Zincum phosphoricum

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

Description. — Phosphide of Zinc is a black granular powder, resembling very closely Iron by hydrogen, having a strong smell of phosphorus, and tastes phosphoric. Entirely insoluble in water.

Officinal Preparations. — Triturations. (Even in the 2 x and 3 x trit. its offensive taste and odor will prove an obstacle to its administration, but it can be disguised by prescribing it in the form of a pill. They can be very rapidly prepared if the trituration is made with equal parts of sac. lac. and pulv. gum acacia.)

Analogues. — Bromides of Potash, Ammonia, and Lithium, Conium, Gelseminum, Zinc. ox. and met.

Head.

0 Useful for the secondary effects of cerebral congestion and

apoplexy, or for the debility , paralysis, and mental depression— preferable to phosphorus. " My experience with this medicine has been very extensive. I have never known it to produce the least unpleasant effect, and have rarely been disappointed in obtaining the full results to be expected from Phosphorus in doses of one-tenth of a grain three times a day." {Hammond on Nervous Diseases.)

0 Useful in passive cerebral congestion, (lb., Hale.)

° Cerebral ansemia. (Hale.)

[It is perfectly homoepatkic to the so-called hydrocephaloid disease of children, from loss of fluids, fever, etc. In the " brain-fag " of literary men, in conditions threatening paralysis of the cerebral functions, and the dreadful periodic headaches to which teachers, clergymen and others, who, from over-study, have produced cerebral anaemia, or passive congestion, with irritation. In such cases the 3 x trit. will prove efficient. Male.] Generalities.

0 Mercurial Trembliny, with the following symptoms: Nearly all the muscles of locomotion seemed agitated by regular and spasmodic oscillations, which seemed due to the alternate contraction and relaxation of the muscles. This trembling, more marked in the upper than the lower extremities, was increased by any attempt at motion. His walk was hesitating and difficult. He could neither feed or dress himself, and he could not speak distinctly. He was emaciated and cachectic, and looked prematurely old; no appetite, painful digestion, and the generative faculties were wholly lost. He was much discouraged and attempted to commit suicide.

[Cured in twenty-one days by £th grain three times a day. But these doses caused diarrhoea.] Gazette de Ilopit.

The above case strongly resembles the symptoms of zinc, especially; also phosphorus. This remedy ought to prove useful in Chorea. (Hale.)

The chemical formula of Phosphide of Zinc is P. Z n 3., and one grain represents little more than one-seventh of a grain of Phosphorus. Nine-tenths of a grain killed a rabbit of seven pounds weight. (Ib.)

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

Since the introduction of this remedy into our Materia Medica, no provings have been made of it, and the clinical experience has been scanty.

I have used it a good deal for the secondary effects of cerebral congestion , or apoplexy. Hammond asserts that it removes the debility, mental depression, and paralysis following such attacks.

In a few cases it seemed to have the desired effect, but it utterly failed in others.

Taking the indications for Phosphorus and Zinc as a basis for its selection, I have given it in “brain-fag” of business men, who become haggard, pale, sleepless, and suffer from depression of spirits and causeless worry. In such cases it acts well.

It has cured aggravated cases of mercurial tremors. It ought to cure chorea with imbecility. I believe it will be found useful in some varieties of delirium tremens.

Impotence of a cerebral origin, i. e., when caused by overstudy and nervous debility, or when resulting from previous abuse of the sexual function, ought to be removed by this remedy.

I think the Phosphide of zinc has not met the expectations of allopathic physicians. At first they used it largely, and perhaps indiscriminately, but meeting with no unusual success, they became disappointed and dropped its use.

I find no recent mention of the remedy in our literature except a brief article in the “Medical Investigator,” by Dr. J. A. Young, of Hopkinsville, Ky. I quote his paper entire :

