackish evacuations.─White faeces, sometimes with urine of deep-red colour.─The loose evacuations take place chiefly after a meal or at night.─Involuntary, liquid and yellowish evacuations.─Discharge of mucus from the rectum.─Pressure and shootings in the rectum and the anus.─In the rectum, stitches, also during stool.─Bleeding of the haemorrhoidal tumours.─Crawling in the anus, as of worms.─Discharge of lumbrici.

14. Urinary Organs.─Frequent and almost ineffectual urging to make water, followed by pressure on the bladder.─Urine: turbid, dark, scanty; white, turbid, with white sediment.─Urine scanty, greenish-yellow, with sediment like brickdust.─Slow emission of urine, with feeble stream and frequent inclination to urinate.─Wetting the bed.─Haematuria.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Excitement of sexual desire, with lascivious ideas, day and night.─Impotence, with excited lascivious fancy.─Swelling of the testes and of the spermatic cord.─Drawing pains in the testes.─Pollutions frequent, with too ready an emission, followed by great weakness.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Congestion in the uterus, with fulness and painful bearing-down, esp. when walking.─Constant discharge of clotted blood from the vagina.─Catamenia scanty.─Painful induration of the neck of the matrix.─During the catamenia, startings with cramps in the chest, and in the abdomen, or congestion in the head, with pulsation in the carotid arteries, face puffed, eyes prominent and watery, convulsive movements of the eyelids, and loss of consciousness.─Metrorrhagia, with discharge of black blood; with fainting and convulsions.─Leucorrhoea, even before the catamenia, and sometimes with cramp-like contraction of the uterus, and painful sensation of bearing-down towards the groins and the anus.─Watery and sanguineous flux from the vagina, with clots of blood or of fetid pus; itching and excoriation in the thighs.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Hoarseness, indistinct speech, and low voice when singing, in consequence of mucus difficult to detach from the larynx.─Shootings and scrapings in the larynx.─Sensation of soreness in the larynx and trachea.─Short, dry cough, as if produced by the vapour of sulphur, in the morning, after rising.─Suffocating, nocturnal cough, with pains in the chest and in the shoulder-blades, so as to extort cries.─The cough is < in the evening, or after midnight from laughing; from continued talking; from lying with the head low from slightly touching the larynx; from a draught of air, after awaking; from loss of fluids.─Cough, with difficult expectoration of viscid mucus of a clear colour, painful shocks in the shoulder-blades and vomiting of convulsive cough, sometimes even with inclination to vomit.─Cough, provoked by laughing, drinking, eating, speaking and by breathing deeply, as well as by movement.─Expectoration of whitish mucus, mixed with blackish particles.─Suppuration of the lungs, after haemoptysis (or frequent venesections) with stitches in the chest, which are < by pressure.─On coughing, expectoration streaked with blood.─Expectoration of purulent matter on coughing.─During the cough pressure on the chest, and pains as of excoriation in the larynx.─Spasm of the glottis.

18. Chest.─Breathing, wheezing, crowing, rattling, tight, oppressed and painful.─Difficult inspiration and quick expiration.─Inclination to take a deep breath.─Difficulty of respiration and great oppression on the chest, with excessive anguish, as if from fulness of the stomach, or as if excited by too long a conversation.─Fits of suffocation from mucus in the larynx, esp. in the evening, and at night on waking.─Respiration difficult, and possible only when lying with the head very high.─Wheezing and groaning respiration.─Breathing laboured, loud and stertorous, with puffing, blowing out of cheeks.─Respiration short and quick.─Pressure on the chest, sometimes as from a hard body, esp. on the sternum, and after a meal.─Stitches in the chest; diaphragm.─Nightly suffocative cough, with stitches in chest.─Shootings in the chest, on coughing and on breathing.─Cough, with pain in the larynx and sternum.─Stitches in the side; with great heat, pulse strong and hard, and fixedness of look.─Great congestion in the chest, and violent palpitation of the heart.

20. Neck and Back.─Tension in the muscles of the nape, and of the neck.─Pains, as from a bruise, in the back and sacrum, on the least movement.─Pain in the loins at night, when lying on the back.─Pulsative, shooting pains in the back.─Readily excited perspiration, at the back and the nape of the neck, on the least movement.─Pressure between the shoulder-blades, as from a stone.─Tractive and starting tearings in the loins, the back, the shoulder-blades, and the nape of the neck, with pains on moving the parts, provoked by the least movement.

