Homeopathic Materia Medica

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, James Tyler Kent

This terrible poison should never be used except in attenuations.

Mind and nervous: The nervous manifestations of this remedy are almost indescribable and too numerous to mention.

Anxiety and restlessness are words that prevail through all the conditions in it. It is much like Ars. The anxiety is felt sometimes in the mind, sometimes in the whole body, sometimes in the limbs and in the stomach.

Cardiac anxiety is a strong feature. A strong aversion to colors, such as green, red and black. Depraved imaginations prevail through all the proving. Loss of all shame.

Desire to run about, to dance and jump up and down. Great fantastic dancing. Sometimes, music ameliorates all the symptoms and it other times it aggravates them. He becomes violently excited from music.

Emaciation is so marked that it may be said sometimes that the flesh falls off from him. Creeping and crawling in the skin all over the body. Paralysis of any part of the body, or of all the limbs.

Trembling and jerking convulsions. It has an appearance very much like St. Vitus' Dance and hence has cured chorea when it was better from music. But it will also cure when worse from music.

The extreme restlessness of the limbs is like Ars., and it is a deep acting medicine like Ars., and it sometimes has cured where Ars. has failed, although it seemed well selected. Anxiety, restlessness, constant motion of the arms, legs, trunk and head. Restlessness of the limbs in the evening, in bed before going to sleep, like Ars. and Lyc.

It is full of pains in the body and limbs; pains in the bones; pains in the. arms and in the joints. Periodicity is so well marked that it has been a marked curative remedy in intermittent fevers with restlessness of limbs, with aching of the bones, with stitching pains, with the anxiety, especially when these come in the evening and the fever lasts all night.

Chill in the evening followed by fever without sweat is a marked feature.

Modalities: The patient himself is always sensitive to cold, so the pains in the limbs are worse in cold air and from becoming cold.

Cold damp weather aggravates all the symptoms. Walking in the open air when not cold ameliorates most of his symptoms. Open air ameliorates, rubbing ameliorates.

There is weakness of all the limbs. Violent pains in the bowels and in the bladder. Burning is a strong symptom, in many parts, but especially in the rectum; in the palms and soles and in the uterus. It is one of our high grade remedies for hysterical women.

He is inclined to walk in his sleep. Excessive hyperesthesia; all the symptoms are worse from grief and excitement. When choreic symptoms are present he can run better than he can walk.

Impairment of memory. Great irritability. In the hysterical symptoms she is better from music. Her motions are ludicrous and she is even lascivious in her conduct. Great excitement from music; she sings until she falls with exhaustion. Fox-like cunning and destructiveness. Paroxysms of insanity with restlessness of the legs and threatening words.

When questioned she does not answer. Frequently imagines that she has been insulted. Dementia with great sadness. Excitement with singing, dancing and weeping. She sees monsters, animals, faces, insects and ghosts. She sees strangers in the room. Tarentula patients feign all sorts of sickness, especially fainting. They not only imagine themselves sick, but they pretend to be sick when they are not.

Aversion to red, green and black and all striking colors. She pulls her own hair and presses her hands upon her head. Constantly, complaining and threatening; threatens her nurse and her attendants; she strikes her head with her hands; she strikes her body; strikes her attendants and her best friends.

Violence is a strong feature of the remedy. Violence with anger. Tears his clothing. Consolation causes weeping.

The mental symptoms are better in the evening after eating. Many physical symptoms are worse in the evening, especially the febrile conditions.

A desire to lie down in the dark and not be talked to. She has many insane ideas, one is that she wants to hide because she imagines that she will be assaulted. Angered from contradiction.

Frequent attacks of dizziness, even so great that she falls to the ground. Dizziness comes on in the night; when descending stairs. Dizziness with rush of blood to the head and dizziness when fixing the eyes upon objects.

Head: The head symptoms are also very numerous.

Contortions and jerking of the head. Constantly rubs the head against something, sometimes it is the pillow when in bed. Throws the head from side to side, here and there.

She has a sensation of hammers in the head. Burning heat in the head. Headache in the evening; in the morning on waking. Cannot open the eyes. Bending head forward aggravates. Pains are pressing and often wander around from place to place in the head; violent pain in the occiput and temples at the same time.

Eyes: Eyes are staring, spasmodically wide open.

Dim vision usually worse in the right eye. Severe pain in the right eye. Sensation of sand or splinters in the eyes. Itching in the eyes. Burning, worse in the right eye.

Photophobia is marked. It will therefore be seen that the right eye is more affected. Many symptoms of the body are confined to the right side.

Ears: Discharge from the cars profuse.

Violent pains in the ear. Stinging in the meatus. Dullness of hearing. Dull pains in the right ear; tearing pains in the right ear.

