Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

Iron: We will take up the study of Ferrum metallicum. The Old School has been giving Iron for anaemia throughout all tradition. They have given it in great quantities in the form of the tincture of chloride, and the carbonate.

Whenever the patient became anemic, pallid, waxy and weak, Iron was the tonic. It is true that Iron produces anemia, and it would be astonishing to any one who ever read the provings of Ferrum of the allopaths did not create additional bloodlessness with the doses of Iron they administer.

It is true that under the provings, and under those circumstances where Iron has been given in excess, the patient becomes greenish, waxy, yellow and pallid, with a sickly and anemic countenance. The lips become pale; the ears lose their pink color; the skin of the body becomes waxy, and there comes a tendency to hemorrhage, at times with clots, but commonly with copious, thin, liquid blood, very dark.

The clots will separate and the fluid parts look brown, dirty and watery. The patient gradually emaciates. He is pallid and waxy; his muscles become flabby and relaxed; he is incapable of endurance. All the muscular fibers become tired from any exertion. Rapid exercise, or, any unusual exertion. is impossible. Any rapid exertion or motion brings on weakness, dyspnea, sinking and fainting.

A strange thing running through all the constitutional conditions of Ferrum is that the pains and sufferings come on during rest.

The palpitation sometimes comes on during rest, the dyspnoea comes on during rest, and even the weakness. The patient is ameliorated by moving gently about, but any exertion tires and causes faintness.

Any rapid motion aggravates the complaints. The pains are ameliorated by moving about the house slowly, so that the exertion does not excite or fatigue. In many cases the patient is dropsical. The skin pits upon pressure and is pale, yet the face shows an appearance of plethora. From every little excitement the face becomes flushed.

During the chill the face becomes red. From taking wine or stimulant the face becomes flushed, and the patient, though flabby, relaxed and tired, does not get credit for being sick.

She fails to get the sympathy of her friends. She is feeble, she suffers from palpitation and dyspnoea, she has great weakness with inability to do anything like work, she feels that she must lie down-yet the face is flushed. This is called a pseudo-plethora.

The blood-vessels are distended, the veins varicose, and their coatings relaxed. On this account bleed ing takes place easily; capillary oozing; hemorrhage from all pass of the body, haemorrhage from the nose, the lungs, the uterus.

Women suffer much from haemorrhage from the uterus, especially during and after the climacteric period. Ferrum will be found of great value when the symptoms agree in that wonderful anemic state called "green sickness.," that comes on with girls at the time of puberty and in the years that follow it.

There will be almost no menstrual flow, but a cough will develop, with great pallor. So common is this sickness among girls that all mothers are acquainted with and dread it. In a large practice you will have a number of cases of chlorosis.

Sometimes the early menstrual period is attended with a copious, and then occurs, and this goes on for a number of years before anything like menstrual regularity is established.

In these cases the Old School always used to feed their patients Iron in great quantities, but the more Iron the patient took the worse she grew.

Congestion, tending upwards, with red face, hot head and coldness of the extremities. But the heat of the head and face is not at all in proportion to the red appearance. It will be found that this congestion upward in Ferrum will take place during a chill, in septic fevers or in other forms of fever, and the head is not always hot, but sometimes cool. The face may be red and cool.

Face: Another grand feature of Ferrum is that, like China, it has complaints from loss of animal fluids; from prolonged haemorrhage, with weakness remaining a long time. There is no repair, no assimilation. The bones are soft and easily bent; they take on crooks. Emaciated and feeble children. Dryness of the joints, causing cracking on motion. Sudden emaciation, with false plethora.

Redness of face - a healthy looking bloom - in one who is unable to walk fast on the street, or to stand any exertion. Yet some of the complaints of Ferrum are better from occupation, from doing something, from taking a little exercise, because the complaints come on during rest.

Over-excitability and sensivity of the nerves; oversensitiveness to pain. The sensitive woman who needs Ferrum has a flushed face and is often complaining because she gets no sympathy. She does not look sick, yet she puffs on going up stairs; she feels weak and wants to lie down.

