Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

Rattlesnake

Aspect: The first impression would be to rebel against the use of such substances as Crotalus, Lachesis, Apis and other animal poisons, and it is true that the lay mind must look with something like horror upon their administration; but when they are properly used and when we consider the dreadfulness of the necessity demanding them, and also when we have ascertained that there can be no substitute when demanded, and again that they are potentized and changed until they are perfectly pure, because reduced to a state of simple substance, the horror passes away from the mind.

It is true that the diseases that call for the use of such substances as Crotalus are very grave. When at the bedside of a Crotalus patient one feels that death is very near, the subject is horrible to look upon, and the mother in regard to her child, or the husband, would immediately say,

"Doctor, use anything in order to save the life; resort to anything in order to heal this sick one."

The symptoms are peculiar in Crotalus. The remedy stands out by itself. There can be no substitute for it, as there is no other remedy, taken as a whole, that looks it.

The other snake poisons form the nearest resemblance, but this one is the most dreadful of all, excepting perhaps, the Ancistrodon contortrix (Copperhead).

In the case of snake bites we get the most dire effects; we see death itself, we see the ending after a very rapid course, the very highest type of zymosis. These snake poisons are supposed to be cyanhydrates of soda and other salts.

It is known that alcohol is the natural solvent of the cyanhydrates, and because of this alcohol has been used in great quantities in snake bites, and it has frequently prolonged and even saved life. If he lives through the violent attack he goes on forever manifesting the chronic effects, and from these we have collected symptoms.

Dogs that have been bitten manifested the chronic effects of rattlesnake bite, and in them a peculiar periodicity has been manifested, viz., every spring as the cold weather subsides and the warm days begin

I once had the privilege of tracing up a dog that had been bitten by the Cenchris and had survived. It was bitten in the region of the neck, and in that region a large abscess formed every spring as long as that dog lived, until old age, when he died from that disease. The periodicity in the snake poisons is related to the spring, to the coming on of the warm weather.

Another marked general feature in Crotalus, as in most of the other Ophidians, is that the patient sleeps into the aggravation.

The poison of the Crotalus horridus, in its earliest manifestations, is like unto the zymotic changes that we find in scarlet fever, in diphtheria, in typhoid and low forms of blood poisoning, those cases that come on with great rapidity, breaking down of the blood, relaxation of the blood vessels, bleeding from all of the orifices of the body, rapidly increasing unconsciousness like one intoxicated and besotted in appearance.

Prostration: A mental and physical prostration that is almost paralytic in character. Scarlet fever when it becomes putrid; typhoid when it becomes putrid, diphtheria with much bleeding and putridity. The body appears mottled, blue intermingled with yellow jaundice comes on with astonishing quickness, and the eyes become yellow, and the skin becomes yellow and mottled. Blue in spots. Black and blue spots as if bruised, intermingled with yellow. After hemorrhages the skin becomes extremely anemic.

It is yellow, pale, bloodless. The body looks like wax. Hemorrhage from the ears, eyes, nose, lungs, from the mucous membranes everywhere, from the bowels, from the uterus, A haemorrhagic constitution.

Crotalus is indicated in disease of the very lowest, the most putrid type, coming on with unusual rapidity, reaching that putrid state in an unusually short time. One who has been poisoned rapidly sinks into, this besotted, benumbed. putrid, semi-conscious state. There is a feeling as if death were coming over him. As the blood oozes out it becomes black, It is sometimes fluid.

An awful state of nervousness prevails. Trembling of the limbs, tremulous weakness. On protruding the tongue it comes out quivering. Tired by the slightest exertion. Sudden prostration of the vital powers. A paralytic weakness prevails throughout.

Twitching of the muscles, trembling of the limbs. Sliding down in bed occurs in the typhoid conditions where this remedy has proved of benefit, the forms of yellow fever with great prostration. This species of yellow fever has been cured by this remedy. Convulsions and paralysis. It has twitching of muscles something like chorea, trembling, localized spasms, hysterical manifestations.

Mind: The mental symptoms are well worth examining. The low form of delirium, muttering, talking to himself is a peculiar form of loquacity. It differs somewhat from Lachesis. Both have loquacity.