Buzzing and whizzing and dizziness. Ringing as of bells in the ear on waking in the morning. The right ear is most affected.

Nose: It has many catarrhal symptoms in the nose.

Dryness and burning; sneezing with the coryza and bleeding from the nose.

The acute and chronic nasal symptoms are worse on the right side.

Face, mouth and throat: The face looks sickly and has the appearance of terror.

Tearing pains in the teeth. Pain in the angle of the inferior maxilla as if the teeth would fall out.

There is inflammation of the throat and tonsils, worse on the right side.

Pain in the right tonsil extending to the ear.

Shooting pain in the throat. Pain and constriction on swallowing. It has cured Diphtheria. The throat is much swollen externally and there is high fever.

Stomach: Aversion to food; aversion to meat especially, though craves raw food.

Thirst for cold water. Has nausea and vomiting. Has bitter eructations. Has an empty all-gone feeling in the stomach, an anxious feeling in the stomach. Vomits all food taken. Burning pain in the stomach.

There is burning in the abdomen that extends down through the intestines. Burning in the rectum. Sharp pain in the spleen.

The liver is painful to touch and is swollen. Pain in both sides of the abdomen. The abdomen is distended with flatus. Subject to much colic. Shooting pains in the abdomen, anus and vagina at the same time.

Women who have been poisoned by the Tarentula were found to have fibroid tumors in the abdomen and uterus. Severe pains in the lower abdomen.

It has cured most terrible and alarming constipation after cathartics and injections failed to effect a movement. The symptoms that guide to it are the continual tossing, anxiety, restlessness, rolling from side to side and rubbing the head against the pillow.

There is no desire for stool. With the stool there is much blood. In the rectum there is pain, smarting, tenesmus and in the abdomen colic. Most difficult stool. It also has diarrhoea with nausea and vomiting.

Diarrhoea has been brought on after washing the hair attended with dark foetid stool.

Many toxicological symptoms are found. Sugar in the urine and it has cured diabetes; diabetes with grief, anxiety, weakness and bruised pain all through the body.

Kidneys and bladder: There is involuntary urination when coughing.

Many pains in the kidneys. Most difficult urination and it has cured renal colic. In the pathogenesis the symptoms are much like cystitis and it has cured inflammation of the bladder.

In keeping with these general symptoms there is spasmodic action of the bladder; spasmodic retention of urine; copious urine with emaciation and sugar. Pain in the urethra, drawing after urination. Copious sand in the urine, and the urine is foetid.

There is uncontrollable sexual desire and he seems in a state of mind wherein he has no desire to control himself and his sexual passions; lasciviousness almost to insanity. Onanism followed by prostatic troubles.

Seminal emissions; semen is bloody; pain in the genitals; testes relaxed and painful; pain in the groin; the penis is swollen; tumor in both testicles; pains in the spermatic cords and testes, with swelling; drawing pains in the spermatic cords.

Women: In the female also there is violent, uncontrollable sexual erethism.

Menstrual flow too early and copious. Violent itching of the genitals extending far up into the vagina, worse at night. Pain and violent cramps in the uterus. Nymphomania has been cured by this remedy.

Coition intensifies the desire and is followed by no relief. Extreme hyperesthesia of the genitals. Fibroid tumors have been cured. Great relaxation of the muscles and displacement of the uterus. Strong bearing down feeling in the pelvis. Burning in the uterus; swelling and induration of the uterus.

Violent cramps with burning in the uterus with nausea and vomiting. The uterus is extremely sensitive to pressure. Contracting pains of the uterus are labor-like and such as are often found in abortion. Shooting pains, in the genitals.

Air passages: It has been a very useful remedy in complaints of the air passages.

Constantly scraping of larynx and trachea to clear them of mucus. Loss of voice and hoarseness; loss of voice when talking. Dryness in the larynx and trachea. Burning from the throat down into the chest.

It is very rich in cough symptoms. Dry frequent cough, worse in the evening dry spasmodic cough with retching, with gagging, on every effort to expectorate; cough with involuntary urination; cough with smarting in the larynx and bronchial tubes; night cough.

Again dry cough in the morning. It has a loose cough with thick yellow expectoration in the morning.

It has great difficulty in breathing very much like that which is found in cardiac troubles, such a pressure upon the chest with panting respiration and suffocative catarrh. Oppression in the chest when raising the arms and when lying on the left side. Rheumatic pains. Many pains through and in the chest.

It has numerous heart symptoms. It has cured palpitation with mitral murmurs and sensation of trembling in the heart with irregular pulse; extreme anxiety. in the heart; tumultuous beating of the heart sudden thumping in the heart as from fright but when not frightened.

Constant want of air and desire for fresh air and sensation as if the heart turned over; a sensation as if the heart were squeezed or compressed. It has cured angina pectoris and it has many symptoms of the heart like angina pectoris.