Restless when keeping still; must keep the limbs moving. Rending pains in the limbs; dull aching in the limbs. These pass off when moving about quietly and gently, like Pulsatilla. But Ferrum is a very cold remedy, and is ameliorated by warmth, except the pains about the neck, face and teeth, which are ameliorated by cold. But most of the pains are ameliorated by heat; the patient wants to keep warm and dreads anything like fresh air or a draught.

Weakness and prostration; weakness even from talking. Prostration with irregular pulse and rapid pulse, or with too slow pulse; palpitation. And then comes paralytic weakness; the limbs give out. Paralytic conditions from anaemia or haemorrhage. Fainting spells from haemorrhage. Jerking and twitching of the muscles; chorea; catalepsy.

Mind: You may easily imagine something of the character of the mental symptoms, for they are like the physical. The mind is confused and the patient tearful. Depression of spirits; mental weariness and depression. The highest degree of depression and despondency. Anxiety from the slightest cause; irritability.

The least noise, like the crackling of paper, sets the patient wild. It brings on nervous excitement and restlessness; she must get up and move.

Excitement from the slightest opposition. Any sudden or rapid motion, or the least hurry, causes blackness before the eyes; dizziness; things turn in a circle; she must sit down. And with all this the face is red. When alone and at rest, the face becomes pale and cold, but the least excitement brings a flush to the cheeks.

Headaches: The headaches are congestive in character, with mounting of blood upwards. There is a sense of fullness and distension, with red face.

Fullness and distension of the eyes; fullness of the neck. Palpitation of the heart. Exophthalmic goitre. The headaches are ameliorated by pressure. Ferrum wants to be pressed to support the veins. Throbbing like hammers in the head.

Every quick motion aggravates the headache. Coughing aggravates the headache; pain in the head and occiput from coughing. These pains are sometimes ameliorated by walking gently. Going up stairs, sitting down, rising from a seat unless it is done very deliberately - will arouse all the pains of Ferrum.

Any sudden motion will bring on hammering and a feeling of great expansion in the head. And then will come more or less shooting, tearing pains. Beating in the back of the head from rising or from coughing, because coughing is a sudden motion. Confusion of mind with hammering headache. Rush of blood to the head. Congestive headaches from excitement; from taking cold; from exposure; lasting three or four days or a week. The face is gushed and perhaps cold, the head somewhat hot, but not as hot as would be expected.

Redness of the eye; engorged vessels. Great weakness, dyspnoea and palpitation. Writing - a mental operation - causes the headache to reappear. Great sensitiveness of the scalp. The patient must let the hair hang down. Mental disorders and headaches accompanying or following haemorrhages, and in lying in women.

Bloated appearance about the eyes. All sorts of disturbance of vision from congestion. Venous stasis; swelling of the eyelids; pus-like discharge. Over-sensitiveness to sound; ringing in the ears.

The symptoms of the nose are numerous. Colds and catarrhal troubles, ending in nosebleed. Nosebleed on slight provocation, with headaches at the menstrual nisus.

Scabs form in the nose. Extreme paleness of the face; face becomes red and flushed on the least emotion. Flushed face with dropsy of the lower limbs; flushed face with chill. Thirst during the chill is a striking feature of Ferrum. During the menstrual period there are violent pains, and as soon as the pain starts the face becomes flushed.

Nothing taken into the stomach digests, and yet there is no special nausea. It is the exception to find nausea in Ferrum. Food goes into the stomach and is vomited without nausea-simply emptied out. Sometimes there are eructations of food by the mouthful, like Phosphorus.

Food: Phosphorus was the remedy with all the old masters for spitting up of food by the mouthful until. the stomach was empty.

Canine hunger. It says in the next:

"Double the amount of an ordinary meal in the evening was hardly sufficient."

All food tastes bitter; solid food is dry and insipid. After eating there are eructations. Heat in the stomach; regurgitation of food. Spasmodic pressure in the stomach after the least food or drink, especially after meat. Aversion to meat, to eggs, to sour fruit. Aversion to milk, and to his accustomed tobacco and beer. Sweet wines agree, but sour wines and all sour things disagree. The tongue feels as if burnt. As soon as the stomach is empty vomiting ceases until he eats again. Vomiting of food, immediately after midnight, Vomitus tastes sour.