The Lach. loquacity is so rapid that if anyone in the room commences to tell something the patient will take it up and finish the story, although he has never heard anything about it, so active is his mind. No one is permitted to finish a story in the presence of a Lach. patient. One will commence to tell something. He will say,

"Oh, yes; I understand it and he will go off on another line and finish up with something entirely different.

Crotalus does that, too, but Crotalus will take it up and mumble and stumble over his words in a clumsy manner.

It is a low passive state like intoxication; in Lach. it is wild excitement.

"Delirium with languor, drowsiness, stupor."

That tells it.

"Loquacious delirium with desire to escape from bed."

It is passive, however. His motions are slow.

"Muttering delirium of typhus.

Sadness."

His thoughts dwell on death continually.

"Excessive sensitiveness.

Moved to tears by reading.

Melancholy with timidity, fear.

Anxious and pale, with cold sweat.

Irritable, cross, infuriated by least annoyance."

On motion there is vertigo, dizziness. On keeping still there is pain. On going to sleep there is pain, and he is roused by violent pain. The longer he sleeps the more severe that pain in the head.

Sleep: He sleeps into his symptoms. All the snake poisons more or less sleep into troubles. The head troubles come on after sleep. He sleeps into headache. The longer he sleeps the harder are the headaches.

Head: The headache is so hard in the back of the head that it is almost impossible to raise it from the pillow. The muscles become so tired he has to take hold of it with his hands. This belongs also to Lach. A congestive headache with waxy face, yellow, purple, mottled face, as if there had been bruises.

"Headache extending into the eyes.

Bilious headache every few days."

Severe sick headache, together with dizziness, throbbing in the top of the head. Dull, pulsating headaches. Dull, heavy, throbbing, occipital headaches or the whole head is in a state of congestion. He is confused and dazed. Head feels too large.

Head feels full, feels as if it would burst. Headaches that come on in waves as if they came up the back, a surging of blood upwards, an orgasm described as if the blood rushed upwards.

Headache with surging in waves and excited by motion or jar, by turning over in bed, by rising up in bed, or by lying down. Change of position will cause this surging. In Lach. it is described, and I have seen it verified, as beginning away down in the spine and surging upward coincident with the pulse.

Eyes: Hemorrhage from the eyes. Yellow appearance of the eyes.

"Blood exudes from the eye, burning in eyes; redness with lachrymation."

Pressure in the eyes as if the eyes would be pushed out from the head. Paralysis of the upper lids. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the lids.

Ears: Surging in the ears.

"Sensitive to noises."

Dull aching and throbbing in the ears. Foetid, copious, yellow, offensive, bloody discharges from the ears. Blood oozing from the ears in drops in zymotic diseases, low forms of scarlet fever, or of diphtheria where there is oozing from the eyes and ears, and copious bleeding from the nose.

The nose is the most common organ to bleed in zymotic diseases. The rush of blood seems to get relief from bleeding from the nose. In this medicine the congestion to the head is violent with bleeding from the nose. It has cured all forms of foetid discharge. Horrible, foetid, putrid discharges from the nose. Ozoena.

Inflammation of the parotid gland. Blueness and discoloration of the face. Yellow appearance of the face, a marked condition of jaundice. In girls who appear waxy or anemic, yellowish green, have for a long time missed the menstrual period and break out in pustules and pimples.

Mouth: This patient often wakes up during the night grinding the teeth. The taste is bad, putrid. Inflammation of the gums. Bleeding from the mouth. Inflammation of the throat with bleeding of the throat. Burning in the throat and mouth, Trembling, quivering and swollen tongue. Trembling of the tongue when it is put out. Trembling of the hands when they are moved.

Those cases of diphtheria that ooze blood from the nose and mouth are very low types, and are sure to die without a well-selected remedy. The throat will be filled up under such circumstances with a diphtheritic membrane that looks dark. There is bleeding all around it. Sore mouth with bleeding. Ulcers in the mouth. Ulcers after Merc. in, those who are pouring forth saliva on the pillow at night. Bleeding ulcers in the mouth. Difficult swallowing. Malignant diphtheria.