Back and limbs: Upon the back there are boils, abscesses and carbuncles, especially on the back of the neck and between the shoulder blades.

Violent pain in the lumbar region. Violent pains under the scapula, worse from motion.

Rheumatic pains in the whole back. Pain in the shoulder blades. Neck is stiff and painful on motion. It is a great remedy for soreness of the spinal column, or spinal irritation, pressure aggravates and touch aggravates.

The symptoms of the limbs are too numerous to mention; only a few can be spoken of.

Weakness, numbness and restlessness are always present. Rheumatic pains are numerous. The pains of the limbs are so great that he cannot stand the weight of the clothing. Heaviness and numbness of the upper limbs.

Pain in the arm as if squeezed. Heart pains and many pains of the shoulders. Burning pains are very numerous; rheumatic tearing pains. Must move the hands constantly and pick the fingers from nervousness.

There is numbness of the left upper extremity and right lower. Paralysis of the lower limbs with pain in the back on motion. Restlessness of the lower limbs with constant desire to cry (Ars.).

Fatigue and pain in the evening. In the lower limbs there is numbness which changes to a drawing in the muscles. Restlessness in the lower limbs with aching pain during the chill in intermittent fever.

Hard pain in the hips during the night. Pain in the hips and coccyx in the evening while sitting; strong desire to jump. Pains in the nates beginning at 6 A.M. and lasting until evening. Pain in the thighs, as if bandaged when walking, shooting pains in the thighs.

He is moving the legs constantly; heaviness in the legs; bruised pains in the legs; shooting pains in the right tendon-Achilles, he must walk the floor in the evening, like Ars. It is much like Ars., going from chair to chair and from bed to bed, walking the floor.

Sleeplessness before midnight is very marked.

Itching, biting and creeping all over the body marked in the limbs.

Itching and burning. It has cured a dry itching eczema of the extremities and other parts of the skin after Ars. and Sulph. have failed. It is a very deep acting, long acting remedy and a most useful remedy in skin affections.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke

Lycosa tarentula. Tarantula. N. O. Araneideae. Tincture of the living spiders.

Clinical.─Angina pectoris. Callosities. Chorea. Coccygodynia. Cornea, opacity of. Cystitis. Depression of spirits. Diphtheria. Dysmenorrhoea. Epistaxis. Erotomania. Fibroma. Headache. Hiccough. Hysteria. Intermittents. Kleptomania. Levitation. Locomotor ataxy. Mania. Ménière's disease. Migraine. Onanism. Ovaries, enlargement of. Paralysis; agitans. Physometra. Proctalgia. Pruritus pudendi. Quinsy. Septic diseases. Spinal irritation. Spinal sclerosis. Tumours. Uterus, cancer of; neuralgia of. Vertebrae, tumours of.