22. Upper Limbs.─Paralytic, starting tearings, in the muscles, and in the bones of the arms, the hands, and the fingers, provoked by the touch.─Tension and weakness in the arms and the hands.─Trembling hands (when writing).─Icy coldness of one hand, while the other is warm.─Extension of the arms, with contraction of the fingers.─Swelling of the dorsum of the l. hand.─Swelling, stiffness, and pains in the joints of the fingers.─Blue coloured nails.

23. Lower Limbs.─Paralytic starting, tearings in the muscles and in the bones of the legs, the thighs, the knees, the feet and the toes, esp. on the parts being touched (rheumatic pains, not worse from motion).─The legs become soon benumbed when seated.─Weakness and want of stability in the coxo-femoral joint, the knees, and the ankle-bones, which yield when walking.─Red and hard swelling of the thigh, painful on being touched.─Arthritic swelling of the knees, and of the feet, with heat, and painful sensibility to the touch.─Hot swelling of r. knee, painful to the touch.─Hard abscess, of a deep-red colour, in the calf of the leg.─Uneasiness in the legs; it is found necessary to move them constantly; to curve them and draw them up.─Swelling of the feet, sometimes with red spots, hardness, tension, and deep-coloured urine.─Soft swelling of the soles.─Paralysis of the feet.

24. Generalities.─Tensive pullings, or starting and shooting tearings, esp. in the large bones of the limbs, with paralytic pains, and weakness of the parts affected.─Tearing rheumatic pains in the limbs, on beginning to walk.─Pains and sufferings provoked or aggravated by touch, at night, or after a meal.─Uneasiness in the parts affected, which obliges the patient to move them.─Sensation of torpor in different parts.─Numbness of the parts which are pressed, on lying down.─Arthritic swelling, which is hard and red in some parts.─Dropsical swelling of some parts, or of the whole body.─Erysipelatous swelling of the whole body.─Great general weakness, with trembling, difficulty in walking, and great tendency to perspiration during movement and sleep.─More than ordinary vivacity, with fixedness of the eyes.─Convulsive movements of the limbs.─Over-sensitiveness of the nerves (from loss of fluids).─Congestions.─Veins are much enlarged.─Emaciation.─Over-excitability of the whole nervous system.─Aversion to mental and bodily exertion.─Fainting-fits; esp. if resulting from loss of animal fluids.─Attacks, of asphyxia.─Atrophy and emaciation, esp. of the arms and legs.─Great sensibility to a current of air, and sufferings on being exposed to it even slightly.─Heaviness of the whole body.─Spermatorrhoea.─Nasal secretion bloody, mucous.─Affections of the shoulder-blades, bones of the arm; thighs; knee joints.─There may be bleeding from every infernal part of the body; coldness and passive haemorrhage.─Newly-born children lose much blood during parturition; the mucous membrane looks very bloody if there is only a slight bleeding going on; deficiency of blood; congestion of single parts; distension of blood vessels (Guernsey).─Contraction of inner parts; also dropsy of inner parts.─Induration after inflammation.

25. Skin.─Excessive sensibility of the skin of the whole body.─Yellow colour of the skin (Jaundice).─Skin flabby and dry.─Piercing shootings and beatings in ulcers.─Burning, itching, or gnawing sensation, esp. in the evening in bed, sometimes with eruption of pimples, or prominent spots, as if from the sting of nettles.─Rheumatic, hard, red swellings.─Humid gangrene (of external parts).─Swelling of the limbs.

26. Sleep.─Drowsiness during the day (and after eating), often with palpitation of the heart.─Frequent yawning, with stretching.─Retarded sleep, and sleeplessness, caused by a great influx of ideas.─Confused dreams when falling asleep.─Sleeplessness with pressive pain in the head, or bulimy.─Disturbed, unrefreshing sleep.─Starting with fright, on going to sleep.─On sleeping, the patient lies on the back, with the head turned back, and the arms extended over the head, with slow respiration, and with full and quick pulse.─Groans, snoring, and blowing expiration during sleep, even in children.─Painful, frightful dreams, which continue to produce agitation after waking.─Disordered, senseless dreams, after midnight, with a sort of stupidity on waking.─Dreams of failing from a height.