Pregnancy: Ferrum is occasionally indicated during pregnancy. A few weeks after becoming pregnant the woman commences to throw up her food by the mouthful.

There is no nausea, but the face is flushed and the woman is flabby and weak. She vomits without becoming sick. Fullness and pressure in the stomach; pressure in the stomach after eating. Ferrum is an unusually interesting remedy because of this peculiar stomach. It is like a leather bag; it will not digest anything. Fill it up and it empties itself just as easily as it was filled.

Ferrum has a troublesome diarrhoea, with acrid watery excoriating stool. Morning diarrhoea. Many of these patients are old sinners with broken-down constitutions, who have suffered long from constipation. Chronic constipation with ineffectual urging and hard, difficult Stools.

Relaxation runs through the remedy. From this relaxation there is prolapsus of the rectum, vagina and uterus. Dragging down in the lower part of the body, as if the organs would come out-and sometimes they do come out.

Bladder: The bladder is also relaxed. Its sphincter is weak, and there is no regularity of its muscular action. Hence, we have involuntary urination from sudden motion, from walking, or from coughing. In little children the urine dribbles all day just as long as the child plays the urine dribbles and keeps the clothing wet, but this better while keeping perfectly quiet.

The bladder is so relaxed and tired that it cannot hold the urine, and as soon as it is partially filled it allows its contents to escape. This relaxation runs through the remedy and gives it character, just like a human being. You know what each one of your friends is likely to do on every occasion. So it is with a remedy. You ought to know what it is most likely to do, in order to know what it will accomplish in curing the sick.

Genital: Weakness and relaxation of the genital organs is common to Ferrum. The menstrual flow comes in for its share. Copious, watery flow; haemorrhage or suppression - amenorrhoea - no flow at all, only a leucorrhoea. Suppression of the menses with great nervous excitement; with flushed face; with weakness and palpitation. Prolapsus of the vagina. Insensibility of the vagina during coition. Metrorrhagia. Menses too soon too profuse and lasting too long.

Respiration: Difficult respiration; pains and disturbances in the chest. Difficult breathing, with a sense of a great load on the chest. Suffocating fits at night; catarrhal conditions of the respiratory tract; congestion of the chest; dyspnoea.

Spasmodic cough, such as we find in whooping cough, coming on in violent paroxysms. Cough after every meal, with gagging, emptying the stomach of its contents. Cough felt in the head. Cough worse from the abuse of brandy, tobacco or tea. Cough coming on after the loss of fluids, as after haemorrhages.

Chest troubles following uterine hemorrhage, and after other hemorrhages. Coughing up blood; bleeding from the lungs. Persons debilitated by secret vices, with a tendency to go into tuberculosis.

Palpitation of the heart from fear, excitement, or exertion. Rapid action of the heart, or sometimes slow action. Fatty degeneration of the heart. Pulse accelerated toward evening. Pulsations throughout the body, feeling like little hammers.

Rheumatic pains: in the extremities, ameliorated by heat and by gentle motion; aggravated by cold, by exertion, or by rapid motion. Pains through the deltoid muscles are spoken of more prominently than pains in other parts, but these pains are no more striking than the pains anywhere in Ferrum.

Tearing pains through the limbs. Inability to raise the arm; paralytic pains, - that is, pains that are benumbing. Pains that make him feel as if he were going to lose the power to move the part. Violent pains in the hip-joint are just as common as the pains in the shoulder.

Lippe says,

"Rheumatism in the left shoulder," but it is just as common in the right. Rheumatic pains in the deltoid muscle of either side. Violent pain in the muscles and along the nerves. Pinching in the right deltoid; boring in the right shoulder; aggravated by motion and by the weight of the bedclothes; ameliorated by heat.

Tearing and stinging pains. The Ferrum pains come on in the night, because the patient attempts to keep still in bed. Rest brings on the Ferrum pains. When moving gently about in the daytime be will not have so much pain. Coldness of the limbs; and again, heat of the soles and palms, they change about. With all this weakness and prostration dropsical conditions come on, so that the feet and hands become bloated.