Characteristics.─The name Tarentula covers a number of poisonous spiders, but in homoeopathy, unless otherwise distinguished, it refers to Tarentula hispanica, Lycosa tarentula. Nunez is our chief authority. He instigated the proving and collected much outside information bearing on the action of the poison. "Tarantella" is a dance named from the city of Tarentum. "Tarantism" is a dancing mania, set up in persons bitten by the Tarentula, or in those who imagine themselves bitten. The cure is music and dancing. Here are two illustrations from C. D. P.: (1) Girl, three months old, was bitten by a tarentula. She appeared at first uneasy, then exhibited dyspnoea, and complained, showed signs of suffocation, vomited, was agitated and much convulsed. Music was played; movements of the limbs were set up, whence resulted profuse sweat, followed by sleep and complete recovery. (2) Francis Mustel, a peasant, was bitten by a tarentula on the left hand, about the middle of July, as he was gathering corn. He went home with his companions but on the way fell as if struck by apoplexy. Dyspnoea followed, and face, hands, and feet became dark. Knowing the remedy, his companions fetched musicians. When the patient heard their playing he began to revive, to sigh, to move first his feet, then his hands, and then the whole body; at last getting on his feet he took to dancing violently, with sighing so laboured that the bystanders were almost frightened. At times he rolled himself on the ground and struck it vehemently with his feet. Two hours after the music began the blackness of his face and hands went off, he sweated freely, and regained perfect health. Every succeeding year at the same season the pain and attending symptoms returned, but less violently; and they could always be averted by music. But if the imminent paroxysm was not averted in time, he was found by his friends struck down as at first and was restored in the same way. These cases bring out some of the cardinal features of Trn. (1) Dark red or purplish coloration and swelling of skin and tissue. (2) Apparent imminent choking. (3) Choreic movements; restlessness. (4) > By music: music at first excites and subsequently relieves. (5) Periodicity; deep action returning annually on the date of the bite. Trn. is a remedy of synalgias and concomitants: Neuralgia of inferior maxillary nerve accompanying pain with irritation in pit of stomach. Snapping and pain in ear associated with hiccough. Throat and eye. Heat of face with heat of palms. Faint feeling in stomach with frontal headache. Many symptoms take their rise from the generative sphere, which is profoundly affected. Desire is excited in both sexes to the point of mania. Coitus only < the sufferings of both. In one male prover the semen was bloody and caused a sensation of heat in its passage. The sexual desire was so excited in one woman that when playing or dancing with men she hugged them before everybody; and was angry when reproved, but did it again. The periods were scanty and pale with severe pains in teeth and buttocks; at times she had a desire to take things which did not belong to her; the "Tarantella" played on the violin produced no effect on her, but as soon as she took in her arms a little girl, she began to cry until it was taken away. Cuttings and contractions in uterus; shootings in vagina; swelling and induration of uterus; expulsion of gas from uterus; pains in other parts associated with uterine pains; restlessness, hysteria. The restlessness is particularly noted in the lower extremities, with desire to cry: must keep moving about though walking < all the symptoms. Many of the mental symptoms, which almost exhaust the protean range of hysteria, were in connection with sexual disorders; sighing, yawning; laughing and crying; joking and profound melancholy. The unceasing movements─twitching jerking, dancing─are the most constant features. There is hysterical hyperaesthesia: the least excitement irritates, followed by languid sadness; great excitability of nerve endings; tips of fingers extremely sensitive; feels sore and bruised all over, < moving about; spinal irritation, slightest touch along spine = spasmodic pain in chest and heart regions. Farrington gives among the mental symptoms: "When there are no observers there is no hysteria; when attention is directed to her she begins to twitch"; and "cunning attempts to feign paroxysms of wild dancing." The chorea of Trn. is most marked on right side. The neuralgias of Trn. may be anywhere; in the head they are of great intensity: "as if thousands of needles were pricking to the brain. They are < by noise, touch, strong light, > by rubbing head against pillow. ("> By rubbing" is a keynote Condition of Trn." Termini of nerves become so irritated that some kind of friction is necessary in order to obtain relief.") Constrictive headache with pain in uterus. P. C. Majumdar (Ind. H. R., v. 43) reports this case: Girl, 18, had oppression of chest, suffocating sensation, continued jerking and movement of hands, foam at mouth, complete insensibility, profuse and delaying menses; very sleepy. Hystero-epilepsy was diagnosed. Ign. 30 did nothing. Trn., high, brought her out of the fit and restored her completely in a few minutes. But Trn. is not a hysteric remedy only. C. M. Boger (Hahn. Ad., xxxviii. 40) cured a case of irritative cough with Trn. 30: Mr. B., 41, sore all over, throat feels dry, cough lying down at night and in morning after rising; dry with tearing pain in chest; excited by pressure of phlegm in chest feels short of breath for at least an hour after each coughing attack only > from smoking. Bad taste evening. Three doses cured. Diphtheria; tonsillitis of an intensity to threaten suffocation; cystitis; septic and intermittent fevers have been successfully met in Trn. on its indications. In M. A., xvii. 568 a case of hyperaesthesia of finger-tips is mentioned. The patient, a lady, 33, could not dress herself without gloves. The irritation caused at once a sensation in the teeth as if set on edge by a strong acid. The pain was not in the fingers. Trn. gave relief after Asar., Gels., and Sul. ac. had failed. Among peculiarities of Trn. are: Stools occur immediately the head is washed. Wetting hands in cold water = symptoms. Snapping and cracking in right ear with pain and hiccough. One pupil dilated, the other contracted. Farrington relates a case of typhoid in a child cured by Trn. The child rolled its head and bit its nightgown. Apis. and Agn. improved. Trn. slightly aggravated at first, then rapidly improved. Peculiar Sensations are: As if head were knocked, in morning. As if thousands of needles were pricking into brain. As if occiput were struck with a hammer (this sensation as if hammered occurs in many parts and may be considered a general indication). As of a hair in eye. Singing like a tea-kettle in left ear. As if lower teeth were going to fall out. As if a living body in stomach rising to throat. As if body were bruised. As if there were not sufficient space in hypogastrium. Painful uneasiness in coccyx. Motion in uterus as of a foetus. As of something crawling up legs under skin from feet to uterus. As if heart turned and twisted round. Heart as if squeezed and compressed. As of needles sticking into muscle of neck when touched. As of insects creeping and crawling. Tickling, burning, scorching, and numbness are prominent sensations. Trn. is suited to nervous, hysterical patients subject to choreic affections; to persons of foxy, mischievous, and destructive tendency; to choreic affections when whole body or right arm and left leg are involved. The symptoms are: < By touch. Rubbing >. Pressure >. Music >; = excitement. Rest <. Must walk about but walking < all symptoms. Can run better than walk. Motion > headache, < uterine pains and pains in coccyx. < At night. < Washing head. < Wetting hands in cold water. Fresh air >. Warm water >. Coitus <. Light <; = to scream. Cough = headache; involuntary urination. < After sleep. > Riding in carriage (pain in spermatic cords). Epistaxis > throbbing in carotids, etc.