The object of this paper is, in the absence of asystematic proving, to give some vague indications drawn from clinical observations, and thus aid in the development of the powers of a remedy destined to play no subordinate part in the treatment of nervous diseases, and that promises to fill a long-felt vacuum in our Materia Medica. Without attempting to theorize in regard to the method of the action, there is ample testimony to justify the assertion that it is a speedy and powerful nerve-tonic or stimulant, numerous clinical reports testifying to its beneficial action in cases arising from lesions of nerve structures. Dr. Hammond, in his work on Nervous Diseases,” claims to have first introduced this remedy to the notice of the American profession, and under the influence of the popular chemical school recommends it in cases where Phos. is indicated, and attributes its effects to that element of its composition alone. The testimony of English physicians is, that as a substitute for Phos. its action is not satisfactory. The deduction formed from clinical observations is, that while its action resembles that of each of its chemical constituents, yet its chosen analogue is Nux vom., and that it will be specially beneficial in those cases where both Phos. and Nux, apparently indicated, have been used without satisfactory results. Dr. Hammond recommends it in strong terms, in doses of one-tenth grain (often in combination with Nux or Strychnia), in cases of cerebral congestion (passive), spinal anaemia, etc., and says : “ My experience with this remedy has been extensive. I have never known it to produce the least unpleasant effects.” In three cases under my observation the use of the 3d has produced positive and unmistakable excitement of the sexual desire, manifested in two cases by erections of penis, accompanied by unusual voluptuousness and desire for embrace ; and in the third case by nocturnal emissions, accompanied by voluptuous dreams and intense nervous thrill. I would be apprehensive of unpleasant effects from any lower potency, especially so in one of the cases, for the aggravations are manifest even from one dose of the 3d. In addition to this sexual excitement, in one case, a larger dose than usual will cause a pleasant nervous excitement, with sleeplessness after 3 A.M. Says that “ it wakes me at 3, and I feel as if under the influence of pleasant and quick music.” This wakefulness differs from that of Nux and other remedies in that the patient does not feel fatigued or unrefreshed by his loss of sleep. It also produced bursting headache.

I give a short resume of the symptoms from two cases that have been greatly benefited by the use of this remedy, remarking that special interest attaches to them from the fact that both had tried many remedies in vain to find prompt and permanent relief from the Phosphide of zinc.

Case I. — J. B. McK., merchant, about forty years of age, nervous bilious temperament. I copy from a note of his to me : “ For five or six years I have suffered from extreme nervousness, affecting my head mostly, and upper part of spinal column ; pain, sometimes in my neck, and up into the hack part of the head ; then, again, pain in my temples, as if something was pressing in from one side to the other on the brain ; vertigo or dizziness always present ; weak digestion, torpid liver; hands and feet always cold; one of the most distressing symptoms is that of fear.” His mental condition was very annoying, being oppressed with an indescribable anxiety, or indefinable fear, a fear of something he knew not what ; was easily startled. A prominent feature of both case No. I and No. II was, that a recumbent position always relieved the vertigo and improved the other symptoms. The above is but the outline of a series of unpleasant symptoms that medicine had failed to relieve. In February, 1875, I put him upon Zinci phosphide*. Under date of April 12th he says: “So much better have discontinued the medicine.”

Case II. — A physician, aged about sixty ; in early life a sufferer from dyspepsia ; was engaged in a large and arduous practice when taken. In the fall of 1863, when walking on the street he was suddenly attacked with vertigo, and from that a train of nervous symptoms manifested themselves until the patient was compelled to give up, in a great measure, his practice. The more prominent symptoms were headache, with binding feeling across brows, twitching of single nerves, a feeling of dizziness or unsteadiness, not amounting to actual vertigo, but more a dread of falling, such as is produced by looking down from a great height ; weight and oppression in head ; difficulty of thought ; nervousness affecting particularly his handwriting ; could with great difficulty write a very scrawling hand ; an intensely bitter taste in mouth and throat at night ; would often wash out the mouth during the night, without relieving this, “ such bitter ” taste; pain in sacral region; weakness of limbs, with great heaviness; cold hands and feet, with other nervous symptoms. After many consultations with his medical colleagues, in 1872 he commenced the use of Phosphide of zinc, with prompt relief.

PHYTOLACCA DECANDEA.

This is one of our most valuable and powerful indigenous remedies. Until subjected to scientific experimentation by our school, and its effects on the healthy discovered by means of provings, but little was known concerning its range of curative powers. The eclectics used it only in chronic diseases, such as chronic rheumatism and syphilis, under the vague idea that it was an “ alterative It always had a reputation among the common people as an excellent remedy for the former disease. The provings of this plant show why it gained a reputation in certain chronic diseases. I refer