Evening chill or chilliness with fever, cold hands and feet and red face. Icy cold feet with the chill. Chill ameliorated after eating. Thirst with the chill. Copious sweat which stains yellow. All symptoms worse while sweating. Strong-smelling night sweats. All the febrile symptoms are better by slowly moving about. In intermittent fever after the abuse of quinine.

We read in the text that Ferrum is a remedy for diarrhea in the last stages of consumption. Well, sometimes it is, if the patient is prepared to die.

Ferrum will stop the diarrhea, but after it is stopped the patient will not live long. The diarrhea is not usually painful. It is annoying, but it is painless, and the night sweats are painless. Do not suppress them; they had better be let alone. Let the patient go on to a peaceful termination.

The best remedy for diarrhoea in the last stages of consumption is Saccharum lactis in the crude form, given in very small quantities and repeated as often as is required by the patient and the bystanders.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Iron. Fe. (A. W. 56). Including also symptoms of the acetate and the carbonate. Triturations of the pure metal and of the carbonate; solution of the acetate. The Protoxalate is also a useful preparation in the crude and in trituration. "Hensel's Tonicum," a liquid, is another serviceable form.

Clinical.─Anaemia. Aphonia. Asthma. Biliousness. Catalepsy. Chlorosis. Chorea. Consumption (Fe. acet.). Cough. Cramps. Debility. Diarrhoea. Enuresis diurna. Fever, intermittent. Goitre, exophthalmic. Gonorrhoea. Haemorrhages. Heart, affections of; palpitation of. Hectic. Hydrocephalus. Kidneys, affections of. Lienteria. Menstruation, disorders of. Neuralgia. Paralysis of viscera. Pregnancy, disorders of. Rectum, prolapsus of. Rheumatism. Shoulder, affections of. Spasms. Syphilis. Toothache. Urine, incontinence of. Vertigo.

Characteristics.─Ferrum, the Mars of the alchemists, is one of the prominent constituents of the animal body, being present in considerable quantity in the blood. It is present in many articles of daily food, and when given in excess to men or animals its first effect is to increase the amount of iron in the blood, stimulate the appetite, augment the heart's beats and the bodily vigour. The secondary effects, which ensue sooner or later if the administration of iron is continued, are those which give the indications for homoeopathic prescribing. Hahnemann (Mat. Med. Pur.) describes the effects of iron on persons who habitually drink chalybeate waters: "In such localities there are few persons who can resist the noxious influence of the continued use of such waters and remain quite well, each being affected according to his peculiar nature. There we find more than anywhere else chronic affections of great gravity and peculiar character, even when the regimen is otherwise faultless. Weakness, almost amounting to paralysis of the whole body and of single parts, some kinds of violent limb pains, abdominal affections of various sorts, vomiting of food by day or by night, phthisical pulmonary ailments, often with blood spitting, deficient vital warmth, suppression of the menses, miscarriages, impotence in both sexes, sterility, jaundice, and many other rare cachexias are common occurrences."