Relations.─Antidote to: Lach. (Hering). Partial antidotes: Puls., Mg. c., Mos., Cup., Chel., Gels., Bov., Carb. v. Compare: Irritation of periphery of nerves > exercising and rubbing, K. bro. Chorea, Myg., Act. r., Agar., Stram. Desire to jump, Stram., Croc., Nat. m., Sticta., Asar., Agar., Hyo., Cic. Bores head in pillow, Bell. (Trn. is more rubbing). Hysteria, alternation of moods, sensation of something alive, epistaxis black clots, Croc. As if occiput struck with a hammer, Naj. Deep-in headache, Bac. Extreme joy, Coff. Unfortunate love, Ph. ac. Ménière's disease; ague, Chi. sul. Sees faces, Sul. Fidgety feet, Caust, Zn. Satyriasis, Pic. ac. Bloody semen, Merc., Led. Angina pectoris, Lat. mac., < after coitus, K. ca., Stph. Physometra, Bro. Crawling under skin, Coca. Callosities, Ant. c. Heart as from fright or bad news, Gels. Septicaemia, Pyro.

Causation.─Fall. Unrequited love. Bad news. Scolding. Punishment. Sepsis.

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─Paroxysms of insanity; presses her head and pulls her hair; repeated after intermissions, threatening manners and speech; restlessness of the legs; mocking laughter and joy expressed in her face; comes out of the attack with severe headache, eyes staring and wide open, sees small figures hovering before her eyes, and moves her hands.─Great excitement caused by music, one hour after it general and copious sweat.─Hysteria: with bitter belching; < by moaning, > by sighing, with repeated yawning; ludicrous and lascivious.─Visions: monsters; animals; faces; insects; ghosts.─The colours red, yellow, and green, and particularly black, produce heavy mist before the eyes.─Sees strangers in the room.─Great taciturnity and irritability; desire to strike himself and others.─Excessive gaiety, laughs at slightest cause; maniacally happy mood.─Joy and strong emotion with trembling when seeing beloved persons.─Sings until hoarse and exhausted.─Fits of nervous laughing; followed by screams.─Profound grief and anxiety.─Desire to take things which do not belong to her.─Indifference, disgust, and sadness from morning to 3 p.m. were marked, < after midday; from 3 p.m. to evening the gay disposition returned.─Wants to be without any light and without being spoken to.─Irritability, rage, fury.─Mischievous, destructive.─Ennui.─Fear of impending calamity.─Little intelligence and poor memory.

2. Head.─Vertigo: on walking; after breakfast, with bad taste in mouth; sudden, in air, on coming downstairs; transient during the night; preceded by gastric symptoms, < by carrying anything heavy on head; causing failing without loss of consciousness; when fixing sight on any object, with headache, severe pain in cerebellum, accompanied by incomplete erection of penis and formication of soft palate.─Contortions and extraordinary movements of head and hands, with rage and nervous agitation.─Must move head from r. to l. and hit it against some object, with crossness.─Head heavy, difficult to open eyes; tendency to incline head backward.─Headache on waking compels her to lie down again.─Headache with giddiness when fixing the sight on any object.─Pain in head and heart with cough and nausea, morning on waking.─Deep, intense headache, with restlessness, compelling to move from place to place; the pain flies to forehead and occiput with photophobia; a strong light compels to complain and swear.─Compression; hammering; lancinating; burning pains in head.─Great burning in head, the hair troubles to the point of wanting to remove it; continually tossing head without finding a place where to rest it; uneasiness, impatience; ill-humour, oppressive breathing and desire to pull out her hair.─Headache < by touch.─Inclining head forward < frontal pain; inclining backward < occipital pain; inclining to either side < pain in that side.─Frontal headache, pain in vertex and parietal bones, as if cold water was poured on the head, with great noise internally.─From 3 to 7 p.m. pain in forehead, esp. r. side.─Neuralgia of temples.─Pain in upper and middle part of head extending to cheek-bones, with nausea and desire to vomit.─Headache particularly affecting l. eye.─Lancinating pain l. side of head; with itching of r. ear.─Pains extending to occiput, with necessity of shutting the hands, which >.─Headache on occiput and temples when coughing, as if striking it with a hammer.─Pain in occiput: as if struck with a hammer; burning, scorching; with burning thirst; as if a nail driven in; compression, extending towards neck.