Cannot lie on the right side or back without instantly producing black, bilious vomiting. This is a wonderfully bilious remedy, sick headaches, vomiting of bile in great quantities.

The various low forms of disease calling for Crotalus often, begin with vomiting great quantities of bile, sometimes bile mixed with blood.

Stomach: Pain in the stomach; coldness as if a piece of ice were in the stomach or in the abdomen. Stomach irritable, unable to retain anything, constantly throws up blood.

Crotalus has cured ulceration of the stomach. It has greatly restrained the growth of carcinoma when there is much vomiting of bile and blood. Vomiting in many instances where the blood has no tendency to coagulate.

Now, with all these ulcerations of the stomach, cancerous affections, low zymotic disease, jaundice is nearly always present; jaundice and more or less of bleeding; fever seldom runs high; sometimes the temperature is subnormal, but with oozing and bleedings, with dark hemorrhage from the nose and mouth and dark, scanty, bloody urine containing albumen.

Abdomen: The abdomen is greatly distended like the tympanitic abdomen of typhoid and the low zymotic diseases. Ulceration of the bowels, hemorrhage from the bowels. Much pain and soreness in the abdomen with numbness.

Feeling in it as if it were made of wood.

"Stool black, thin, like coffee grounds.

Dysentery of septic origin from foul water, food, etc.

Diarrhoea from noxious effluvia."

Inflammation of the ovaries and of the uterus. Low form of putrid fever.

Women: Hemorrhages, Either dark clots or blood that has no tendency to coagulate and keeps on flowing. There is great trouble at the climacteric period. Hot flashes. Jaundice. Hemorrhage from the uterus or from other parts.

Cancer of the uterus with much bleeding. Great offensiveness. Patient becomes yellow, jaundiced, great exhaustion, mottled appearance of the skin, swelling of the face, of the leg, especially along the course of the veins. Phlegmasia alba dolens. Worse from the slightest touch. Worse from jar, from motion.

There is some reason to think that this will be more or less a heart remedy from the great cardiac weakness it produces. But the other snake poisons like Naja, Lach. and Elaps have had more clinical application than this one.

This one seems to prostrate the heart, but also to prostrate the whole body, and its complaints are more general. Mottled appearance of the limbs. Gangrenous appearance of the extremities.

Skin: Boils, carbuncles and eruptions are surrounded by a purplish condition of the skin, a mottled, blue, splotched or marbled state. It produces boils, abscesses and a condition somewhat resembling a carbuncle, with burning and violent pains, but the peculiar feature is the doughy centre.

Around the boil or carbuncle for many inches there is oedema, with pitting upon pressure. The boil, or abscess, or carbuncle will bleed a thick, black blood that will not coagulate. Carbuncles that come upon the neck and upon the back begin with a pustule, and then several come and they are surrounded by little pustules and papules and there is pitting upon pressure.

For these carbuncles you will need to study particularly Arsenicum, Anthracinum, Lachesis, Secale and Crotalus. They are the medicines that have in their nature malignancy and manifestation.

In puerperal fever there is a continued oozing of black offensive blood that will not coagulate; bleeding from every orifice of the body as well as from the uterus. Imagine a woman who is pregnant suffering from typhoid fever.

She aborts and a low zymotic state comes on with the symptoms that I have described and with all the appearances as if she would bleed to death after the abortion. The blood will not coagulate and the flow continues. Or in a woman during a typhoid fever menstruation comes on. It is not a true menstrual flow, that is, it does not resemble the ordinary flow, because it is copious, dark and liquid, a continuous oozing with all the grave symptoms described, and especially the besotted countenance, the comatose state, the appearance as if she were intoxicated, lying as one dead. When aroused every muscle trembles; if the tongue is protruded it trembles, and there is inability to articulate.

Crotalus may save her life. Would it be possible to think of graver states of sickness than such as are produced by the ophidia?

When a physician sees these symptoms coming on he immediately thinks of a class of remedies that can cover such a state, remedies like Baptisia, Arsenicum, Secale and the Ophidia, and sometimes Arnica, Phosphorus and Pyrogen.