The digestive disorders set up by Iron are marked and peculiar, and among them is intolerance of eggs. The occurrence of this symptom in a patient about forty-five, who had had repeated attacks of articular rheumatism, led Kunkel to cure his case after he bad been dosed for three weeks with salicylate of soda by the allopaths. The only other distinctive feature was constant.< of pain after midnight. The obvious advantages derived in many cases of anaemia from the use of Iron in its crude forms has led to very grave abuses in old-school practice. That Iron is what may be called a "nutritive" remedy in certain defective blood conditions, having an organopathic relation to the blood, I have no doubt. In the anaemia of cancer and syphilis it is often of great service as an accessory, and need not interfere with more specific remedies. But it is not suited to all cases of anaemia and chlorosis, or even to a majority of them, and should never be given without discrimination and careful watching. But apart from its organopathic sphere, Ferrum has a strictly homoeopathic use in anaemia in which the highest potencies are curative. For excess of Iron will cause anaemia, and at times will aggravate it when present. The type of anaemia caused by Iron and suited for its homoeopathic use is commonly seen in young persons subject to irregular distributions of blood. The cheeks are flushed as if in blooming health; but in spite of bloom in appearances there is pallor of lips and mucous membranes, great fatigue and breathlessness, and any motion will set up the symptoms. Delicate girls, fearfully constipated, with low spirits. Chlorosis with erethism. Mucous membranes abnormally pale. Feet swell. The irregular distribution of blood in chlorotics recalls another set of symptoms which indicate Ferrum: haemorrhages of many kinds, from over-fulness of blood-vessels from vaso-motor paralysis, or else from delicacy of the vessels themselves. Throbbing pains, the blood-vessels all over the body throb violently. Feet swell. Fulness of blood-vessels accompanies neuralgia, which is brought on by washing in cold water, especially after being over-heated. Hammering headache. The pulse of Ferrum is full and yielding; (that of Acon. is full and bounding). With Ferrum there is excessive irritability, both of the mind and of the tissues. It is like Arsen. and Chin. in this, as in many other symptoms, and it is an antidote to both. It is one of the best remedies for over-dosing with quinine, and hence the favourite old-school combination of "Quinine and Iron" is so far a wise one. Cramps are well marked in the pathogenesis; irritability of the bladder causing incontinence of urine when standing; irritability of the bowels, causing diarrhoea whilst eating. This symptom is peculiar to Ferrum, the diarrhoea coming on when the patient begins to eat. Many remedies have it immediately after eating. < From eating eggs. There is also gastralgia, heavy pressure in region of stomach; a feeling as if something rolled into the throat and closed it like a valve; frequent spells of nausea, periodic vomiting (especially at twelve midnight). The liver and spleen are affected. Walls of abdomen are sore. Pain in os tincae on lying down; feeling of dryness in vagina. Ferrum is a remedy that should be given carefully in haemorrhagic phthisis, as it may aggravate. The acetate, iodide, and phosphate are better than the metal in such cases, unless the similarity is very close. Rheumatic symptoms, especially of left shoulder and deltoid. Paralytic weakness. Restlessness. Tremor. Most symptoms are < by motion, especially sudden motion. Vertigo on suddenly rising; when crossing a bridge over water; vertigo as if balancing to and fro, as when on water. Neuralgia is > moving slowly about. In fact "> moving about slowly" is a keynote condition of many Ferrum cases. Rest < cramps. Lying down < pain in face; asthma; = pain in os tincae; > cough (H. W., xxxi. 57). Descending stairs < headache. Walking slowly > palpitation; pain in arms; in hip-joint. The chief time of aggravation is night, and especially midnight, and also in early morning. The symptoms generally are < in cold weather, and > in warm air; but there is a good deal of contradictoriness in this respect, showing the irritability of Ferrum to all influences: uncovering chest > asthma and constriction, but too light covering < pain in shoulder. Over-heating = neuralgia, and so does washing in cold water. There is dread of open air, but open air > headache. The chlorosis of Ferrum is < in winter.

Relations.─Ferrum compares with Graphites (which contains iron), Manganum, and the other metals. Teste puts it at the head of a group comprising Plumb., Phos., Carb. an., Puls., Zinc., Secal., Mag. mur., Chi., Bar. c. It is antidoted by: Ars., Chi., Hep., Ip., Puls. It antidotes: Ars., Chi., Iod., Merc., Hydrocy. ac., tea and alcoholic drinks. It is complementary to: Alumina, Chi. Compatible: Aco., Arn., Bell., Chi., Con., Lyc., Merc., Phos., Verat. Incompatible: Thea, beer. Compare: Borax (vertigo on descending); Mang. (cough > lying down); Anac., Spo. (cough > after eating), Ars., Chi. (intermittent fever); Phos. (cholerine); Selen., Thuj. (bad effects of tea). Graph. (flushes of heat); Rhus (> from motion); Oleand. (lienteria); Caust. (paralyses).

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Anxiety, with throbbing in the epigastrium.─Anxiety as after committing a crime.─Peevish, passionate, and disputative.─Irritable; little noises drive to despair.─Gaiety, alternating with sadness, every other day.