3. Eyes.─Blue circles round eyes.─Eyes glassy, red.─R. pupil much dilated, l. contracted.─Feeling of a hair in l. eye, which pricked it; pricking caused her to rub it, < on waking.─Pain in l. eye as if cold water poured into it.─Sensation: of splinter; sand; eye-lash; pin pricking eyes.─Shooting, lancinating, stinging pains in eyes.─Light irritates eyes; company annoys him.─Itching of eyes and very thick tears.─Pain in eyebrows.─Lids agglutinated on waking.─Itching of lids; herpes.─Photophobia.─Vision: weak, obscure; sees ghosts, faces, flashes.

4. Ears.─Profuse mucous secretion from r. ear.─Violent pain at external meatus, < by touch, which = sensation as if a nail were driven through head, or a general shaking.─On rising snap in r. ear followed by thick, brownish discharge.─Snapping cracking in r. ear with pain and hiccough.─Deafness with buzzing, whizzing, and vertigo.─Noise in ears: in night < waking; in r. with mucous discharge; in r. of clear bell on waking, vanishing on getting up.─When a snapping or cracking is felt the hearing is >.

5. Nose.─Sneezing and coryza (r.).─Profuse epistaxis, with a flow of black, quickly coagulating blood.─Great itching in l. nostril and frequent sneezing.─Epistaxis > throbbing carotids and fulness in head.

6. Face.─Face: expression of terror; pale, earthy, strongly contrasting with purple neck; flushed with burning heat, also heat and sweat of palms.─Burning and scorching sensating on lips as after a fever.─Pain in angles of lower jaw, so severe he thinks he is going crazy.─Pain in lower jaw as if all teeth going to fall out.─Pain in direction of r. lower maxillary nerve, with a tickling sensation in stomach, dizziness, vanishing of sight, buzzing in ears.

7. Teeth.─Toothache: with sense of formication; with hiccough; as if loose, and electric sparks passed through them; throbbing; < coming in con I tact with the air.─Great dryness of mouth and teeth.─Painful aphthae on tongue; with fetid breath.─Tongue drawn backward preventing speech.─Patch of suspicious cancerous nature in mouth and on fauces.─Palate feels scalded.

9. Throat.─Sore throat: when swallowing, at same time shooting in l. eye; when coughing; talking; yawning; with painful constriction when smoking.─Sensation when swallowing of constriction in throat.─Throbbing sore throat.─Sensation as if cold water continually dropping down throat.─R. tonsil: painfully swollen; painful constriction, extending to ear, < by swallowing.─Fauces inflamed purplish.─External swelling of neck so great as to cause danger of choking.─Constant throbbing pain In cervical and submaxillary glands, with occasional sharp stinging pains.─Tonsillitis; high fever, delirium, red face, tonsils so swollen, suffocation feared.─(Diphtheria with same symptoms.)

10. Appetite.─Loss of appetite, intense thirst; general prostration; vomiting after eating; and getting out of bed; craving for raw food; disgust for meat.─(Disorders of pregnancy.).─Opium habit.─Taste of food: flat; bitter; salty: piquant.─Flat or sweetish taste in mouth.

11. Stomach.─Hiccough; with toothache.─Nausea: with dizziness compelling to lie down.─Vomiting: acid; mucous; with intense burning pains in stomach and oesophagus.─Pain in stomach < by drinking water.─Gastric symptoms with slight pains in roots of teeth, esp. when touching each other.─(Many digestive symptoms are peculiar on account of accompanying sympathetic neuralgic pains, in sides of head, face, ears, teeth, malar bones.)

12. Abdomen.─Swelling of hypochondria.─Lancinating pain in spleen, with pain in stomach and uterus.─Hepatic region painful to touch.─Sharp pain in umbilical region; violent burning in abdomen and rectum; stools profuse, dark, fetid, with violent urging; constipation.─Bloating.─Borborygmus.─Fibrous tumour in hypogastrium compressing genitals, and causing uterine discharges.─Burning in hypogastrium with great weight, interfering with walking and causing pruritus of vulva.─Pain in hypogastrium, hips and uterus, as if these parts were compressed; at same time unconquerable drowsiness.─Pain in groins; with relaxed sensation; as from rupture, esp. r., < by cold water.

13. Stool and Anus.─Pain and burning in anus after stool.─Repeated shooting in anus.─Violent effort to have a passage; hard stool with blood.─Tenesmus.─Constipation; with involuntary passing of urine on coughing or any effort.─Profuse diarrhoea with prostration, nausea, vomiting, fainting.─Stools: three or four times daily, very dark, fetid, partly formed, containing much mucus, expelled with difficulty, and followed by smarting and burning in anus; stools occur immediately on having head washed.─Weakness of sphincter, faeces appear natural but are passed as fast as accumulated.