27. Fever.─Shiverings, with shuddering, or feverish trembling, commonly without thirst.─Cold in the body, with congestion in the head, heat and redness of the face, and forehead hot.─General increase of heat, with veins swollen, without thirst.─After the heat, violent thirst.─Shiverings with headache, nausea, adypsia, vertigo, congestion in the head, paleness of the face, cold in the hands and in the feet, and vomiting of mucus.─Shivering more violent after drinking.─Heat, with dryness of the mouth, and of the lips, which are burning, redness of the face, headache, morbid hunger, delirium, pulse full and quick.─Heat, with prickings here and there, and burning thirst.─Heat, with strong inclination to be uncovered, or shivering as soon as one is uncovered.─Quotidian fever, or every two days, or tertian, commencing chiefly in the evening or in the afternoon, or in the morning, by shivering with trembling, followed by heat and nocturnal sweat.─Internal violent chill with icy cold hands and feet, and congestion to the head.─In the evening, in bed, he cannot get warm.─Fever, with pressive pain, and congestion in the head, soreness and swelling of the liver and of the spleen, bitter and bilious risings and vomitings, yellowish colour of the skin and of the face, short, convulsive cough, great weakness, pains in the limbs, and painful stitches in the chest.─The attacks of fever are often preceded by sufferings, such as palpitation of the heart, sneezing, anguish, nausea, excessive thirst, bulimy, headache, pressive colic, etc.─Chilliness over the whole body.─The thirst is generally felt only before or after the shiverings, or during the sweat, rarely during the heat (or only desire for cold drink), and scarcely ever during the shiverings.─Pulse small, weak, hard and rapid, less frequent after eating; irregular.─Ready perspiration during sleep, during movement (and from exercise in the open air).─Perspiration very profuse, and very debilitating.─Perspiration on the side on which he lies.─Suppressed perspiration.─Nocturnal debilitating sweats.─Oily sweat in the morning.

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

Peruvian Bark (Rubiaceae)

For stout, swarthy persons; for systems, once robust, which have become debilitated, "broken down" from exhausting discharges (Carbo v.). Apathetic, indifferent, taciturn (Phos. ac.); despondent, gloomy, has no desire to live, but lacks courage to commit suicide. Ailments: from loss of vital fluids, especially haemorrhages, excessive lactation, diarrhoea, suppuration (Chin. s.); of malarial origin, with marked periodicity; return every other day. After climacteric with profuse haemorrhages; acute diseases often result in dropsy. Pains: drawing or tearing; in every joint, all the bones. Peristeum, as if strainted, sore all over; obliged to move limbs frequently, as motion gives relief; renewed by contact, and then gradually increase to a great height. Headache: as if the skull would burst; intense throbbing of head and carotids, face flushed; from occiput over whole head; < sitting or lying, must stand or walk; after haemorrhage or sexual excesses. Face pale, hippocratic; eyes sunken and surrounded by blue margins; pale, sickly expression as after excesses; toothache while nursing the child. Excessive flatulence of stomach and bowels; fermentation, borborygmus, belching gives no relief (belching relieves, Carbo v.); < after eating fruit (Puls.). Colic: at a certain hour each day; periodical, form gall-stones (Card.m.); worse at night and after eating; better bending double (Coloc.). Great debility, trembling, aversion to exercise; sensitive to touch, to pain, to drafts of air; entire nervous system extremely sensitive. Unrefreshing sleep or constant sopor; < after 3 a. m.; wakens early. Haemorrhages: of mouth, nose, bowels or uterus; long continued; longing for sour things. Disposition to haemorrhage from every orifice of the body, with ringing in ears, fainting, loss of sight, general coldness, sometimes convulsions (Fer., Phos.). Pains are < by slightest touch, but > by hard presure (Caps., Plumb.). One hand icy cold, the other warm (Dig., Ipec., Puls.). Intermittent fever: paroxysm anticipates from two to three hours each attack (Chin. s.); returns every seven or fourteen days; never at night; sweats profusely all over on being covered, or during sleep (Con.).