2. Head.─Confusion and heaviness in the head.─Vertigo, which causes falling forwards, as from the motion of a carriage, esp. on moving, stooping, etc.─Dizziness and turning vertigo, on looking at running water; with sickness at the stomach in walking; with the sensation as if the head would constantly incline to r. side.─Pressive pain in the head, esp. in the fresh air.─Painful confusion in the head, above the root of the nose, esp. in the evening.─Pulling from the nape of the neck to the head, with shootings and buzzing.─Periodical hammering and pulsative headache, which oblige the patient to lie down, every two or three weeks.─Congestion in the head; enlarged veins, sensitiveness of the head to the touch; worse after midnight and towards morning; returning periodically.─Pain in the back part of the head when coughing.─Pain in the scalp, as if it were galled.─Profuse falling off of the hair, with pain when it is touched.

3. Eyes.─Eyes cloudy, dull, and watery, with blue rings around them, esp. after slight fatigue (in writing).─Eyes red, with burning pain.─Swelling and redness of the eyelids, with a sty, suppurating on the upper lid.

4. Ears.─Buzzing in the ears, mitigated by supporting the head on a table.

5. Nose.─Epistaxis, chiefly from one nostril and in the evening.─Constant accumulation of clots of blood in the nose.

6. Face.─Face earth-coloured, or pale and wan, with sunken eyes.─Fiery redness of the face; the veins are enlarged.─Yellow or bluish spots on the face.─Small red spots on the cheek, which is pale.─Puffing of the face round the eyes.─Lips pale.

9. Throat.─Pressive pain in the throat, on swallowing.─Spitting of blood.─Constrictive sensation in the throat; feeling as if something rolled into throat and closed it like a valve.

10. Appetite.─Sweetish taste, like that of blood.─Bitter taste of food.─Want of appetite, esp. in the morning, alternating with bulimy.─Dislike to food and acids.─Longing for acids.─Meat lies heavy on the stomach.─Insatiable thirst, or absence of thirst.─Solid food appears too dry.─After every meal, risings and regurgitation of food, even of that which has been eaten with good appetite.─Vomiting after taking acids.─Pressure on the stomach and on the abdomen, always following eating and drinking.─Beer affects the head, or causes vomiting.─Cannot eat or drink anything hot.

11. Stomach.─Nausea, with inclination to vomit, during a meal.─Vomiting of food, esp. at night, or immediately after a meal, even after eating only fresh eggs.─Sour vomiting and acid rising.─Everything vomited tastes sour and is acrid.─Bitter risings after eating fat things.─Pressure on the stomach, esp. after eating meat, or even after taking the least food or drink.─Cramp-like pain in the stomach.─Pressive cramps in the stomach, on every occasion of eating or drinking.

12. Abdomen.─Inflation and hardness of the abdomen.─Liver enlarged, sensitive.─Spleen large, sore.─Cramps in spleen region.─Cramp-like pains in the abdomen.─Cramps in the abdominal muscles, as if the abdomen were contracted, esp. during physical exertion, and on stooping, so that he can only straighten himself slowly.─Flatulent colic at night (violent rumbling in the abdomen).─Painful heaviness in the hypogastrium on walking.─Painful weight of the abdominal viscera in walking, as if they would fall down.─The bowels feel sore as if bruised, when touching them or when coughing.

13. Stool and Anus.─Watery and corrosive diarrhoea, sometimes accompanied by cramp-like pains in the abdomen, the back, and the anus.─Watery diarrhoea with burning at the anus.─Discharge of blood and mucus at every stool.─Painless diarrhoea (involuntary during a meal).─Undigested faeces.─Slimy faeces.─Ascarides in the rectum discharged with the slimy stool.─Costive: stools hard and difficult, followed by backache.─Constipation from intestinal atony; with hot urine.─Contractive spasms in rectum.─Itching at the anus from ascarides at night (children).─Protrusion of large varices at the anus.─Blind and fluent haemorrhoids.