14. Urinary Organs.─Pain in kidneys; with prostration.─Cystitis; with high fever, gastric derangement, excruciating pains and inability to pass a drop of urine; bladder seems swollen and hard; great tenderness and spasmodic action, debilitating patient, who passes only by drops a dark-red brown, fetid urine, with gravel-like sediment.─Pain in region of bladder; urination frequent, very painful; extremely nervous; could get no relief in any position; < night.─Urine: hot, thick, much sediment; difficult micturition; incontinence and pain in kidneys.─Diabetes.─Incontinence when laughing, coughing, etc.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─Extreme sexual excitement, lasciviousness almost to insanity.─Onanism followed by prostatic ailments and hypochondriasis.─Painfulness of genitals; testes relaxed, painful to touch; pain in groins and stricture of urethra.─Erections.─Emissions.─Indolent tumour developed in each testicle.─Heaviness, pain and great swelling of (r.) testicle and cord.─Drawing pulling in left cord.─During emission of semen a sensation of heat is felt in its passage, it is rose-coloured containing some blood.─Difficult coitus, followed by fatigue and cough.

16. Female Sexual Organs.─Extreme sexual excitement; menses too early and profuse; pains and spasm of uterus; pruritus vulvae; leucorrhoea.─Violent nymphomania; < from coitus.─Nymphomania; reflex chorea; hyperaemia and hyperaesthesia of sexual organs.─Sexual desire in a woman who had a shining callosity on l. index finger.─Fibrous tumour of uterus with bearing-down pains.─Discharge of blood alternately with leucorrhoea.─Uterine discharge with pain in groins.─Spasmodic pains < when trying to walk.─Expulsion of gas from uterus.─Anguish, malaise in sexual organs; impossible to walk; seems as if a living body moving or tingling in stomach with. tendency to rise to throat.─Sensation as if uterus had not room enough and were pushing away intestines.─Pain in uterus with constrictive headache.─Shooting: in vagina; in genitals followed by leucorrhoea.─Cutting in uterus or pain as if a heavy blow struck on it.─Pruritus vulvae, after menses.─Profuse menstruation: with erotic spasms; crossness; ennui, and deep dissatisfaction; < after sleep.─Menses seven days too early.─(Uterine neuralgia.─Dysmenorrhoea.).─Sensation of motion in uterus, like a foetus.─Disorders of pregnancy.─Swelling of breasts with itching of nipples.

17. Respiratory Organs.─Roughness in larynx and trachea with seine dry cough, and smarting in eyelids.─Aphonia with increased difficulty of breathing.─Hoarseness.─Cough: painful; dry; gagging; fatiguing; = distensive pains in head, chest, and uterus with sadness and anxiety; but when walking in open air a sensation of happiness.─Cough when getting out of bed, with vomiting and involuntary emissions of urine.─Chronic suffocating catarrh.─Loose cough followed by tickling in larynx and bronchial tubes which renews cough.─Attacks of suffocation, with crying, screaming, and restlessness.

18. Chest.─Great oppression in chest; panting respiration.─Sensation as of a blow at base of l. lung.─In chest, pains; stinging; pressive; cramp-like; shooting.

19. Heart and Pulse.─Diseases of heart < by wetting hands in cold water.─Praecordial anxiety, tremulous beating of heart.─Pain in heart as if squeezed, also in aorta.─Nervous spells with pain in l. ovary.─Sensation as if heart turned or twisted round.─Palpitation, stitches interfering with breathing.─Painful throbbing of carotids, with fulness in head, esp. region of medulla, > by epistaxis.─Trembling and thumping of heart as from fright or bad news.─Pulse: hard, infrequent; irregular.

20. Neck and Back.─Neck stiff; cannot move it without pain.─Pain l. side of neck when turning head to r.─Mole on neck with sensation as of needles sticking into it when touched.─Pain in neck and back followed by general paralysis.─Swelling (or tumour, or rheumatoid prominence) on spinal column with laboured breathing.─Tabes dorsalis.─Scapula: pain in; shooting pain under l.─Shooting in l. loin above hip.─Acute convulsive pains in l. lower part of vertebral column on appearance of menses, ceasing with them.─Repeated lancinating, shooting pain in coccyx.─(Coccygodynia after confinement; burning, smarting leucorrhoea, painful uneasiness in coccyx > standing, < slightest movement, sitting, lying in bed, or least pressure).

21. Limbs.─Rheumatism checked by putting extremities in cold water, panting respiration, anxiety, cramps in heart or twisting pains; arm feels tense, stretched; morning and night cold extremities.─Weakness, numbness, and dulness.─Necessity to move legs extends to hands with desire of taking something and throwing it away; to roll something between fingers; followed by general fatigue.─Great pain in knuckles and toes, can scarcely bear the weight of lightest linen.