Relations. - Complementary: Ferrum. Follows well: Cal. p. in hydrocephaloid. Compare: Chin. s. in intermittent fever, anticipating type. Incompatible: after, Dig., Sel. Is useful in bad effects from excessive tea drinking or abuse of chamomile tea, when haemorrhage results.

Aggravation. - From slightest touch; draft of air; every other day; mental emotions; loss of vital fluids.

Amelioration. - Hard pressure; bending double.

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

Debility and other complaints after excessive loss of fluids, blood-letting, etc.

Haemorrhages profuse, with faintness, loss of sight and ringing in the ears.

Great flatulence, with sensation as if the abdomen were packed full; not > by eructation or passing flatus.

Painless diarrhoea (yellow, watery, brownish, undigested).

Periodical affections, especially every other day.

Excessive sensitiveness, especially to light touch, draft of air; hard pressure relieves.

Modalities: < from slight touch, least draft of air, every other day. > by hard pressure on painful part.

Dropsy following excessive loss of fluids; great debility, trembling, aversion to exercise; nervous; sensitive to touch, to pain, to drafts of air; unrefreshing sleep after 3 A. M.

Face pale, hippocratic; eyes sunken and surrounded by blue margins; pale, sickly expression, as after excesses.

Haemorrhages; from all outlets (Crotalus, Sulphuric acid, Ferrum). Blood dark, or dark and clotted, faiths ringing in the ears, loss of sight, general coldness and sometimes convulsions (Fer. phos.).

General shaking chill over whole body.

Sweat, with great thirst; sweating during sleep, on being covered: This remedy is used by both schools of medicine for conditions of great weakness and debility. The old school, as they always do, prescribe it for all cases of debility, on general principles, under the name of tonic. It remained for Homoeopathy to indicate its exact place here. Hahnemann expresses it: "Debility and other complaints after loss of blood or other fluids, particularly by nursing or salivation, bleeding, cupping, etc., or whites, seminal emissions, etc." I would add profuse suppuration and long continued diarrhea. If the depletion has been sudden, as from a haemorrhage from the womb, lungs, bowels or nose, there will be faintness, loss of sight, ringing in the ears, etc. For this state of things we have a "friend indeed" in China, and it should be given in frequently repeated doses, not too low, until reaction is established; then at longer intervals, as occasion demands. If the debility is the effect of a slow and long-continued drain the symptoms that might indicate it must be sought in the Materia Medica; our space forbids trying to note them here, but prominent among them are pale, sallow face, sunken eyes with dark rings around, throbbing headaches, night sweats, and sweats easily on least motion or labour. It is always well when a patient comes to us in a very debilitated condition to think of China, and to make careful inquiry for some debilitating waste that would account for it; for if it is a woman she may be suffering from a very profuse leucorrhoea, which from delicacy she will not mention, or if a young or even married man, he may be suffering from seminal losses, of which he would not speak if not encouraged to do so.

Again this remedy has its sphere of usefulness in disorders of the alimentary canal. It has loss of appetite, but canine hunger is more characteristic. It is a great flatulent remedy, the choice often remaining between it, Carbo veg. and Lycopodium. H. N. Guernsey expresses it about right in these words – "Uncomfortable distention of the abdomen, with a wish to belch up, or a sensation as if the abdomen were packed full, not in the least relieved by eructation". Such patients are troubled with slow digestion, and as they express it: sometimes it seems as if the food all turned to gas. They feel so full and oppressed they can hardly breathe and still will feel hungry at meal-time.

That the process of digestion is seriously impaired is shown by a tendency to diarrhoea, especially from eating fruit. The stools are watery, yellow, brownish, or light colored and undigested, and what is not generally found under other remedies they are painless. The stools are also accompanied with large discharge of flatulence (Calcarea phos.). This is in accord with the windy condition of the bowels generally. This condition of abdomen with attending diarrhoea is often found in children, and the child is weak, pale, with dark rings around the eyes. Here China is the remedy, not Cina on the theory of "worrums", and it is astonishing what improvement follows in a short time.

Now as to this remedy as an anti-periodic. The popular use of it by the old school, and the laity under their instruction in this sense, or as a panacea for all so-called malarious diseases, is a curse to the race. That it is a great remedy, when indicated by the symptoms, for periodical affections, whether of malarial origin or not, is true, and so it is true of Eupatorium Perfoliatum, Ipecacuanha, Natrum muriaticum, Arsenicum album, and a host of other remedies. Affections that do not come strictly under the head of malarial, if they are worse every other day, should call attention to Cinchona.