14. Urinary Organs.─Pains in bladder.─Involuntary urination by night; also by day.─Constant desire to urinate, with pain in liver, chest, and kidneys.─Urine blood-red, contains blood corpuscles.─Albuminuria.─Hot urine.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Increase of sexual desire, with frequent erections and pollutions.─Impotence.─Nocturnal emissions.─Flow of mucus from the urethra.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Metrorrhagia, with over-excitement of the sanguineous system.─Face fiery red, and copious flow of blood, at one time liquid, at another black and coagulated, accompanied by pains in the sacral region and abdomen, similar to those of child-birth.─Catamenia feeble and of a pale blood.─Suppression of the catamenia.─During coition, smarting and pain, like that of excoriation in the vagina, with want of enjoyment.─Swellings and indurations of the vagina.─Prolapse of vagina; pain in os tincae on lying down.─Before the catamenia, shooting pains in the head, with tingling in the ears.─Abortion.─Milky and corrosive leucorrhoea.─Sterility.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Hot breath.─Oppressed, short breathing.─Hoarseness and roughness in the throat.─Tickling in the trachea, which greatly excites coughing.─Cough, only on moving and walking.─Cough > on lying down.─Purulent expectoration from the cough.─Spasmodic cough, esp. in the morning, with expectoration of tenacious and transparent mucus, ceasing immediately after a meal; or dry, spasmodic cough, commencing after a meal, with vomiting of food.─Sensation of dryness in the chest.─Cough worse in the evening, till midnight.─Fetid, greenish expectoration, with streaks of blood, esp. at night, or in the morning.─Cough after a meal, with vomiting of food.─On coughing, pains in the occiput, or shootings, and pains as of a bruise in the chest.

18. Chest.─Difficulty of respiration, with almost imperceptible rising of the chest, and great dilation of the nostrils during expiration.─Difficulty of respiration, esp. at night, or in the evening, as if commencing in the epigastrium, < during repose, and > by intellectual or physical occupation.─Fulness and tightness of the chest.─Asthma (after midnight) compelling one to sit up.─Asthma most violent when lying, or when sitting still without doing anything; > by walking and talking.─When sitting still, loud breathing as if asleep.─Fits of suffocation, in bed in the evening, with burning pain in the throat and the upper part of the body, and coldness in the extremities.─Constrictive oppression of the chest.─Constrictive spasms in the chest, < by walking or movement.─Stitches and soreness in the chest.─Tensive lancinations in the chest, extending to the shoulder-blades.─Congestion in the chest.

19. Heart.─Palpitation: < from least motion; > walking slowly; in onanists; after loss of fluids.─Venous murmurs.─Hypertrophy.

20. Neck and Back.─Stiffness of the muscles of the neck, with pain during movement.─Swelling of the glands of the neck.─Tearing (paralytic) between the shoulder-blades at night, into the upper arm (l.); he cannot raise the arm; slow movement improves it gradually.─Shootings in the shoulder-blades on moving the arms.

22. Upper Limbs.─Shootings and tearings in the joint of the shoulder, and in the arm, or pullings, paralytic weakness, and heaviness.─Cracking in the shoulder-joint.─Nightly tearing and stinging in the arms.─Uneasiness in the arms.─Swelling and desquamation of the skin of the hands.─Cramps and numbness in the fingers.

23. Lower Limbs.─Tearings, with violent lancination, from the coxo-femoral joint to the tibia, < in evening in bed, and during repose.─Paralytic weakness and numbness in the thighs.─Weakness in the knees, so that they yield, with uneasiness of the feet.─Varices on the legs.─Stiffness, traction and heaviness in the legs.─Swelling of the knees and of the joints of the feet.─Swelling of the feet, with drawing pain, esp. on beginning to walk.─Cramps in the calves of the legs, the soles of the feet, and the toes.─The toes are contracted.

24. Generalities.─Violent pains, tearings and shootings, esp. at night, which compel movement of the parts affected.─Varices.─Contraction of the limbs.─Cramps in the limbs (during the day).─Dropsical swellings, with shooting pains.─Ebullition of blood and haemorrhage.─The majority of the symptoms show themselves at night, are aggravated by a sitting posture, and mitigated by gentle movement.─Great lassitude and general weakness (almost paralytic), produced even by speech, often alternating with anxious trembling of the whole body; she is so weak that she must lie down.─Emaciation.─After walking in the open air, sickly feeling of fatigue, to the extent of losing consciousness, with obscuration of the eyes, and buzzing in the head.─Restlessness of the limbs.─Great need to lie down.─Cracking in the joints.