22. Upper Limbs.─Heaviness in arms (soon).─Squeezed pain in l. arm and hand (forenoon).─Pain and swelling in wrists.─Restlessness of hands.─Unbearable pains in thumbs, esp. r., > pressure.─Burning and sweating of palms.

23. Lower Limbs.─Uneasiness of legs, must keep moving them.─Weakness of legs, cannot plant them firmly; do not obey will.─Numbness of legs followed by paralysis.─Convulsive shaking and twitching in r. leg.─Pain in r. internal malleolus.─Shooting: in r. tendo Achillis; r. great toe; r. little toe.─Painful cramp in r. sole.─Itching in soles of feet.

24. Generalities.─A state like apoplexy or asphyxia comes on; if music is brought the patient revives, sighs, commences to dance vigorously, and so the symptoms pass off with perspiration; but they are apt to be renewed the following year in the same season.─Trembling of all limbs.─Intense restlessness.

25. Skin.─Ecchymosed spots.─Hepatic spots.─Furfuraceous spots.─Miliary eruption.─Indolent pimples.─Vesicular eruption like crusta lactea.─A small callosity, whitish, indolent, in r. palm between middle and index fingers, increased, with heat and pain, extended, broke, leaving an ulcer with callous edges, healed leaving a small scar.─Painful callosity at end of r. thumb fell off.─Callosity in l. index fell out.─Every year intense pain in toes from re-opened wound.─Formication; pricking; itching over whole body.

26. Sleep.─Yawning.─Sleeplessness.─Dreams: of business; of drowning; sad with weeping.─Wakes up cross.

27. Fever.─Constant chill and coldness during four days.─Scorching heat on whole body alternating with icy coldness.─Intermittent febrile attacks; during heat continued coldness of feet.─Chills and fever with choreic convulsions; shakes almost continuously with involuntary movements in limbs, abdomen, chest, back and face, < l. side; could not speak (after a severe scolding or punishment).─Toxaemic fevers of a typhoid or intermittent form; chilliness or burning heat, chilliness predominating.─Scorching heat of skin, which is scarlet.─Debilitating sweats.─Night-sweats.─Cold sweat.

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

Tarantula; Cuban and Spanish (Araneideae)

Adapted to highly nervous organisms, especially choleric affections where whole body, or right arm and left leg are affected (left arm and right leg, Agar.). Constant movement of the legs, arms, trunk, with inability to do anything; twitching and jerking of muscles. Restlessness, could not keep quiet in any position; must keep in motion, though walking < all symptoms (rev. of Rhus, Ruta). Hyperaesthesia: least excitement irritates, followed by languid sadness; extreme of tips of fingers. Slight touch along the spine provokes spasmodic pain in chest and cardiac region. Headache: intense, as if thousands of needles were pricking the brain. Absceses, boils, felons, affected parts of a bluish color (Lach.), and atrocious burning pain (Anth., Ars.); the agony of a felon, compelling patient to walk the floor for nights. Malignant ulcers; carbuncle, anthrax; gangrene. Symptoms appear periodically. Headache, neuralgic < by noise, touch, strong light, > by rubbing head against pillow. At every menstrual nisus, throat, mouth and tongue intolerably dry, specially when sleeping (Nux m.). Sexual excitement extreme even to mania; spasms of uterus pruritis vulva becomes intolerable.

Relations. - Similar: to, Apis, Crot., Lach., Plat., Mygale, Naja, Ther.

Aggravation. - Motion; contact; touch of affected parts; noise; change of weather.

Amelioration. - In open air; music; rubbing affected parts. Termini of nerves becomes so irritated and sensitive that some kind of friction was necessary to obtain refief.

Leaders In Homoeopathic Therapeutics, Eugene Beauharnais Nash

This spider poison has like other spider poisons very positive nervous symptoms. It acts upon the uterus and ovaries, and upon the female sexual organs generally. "In case of hyperaestesia or congestion of these organs, which set up a general hysterical condition, states simulating spinal neurasthenia, sensitive and painful back; excessive restlessness, and impressibility to excitements, music, especially, where there is constant inclination to keep the hands busy (Kali bromatum), and again especially if accompanied by sexual desire or pruritus of the genitals, Tarantula is able to accomplish much." Choreaic conditions, which are often the outcome of an advanced stage of the above described nervous condition, are peculiarly amenable to this remedy. Twitching or jerking of the muscles in conjunction with other troubles should always call to mind this remedy, with which such jerkings are so characteristic. It has a restlessness in women similar to the restlessness in men of Phosphorus, viz., cannot keep quiet in any position; must keep in motion, though walking < all the symptoms. This remedy is not yet as thoroughly understood as it should be. Another spider ought to be mentioned in this connection, viz., the Tarentula cubensis.