Sleep: In the more chronic conditions the individual manifests a terrible state as to his sleep. He rises from sleep as in a fright; has horrible dreams of murder, of death, of dead bodies and dead people, of associating with the dead and with corpses, of being in graveyards; even the smell of the cadaver is dreamed of.

While he is awake he is tired, he is stupid, he cannot add figures, he makes mistakes in writing, he transposes sentences, and in words he transposes letters. He is unable to take care of his own accounts, for he cannot add up things that are at all particular. Sleep alternates with long and tedious periods of wakefulness.

He is disturbed by any change to warm weather. Great irritability, sensitive to spheres, easily disturbed by his surroundings, and easily wrought up into a pitch of excitement are also features of this remedy.

Following this up he is suspicious of his friends and is unable to reason upon a rational basis. He craves intoxicating drinks and is unable to resist the craving. This wonderful resemblance to old inebriates has led to the use of Crotalus in delirium tremens; it has the besotted countenance, the purple aspect of the face, the peculiar kind of hunger in the drunkard, the craving by spells for stimulants.

There is every reason to believe that in fat, robust, besotted drunkards it may, if properly used, be a remedy deep enough to remove the appetite for strong drink.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Rattle-snake. N. O. Crotalidae. The Rattle-snake of North America. Symptoms of C. Durissus as well as C. Horridus are included in the pathogenesis. Trituration of sugar of milk saturated with the venom. Solution of the venom in glycerine.

Clinical.─Amblyopia. Apoplexy. Appendicitis. Bilious fever. Boils. Cancers. Carbuncles. Cerebro-spinal meningitis. Chancre. Ciliary neuralgia. Convulsions. Delirium tremens. Dementia. Diphtheria. Dysmenorrhoea. Dyspepsia. Ears, discharges from. Ecchymosis. Epilepsy. Eyes, affections of. Erysipelas. Face, eruption on; distortion of. Haematuria. Haemorrhagic diathesis. Headache. Heart, affections of. Herpes. Hydrophobia. Intestinal haemorrhage. Jaundice. Keratitis. Liver, disorders of. Lungs, affections of. Mastitis. Measles. Milk-leg. Meningitis. Ovaries, affections of. Ozaena. Palpitation. Peritonitis. Perityphlitis. Phlebitis. Psoriasis palmaris. Purpura. Pyaemia. Remittent fever. Rheumatism. Scarlatina. Sleeplessness. Small-pox. Stings. Sunstroke. Syphilis. Tetanus. Thirst. Tongue, inflammation of; cancer of. Ulcers. Urticaria. Vaccination, effects of. Varicosis. Varicocele. Vomiting, bilious. White-leg. Whooping-cough. Yellow Fever.