25. Skin.─Burning sensation in different parts of the skin, with pain as from excoriation on being touched.─Paleness of the skin over the whole body.─Dirty, earth-coloured skin.─Dropsy.

26. Sleep.─Excessive drowsy fatigue, with agitated sleep, at night, anxious tossing, numerous dreams, and difficulty in going to sleep again after waking.─Vivid dreams.─Can only lie on her back at night.─The child does not sleep, disturbed by the itching caused by the ascarides.─Sleep retarded in the evening.─Anxious tossing about in bed (after midnight).─Eyes half open during sleep.─Inability to sleep when lying on the side.

27. Fever.─Frequent shiverings of short duration.─Shiverings in the evening with a feeling of cold when in bed, all night.─Shiverings with violent thirst, preceded or accompanied by headache.─Chill with thirst and red, hot face.─Dry heat, with urgent inclination to throw off all covering.─Pulse full and hard.─Ebullition of blood in the day, with heat in the evening, esp. in the hands.─Fever, with congestion in the head, puffing round the eyes, swelling of the veins, vomiting of food, short respiration and paralytic weakness.─Copious perspiration, excited by the least movement during sleep.─Nocturnal perspiration of a strong smell.─Cold perspiration, with anxiety during the spasms.─Colliquative, clammy sweat.─Profuse and long-continued perspiration, during the day when moving, and at night, and in the morning hours in bed.

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

Iron (The Element)

Persons of sanguine temperament;; pettish, quarrelsome, disputative, easily excited, least contradiction angers (Anac., Coc., Ign.); > mental exertion. Irritability: slight noises like crackling of paper drive him to despair (Asar., Tar.). Women who are weak, delicate, chlorotic, yet have a fiery red face. Extreme paleness of the face, lips and mucous membranes which becomes red and flushed on the least pain, emotion or exertion. Blushing (Amyl., Coca.). Erethitic chlorosis, worse in winter. Red parts become white; face, lips, tongue and mucous membrane of mouth. Vertigo: with balancing sensation,, as if on water; on seeing flowing water; when walking over water, as when crossing a bridge (Lys.); on descending (Bor., Sanic.). Headache: hammering, beating, pulsating pains, must lie down; with aversion to eating or drinking. For two, three or four days every two or three weeks. Menses: too early, too profuse, too long lasting, with fiery red face; ringing in the ears; intermit two or three days and then return; flow pale, watery, debilitating. Haemorrhagic diathesis; blood bright red, coagulates easily (Fer. p., Ipec., Phos.). Regurgitation and eructation of food in mouthfuls (Alum.). without nausea. Canine hunger, or loss of appetite, with extreme dislike for all food. Vomiting: immediately after midnight; of ingesta, as soon as food is eaten; leaves table suddenly and with one effort vomits everything eaten, can sit down and eat again; sour, acid (Lyc., Sul. ac.). Diarrhoea: undigested stools at night, or while eating or drinking (Crot. t.); painless with a good appetite; of consumptives [Compare Kent's Lectures]. Constipation: from intestinal atony; ineffectual urging; stools hard, difficult, followed by backache or cramping pain in rectum; prolapsus recti of children; itching on anus at night. Always feels better by walking slowly about, although weakness obliges the patient to lie down. Cough only in the day time (Euphr.); relieved by lying down; > by eating (Spong.). Dropsy; after loss of vital fluids; abuse of quinine; suppressed intermittent (Carbo v., Cinch.).

Relations. - Complementary: to, Alum., Cinch. Cinch.: the vegetable analogue follows well in nearly all diseases, acute or chronic. Should never be given in syphilis; always aggravates the condition.

Aggravation. - At night; at rest, especially while sitting still.

Amelioration. - Walking slowly about; in summer.