I remember a bad case of inflammatory rheumatism, which had been treated by an eclectic physician with local applications until the disease had been driven to the heart, which I quickly relieved by China, being led to its choice by this every-other-day aggravation of the symptoms. Of course, there were other indications for the remedy, but this was the key that helped to unlock the case.

Those who depend on China or its alkaloid as a general cure-all for intermittents will meet with disappointments all along the way, for while it may have the power to suppress the paroxysms in many cases it has the power to suppress the paroxysms in many cases it has the power tocure in comparatively few. I have seen a case suppressed time and again with it, return as often, for over a year and a half that I cured with a single prescription of Eupatorium perfoliatum. And so with Natrum muriaticum and Arsenicum album. With all its vaunted power over malarial affections, especially intermittent fever, the indications for its use are not so clear cut as for many other remedies.

I once had three cases of intermittent fever in one family, living in the same house and exposed to the same influences. Quinine failed to cure any one of them, and a different remedy, as indicated by the symptoms according to the homoeopathic law of cure, was required for each case and promptly cured it. The respective remedies were Eupatorium perfoliatum, Ignatia and Capsicum. Now any good homoeopath can tell you the leading symptoms for all three remedies.

That is science.

I once knew a druggist who told me that he had at last discovered one thing that mothers-in- law were good for. Of course I asked him what it was. I wanted to know. He answered, to try patent medicines on. she died (the mother-in-law) shortly after. Well, there is one thing that quinine in the hands of the average old school physician is good for, and that is to make patients for homoeopaths, for we find more patients to treat coming from its abuse than we find calling for its use as a curative, and from a purely business standpoint we are greatly indebted to them (the allopathic) for a good bit of practice. But how in the name of gratitude; we can ever pay them out of the poisonous results of our little pill practice I don't know.

Now what are the best remedies for what is called the Quinine cachexia? Here, as ever, we must answer, the indicated one. Ipecac., Arsenicum, Natrum mur., Pulsatilla and Ferrum are often indicated, but they do not cover all cases any more than do Hepar Sulph., Nitric acid or Kali hydroiodicum, all cases of chronic mercurial poisoning. It is nonsense – worse than nonsense- it is old-schoolism to say I gave Nux vomica because the patient had taken pepper tea, or Pulsatilla for Quinine, or Kali. hydroiod. for Mercury. We do not prescribe Aconite because the patient has fever (the old school does), but because the patient has with the fever other symptoms which enable us to choose between Aconite and many other remedies that have fever also, and this to the exclusion of all the rest. This is science again.

China is one of the best remedies in chronic liver troubles.

There is pain in the right hypochondria, and often the liver may be felt below the ribs, enlarged, hard and sensitive to touch. The skin and sclerotica are yellow, the urine dark colored and stools light, lacking the color due to a proper secretion of bile. Now if in addition to all this we have in part or whole the abdominal symptoms so characteristic of this remedy China; will do excellent service. It is equally good in splenic diseases which closely resemble the splenic troubles resulting from the abuse of Quinine. I have found the 200th do better than lower potencies in these troubles.

I wish to say in addition to what has already been said of China for haemorrhages, that the bleeding may come from any or every outlet or orifice of the body. Carbo veg., Ferrum, Crotalus horridus, Phosphorus and Sulphuric acid also claim attention here.

China has excessive sensitiveness of the nervous system. The special senses seem too acute; the mind is unpleasantly affected, and nothing as more characteristic of this remedy than its extreme sensitiveness to touch. (Asafoetida, Hepar and Lachesis). It affects the skin all over the body, even the hair feels sore (so says the patient) because moving the hair hurts the sensitive scalp, and in addition to this, one peculiar thing is that while the lightest touch will increase to an extreme degree the pains of the diseased part, hard pressure relieves. That seems impossible, but is true nevertheless. The sensitiveness is so extreme that a current of air blowing on the part will cause great pain and suffering.

Plumbum also has this excessive hyperaesthesia, and I once cured a very obstinate case of post-diphtheritic paralysis, being led to its administration by this symptom. Capsicum also has it. The patient can hardly bear to be shaved on account of it.