Characteristics.─The first regular proving of Crotalus was made by Hering and under his direction. Stokes also contributed a proving; but the most complete account of the remedy is to be found in the monograph of J. W. Hayward, forming part of Materia Medica Physiological and Applied. This includes provings made by Hayward and his provers. Crotalus produces profound nervous shock and prostration with trembling, mental alienation, and disorganisation of the fluids and tissues. It causes bleeding from all orifices and surfaces, and it corresponds to the haemorrhagic diathesis; to diseases caused by previous low states of system, by zymotic or septic poisoning, by abuse of alcohol, etc. Low, typhoid states, with oppressed nervous system, and degraded blood-supply often require it. Neuralgia occurring as a sequel of septic toxaemic, or even miasmatic disease; or chronic bilious, climateric, or albuminuric conditions. Broken-down constitutions. The Crotal. patient is readily moved to tears. Weeping mood; agony, despair. In one prover perception was so clouded that she was in danger of being run over in the street; and memory was so impaired that on entering a shop she forgot what she had come for. Sleepy, but cannot sleep. Grinds teeth. "Crotal. is preferable in fluid haemorrhages, yellow skin (hence in yellow fever with black vomit), epistaxis of diphtheria. Naja has more nervous phenomena. Lach. has skin cold-clammy rather than cold and dry; haemorrhage, with charred-straw sediment; and more markedly ailments of the left side. Elaps. is preferable in otorrhoea and in affections of the right lung. The cobra poison (Naja) coagulates blood into long strings. Crotalus poison is acid; the Viper neutral. The Rotton-snake ["Birri"] causes more sloughing than any other" (Hering). But Hayward observed that sloughing is a strong indication for Crotal., and the cure by this remedy of his own daughter of scarlatina maligna, with gangrenous-looking sore-throat, was a dramatic outcome of his researches. A case of rattle-snake bite and its isopathic cure, related by Dr. J. S. M. Chaffee, in Hom. News, Sept., 1892, gives a good general idea of the action of the venom: "I was called to see James Wright, aged 54 years, who, while binding wheat, was bitten on third finger of right hand by a rattlesnake. I found him bleeding from the bitten finger, and from eyes, nose, ears, mouth, rectum and urethra; pulse 110, small, wiry; respiration 40; temperature 105; haggard expression; whole body bathed in hot perspiration; delirium. This patient had had the regular routine treatment of whisky, quinine and carbonate ammonia for ninety-six hours, when the attendants withdrew and pronounced the case beyond the reach of medical aid. A marked characteristic symptom was a mouldy smell of breath, with scarlet red tongue, and difficult swallowing. Great sensitiveness of skin of right half of body, so much so that the slightest touch would produce twitching of muscles of that side. I prescribed Crotalus hor. 30th trituration, 30 gr. in four ounces of water, a teaspoonful every hour, until my return visit, twenty-four hours later, when I found marked improvement. Temperature normal; pulse full, soft and regular; delirium gone; saliva and urine slightly tinged with blood; appetite returning, he having asked for food for the first time since the accident." The medicine was continued for two more days, when recovery was practically complete. The action on the right side is noteworthy, as Crotal. is predominantly a right-side medicine (Lach. is more left); it acts strongly on the liver and corresponds to jaundice and yellow fever. Crotalus has been used with great success in the treatment of yellow fever, and also as a prophylactic against it. For this, inoculation with diluted virus has been practised. The pains of Crotalus alternate rapidly with each other, and frequently recur; also (except headache) appear and disappear suddenly after lasting some time. Swelling of whole body. Fetor of evacuations and discharges. Haemorrhages from all the orifices and even pores of the skin. Peculiar sensations are: as from a blow on occiput; as if tongue and all round throat were tied up; as of a plug in throat to be swallowed; of choking; as if the heart turned over like a tumbler pigeon. Periodicity marks many of the symptoms. Metastasis of erysipelas to brain. Many symptoms are < in morning on waking; or wake the patient up in the night. Orbital pains < in evening. Rest >, and motion and exertion <. Open air > head and stomach symptoms. Cold air < throat and respiratory symptoms. Dry air < cough.

Relations.─Antidoted by: Lach. Its effects are modified by Ammon., Camph., Opium, Coffea, Alcohol, and radiant heat. Compare: C. Cascavella (thoughts dwell on dead and dreams of the dead); Tarent-cub., Arsen., Lauroc. (tetanus, whooping-cough); Apis., Carb. v., Silic. (vaccination effects); Camphor (coldness; Crotal. has more marked genuine collapse with confused speech), Hyos. Op., Nux v., Cupr., Bell. (sleepy but cannot sleep); Cad. s. (yellow fever).

Causation.─Fright. Sun. Lightning. Alcohol. Foul water. Noxious effluvia.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Memory weak; stupid, cannot express himself; makes ridiculous mistakes; with coldness of skin.─Inability to hold her mind to a subject; perception clouded, on walking street would have been run over but for her sister's watchfulness; entering a shop she forgot what she came to purchase.─Torpid, sluggish, incoherent, hesitating, quiet indifference.─Delirium: with drowsiness; with wide-open eyes; loquacious with desire to escape; delirium tremens.─Sadness; thoughts dwell on death continually.─Oppression of brain, as if from carbonic acid.─Excessive sensitiveness, easily moved to tears by reading.─Weeping, with timidity, fear, anxiety.─Snappish temper.

2. Head.─Vertigo: with faintness; with weakness and trembling; with pale face; epileptic; auditory cardiac with soft, weak pulse; > resting head; with venous congestion and degraded blood; with dilated pupils from lightning, anaemia, or sunstroke; from fright.─Fainting on assuming upright position.─Dizziness and fainting with occipital headache.─Apoplectic convulsions: at outset of zymotic diseases; in inebriates.─Awakes in morning with headache over eyes.─Headache extending into eyes.─Dull, heavy pain and heat over eyes and in sides of nose; > walking in open air.─Severe pains in r. eye and top of head, on r. side down back of neck at intervals.─While sitting in chair, heaviness of head came on so much that head felt as if it would tumble about, as if muscles of neck were too weak to support it, and needed the help of the hands.─Dull, heavy throbbing occipital headache, faint spells; pain as from a blow in occiput.─Violent itching of scalp; eruptions, pustules; falling off of hair.

3. Eyes.─Illusions; blue colours; vanishing of sight while reading.─Blood exudes from eye.─Yellow colour of eyes.─Tearing, boring pain, as if a cut had been made round the eye, sometimes sticking, < morning and evening.

4. Ears.─Full sensation in ears.─Deafness; illusions of hearing; auditory vertigo.─Otorrhoea.─Blood oozes from ears.

5. Nose.─Epistaxis; in zymotic diseases; blood thin, dark, uncoagulable; with flushed face, vertigo or fainting.─Ozaena after exanthemata or syphilis.

6. Face.─Acne; of all varieties; of masturbation; of drunkards.─Face, puffed; yellow; red.─Neuralgia of a dull character, chronic or periodic.─Parotitis.─Lips swollen, stiff, numb.─Lockjaw.─Copious, red, itching, papular eruption on face, esp. chin, with delayed menses.

8. Mouth.─Grinding of teeth during sleep.─Tongue and all round throat during sleep feels tied tip, cannot speak a word.─Tongue very red, smooth and polished, feels swollen.─Tongue: enormously swollen; protruded; inflammation of; cancer of, with much tendency to haemorrhage; syphilis of.─Fetid breath; peculiar mouldy smell.─Putrid sore mouth.─Salivation, bloody or frothy.

9. Throat.─Tight constriction of throat.─Sensation of a plug to be swallowed; as if uvula swollen or stiff; as of a dry spot or tickling, esp. l. side; < on waking.─Impossible to swallow solids.─Gangrenous or diphtheritic throat with much swelling; much swelling of glands, head thrown up and backwards.

11. Stomach.─Hunger with trembling, weakness, and occipital headache.─Unquenchable burning thirst.─Eructations, sharp, sour, rancid.─Nausea on movement, bilious vomiting.─Dark green vomiting immediately on lying on r. side or back.─Black vomit.─Frequent faint sinking, hungry sensation about epigastrium with trembling and fluttering sensation lower down.─Craving for stimulants.─Agonising pain, restlessness, coldness, weak pulse.─Cannot bear clothes round stomach or hypochondria.─Haematemesis, blood does not coagulate.

12. Abdomen.─Stitches in region of liver on drawing a long breath, < by pressure.─Aching in liver, vomiting, coldness.─Violent pain in l. side near last ribs as if in diaphragm.─Jaundice; malignant jaundice with haemorrhage.─Heat and tenderness of abdomen, can scarcely bear clothes on.─Swelling.─Violent pain in course of colon; in region of appendix.─Bubo.

13. Stool and Anus.─Stools: black, thin, like coffee-grounds, offensive; dark green, followed by debility; yellow, watery with stinging in abdomen; low spirits and indifference to everything.─Shuddering with diarrhoea; aphonia.─Diarrhoea from noxious effluvia; from septic matter in food or drink; from high game; summer diarrhoea.─Dysentery; septic; from foul water, food, etc.; excessive flow of dark fluid blood, or involuntary evacuations; great debility and faintness.─Constipation with congestion to head and headache.─Vomiting, purging and micturition simultaneously caused by spasmodic contractions with tenesmus and strangury.─White stools.─Haemorrhage, dark, fluid, uncoagulable.─Haemorrhoids: great tendency to bleed, on using paper, on straining a little at stool, or on standing; in pregnant women; with menstrual irregularities; with heart or liver disease; in inebriates.

14. Urinary Organs.─Haematuria.─Suppression or painful retention of urine.─Urine: scanty, dark and red with blood; jelly-like; green-yellow from much bile; copious and light-coloured.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Sexual instinct increased with entire relaxation of penis.─Sharp cutting in glans.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Menses a week too soon, first preceded by weight in head and ears, accompanied by pains in abdomen and back, and cold feet.─The pains last some hours longer than usual, and go off after two days with intense frontal headache, which lasts from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.─Five days before menses much pain in hypogastrium and down thighs; in region of heart, l. arm and shoulder-blade; with cold feet.─In evening, severe sharp shooting, rather burning pain, repeated at short intervals; apparently starting l. side of womb, passing up to region of transverse colon, there shooting or cutting across from both sides to centre; thence passing up l. side of trunk to l. side of face and temple as a sharp, cutting, intermittent, neuralgic pain; and across middle of forehead there was a heavy, dull, continuous pain; the sharp pain in temple lasted an hour; the dull pain only ceased on going to sleep.─Flushing and sinking of menopause.─Puerperal fever, or convulsions, with albuminous and septic conditions.─Offensive lochia.─Inflamed breasts.─Phlegmasia alba dolens, < from slightest touch.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Hoarseness, with weak, rough voice.─Bruised pain from larynx to chest.─Cough with stitch in l. side and bloody expectoration.─Dry cough on speaking, < in dry or cold air.─Nervous cough, esp. laryngeal; dry tickling, constant choking, as if from dry, irritating vapours, or salt or pepper, or from dry spot in larynx, < l. side; provoked by: cold or dry air; deep inspiration; speaking; by external pressure, which cannot be borne, < on waking.─Whooping-cough, with blueness or pallor which is long in passing off, attacks followed by puffiness of face and haemorrhagic spots, bloodshot eyes, epistaxis, frothy, stringy, bloody expectorations; threatened oedema and paralysis of lungs.─Excessive oppression of chest.─Burning in chest with heat in forehead.─Pneumonia with tendency to gangrene.─Lungs seem passive.─Stitches in r. chest near sternum.

19. Heart.─Much pain in heart, through l. shoulder-blade and down l. arm.─Palpitation with sore pain in and about heart; feeling as if heart tumbled over.─Heart tender when lying on l. side.─Pulse hardly perceptible.─Phlebitis; varicosis; varicocele.

20. Neck and Back.─Tearing pains from (r.) shoulder to neck, < on moving arm.─Pain on top of shoulder and in ascending aorta.─Aching in r. kidney and in stomach.

21. Limbs.─Painful paralytic sensation.─Rheumatic and neuralgic pains.─Bruised pain in joints and bones.─Heaviness, as if bones were made of heavy wood.─Numb pain as after cramp in anterior of fingers and in toes.─Contraction of flexors.

22. Upper Limbs.─Bruised pains in bone of shoulder in paroxysms.─Large inflamed furuncle on r. upper arm near elbow.─Tight, cord-like feeling extending from front of l. elbow down front of forearm, with "round spots" of pain here and there along front of forearm.─Tubercle on wrist, near end of radius, size of large split-pea, and rather blue from sting of insect some years before, more pronounced in summer months.─Vesicular and pustular eruption about wrists.─Trembling of hands.─Hands (esp. l.) go dead on least exertion.─Violent spasmodic pains in l. palm as from bee-sting.─Itching and heat of palms.─Oozing of blood from under nails.

23. Lower Limbs.─Starting, jerking, trembling, cramps, numbness.─Drawing suddenly from l. hip to foot.─During and after walking, feels as if a tendon was drawing from sole of r. foot through bone of leg.─Small purple spots on legs.

25. Skin.─Itching stinging all over; urticaria.─Skin dry, stiff like thin parchment; usually cold.─Yellow colour of whole body (haematic rather than hepatic jaundice).─Petechiae.─Vesicles; herpes; pimples; boils; carbuncles; burns; stings; pemphigus; ulcers; gangrene; felons; anthrax.─Old cicatrices break out again.─Peliosis rheumatica.─Dropsies.

26. Sleep.─Yawning; torpor; sopor.─Drowsiness with inability to sleep.─Starting in sleep.─Dreams of travelling, of quarrels; of the dead.─Symptoms < after sleep.

27. Fever.─Surface cold, esp. extremities.─Flushes of heat all over.─Sweat: cold; coloured, esp. axillary; bloody.─Malignant scarlatina, with infiltration of tissues, esp. of throat.─Low, bilious remittents of South.─Yellow fever, haemorrhagic, oozing of blood from every pore, vomiting and purging bloody and bilious; fainting.─Septic or purpuric fevers.─Cerebro-spinal meningitis.

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

Poison of Rattlesnake (Crotalidae)

Is indicated in strumous, debilitated, haemorrhagic, broken-down constitutions; during zymotic diseases; in inebriates; tendency to carbuncles or blood boils (Anthr.). Diseases caused by a previous low state of the system; low septic typhoid or malarial fever; chronic alcoholism; exhausted vital force; genuine collapse. Apoplexy; apoplectic convulsions in inebriates, haemorrhagic or broken down constitutions. Haemorrhagic diathesis; blood flows from eyes, ears, nose, and every orifice of the body; bloody sweat. Yellow color of conjunctiva; clears up vision after keratitis, or kerato-iritis. Malignant jaundice; haematic rather than hepatic. Purpura haemorrhagica; comes on suddenly from all orifices, skin, nails, gums. Tongue fiery red, smooth and polished (Pyr.); intensely swollen. Malignant diphtheria or scarlatina; oedema or gangrene of fauces or tonsils; pain < from empty swallowing; if vomiting or diarrhoea come on. Prostration of vital force; pulse scarely felt; blood poisoning (Pyr.). Vomiting: bilious, with anxiety and weak pulse; every month after menstruation; cannot lie on right side or back without instantly producing dark, green vomiting; black or coffee grounds, of yellow fever. Diarrhoea; stools black, thin; like coffee-grounds; offense; from noxious effluvia or septic matters in food or drinks; from "high game" (Pyr.); during yellow fever, cholera, typhoid, typhus. Intestinal haemorrhage when occurring in typical septic, or zymotic disease; blood dark, fluid, non-coagulable. Dissecting wounds; insect stings; bad effects of vaccination. Vicarious menstruation; in debilitated constitutions (Dig., Phos.). Menopause: intense flushings and drenching perspirations; faintness and sinking at stomach; prolonged metrorrhagia, dark, fluid, offensive; profound anaemia. Malignant diseases of uterus, great tendency to haemorrhage, blood dark, fluid, offensive.

Relations. - Compare: Elaps, Lach., Naja, Pyr. In Lach., skin cold and clammy; Crot. cold and dry; Elaps, affections of right lung, expectoration of black blood.

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

Here is another snake poison which, although like Naja has been proven only in the low preparations, has a better clinical record. Yet it lacks the clear-cut indications of Lachesis. It has shown enough, however, to indicate that it is a remedy of great value. It seems, so far, to have shown its greatest usefulness in diseases which result in a decomposition of the blood of such a character as to cause haemorrhages from every outlet of the body (Acetic acid); even the sweat is bloody. This occurs in the lower fevers of hot climates, such as the bilious remittent fevers, typhoids, and that dread scourge of tropical climates, yellow fever. It is also the chief remedy in diphtheria when the profuse epistaxis occurs which marks many cases of a malignant type. In haemorrhages of the nose in an old man of broken down constitution, where none of the remedies usually applied did the least good, Crotalus acted promptly and no doubt saved the man's life. This was a patient of my own, and, although he had frequent attacks before, he never had another after the Crotalus. As would be expected with such a remedy, there is great prostration at such bleedings. Crotalus is right-sided.

Malignant jaundice is set down as an indication for Crotalus, but the yellowness of the skin, so characteristic of Crotalus, is after all, I imagine, more of haematic than hepatic origin; yet there may be an element of both, as hepatic troubles are so common in hot latitudes where Crotalus has gained its greatest laurels.

Crotalus richly deserves proving in the potencies in order to bring out its finer characteristics.