Castor Equorum. (Castor Equi.)
By Constantine Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica
The Rudimentary Thumbnail of the Horse.
A small, flat, oblong-oval horn, wrinkled on the surface, breathing off in scales, darker than the hoof, growing on the inner side of the leg above the fetlock of horses, styled by Oken "the rudimentary thumbnail of the horse," and by Paracelsus Verrucæ equorum genuum .
The scales are triturated, and during the process develop a peculiar odor, thought by some to resemble Moschus, by others Castoreum. The report of a cure of epilepsy of long standing with this substance, and his high opinion of the importance of animal medicines, induced Dr. Hering, in 1836, to make the trituration and proving, in which he was assisted by Geist, Kummer, Romig and Bauer, of the Allentown Academy.
The clinical experience of Hering, Geist, Romig, Helfrich and others, has proved it a highly useful remedy in cracked and ulcerated nipples, of the worst kind, in nursing women. The symptom indicating its use in this particular was observed on one of the male provers.
Pliny, Paracelsus and Koschinitz speak of its use, by fumigation, in uterine troubles, epilepsy and stone in the bladder. This remedy needs further proving, particularly on women.
MIND [1]
Unusual laughter about things that are not funny.
SENSORIUM [2]
Vertigo, headache and nausea in morning.
INNER HEAD [3]
Pressure in forehead.
Headache in left temple.
Pressing pain in both temples from in outward, as though the head was being screwed apart.
Pressure from in outward, especially in temples near ears, more on left side.
Pressive pain in temples disappears after awaking from sleep.
Deep pressure in occiput, as though something firm was pressing against it ; in forenoon.
Headache with vertigo and nausea, sour stomach and lack of appetite.
OUTER HEAD [4]
Sensation as though occiput had gone to sleep.
Scalp goes to sleep from nape of neck to vertex ; accompanied by sensation as though posterior half of head lay in ice.
Crawling in hair as though something was running in it.
SIGHT AND EYES [5]
Frequent twitching in right eyelid.
Itching in canthi.
HEARING AND EARS [6]
Disagreeable sensation of dryness in l. ear, compelling him to scratch ; also slightly in right ear.
Twitching pain internally in left ear.
Small painless pustules behind left ear covering an area the size of a silver dollar.
SMELL AND NOSE [7]
Continued fluent coryza, with constant sensation of hunger, even after eating.
Pressive pain in nasal bones.
UPPER FACE [8]
Transitory, burning, prickling pain in face and also on body, now here, now there.
LOWER FACE [9]
Prickling and heat on both cheeks.
Dry lips with thirst in evening.
(In sick :) Caused a number of warts about mouth of a horse, which were cured by Thuya.
Sensation like trismus.
TASTE, SPEECH, TONGUE [11]
Burning pain on front of tongue.
INNER MOUTH [12]
Slight painful sensation in molar teeth, r. side.
Shooting inward in cavities of hollow teeth, left side.
Pain in hollow teeth of left side, compelling him to pick them.
Great accumulation of saliva, especially immediately after eating.
Soon after pains in teeth, loud rumbling in abdomen ; in forenoon.
APPETITE, THIRST. DESIRES, AVERSIONS [14]
Great hunger, even after eating. θ Coryza.
Desire to smoke tobacco.
HICCOUGH, BELCHING, NAUSEA AND VOMITING [16]
Repeated empty eructation.
ABDOMEN AND LOINS [19]
Colic with urging waked him in morning, followed by a very thin, watery, somewhat burning stool.
Slight pain in inguinal region.
Prickling pains in left inguinal region.
STOOLS AND RECTUM [20]
Urgent stool, preceded by colic and passage of offensive flatus.
PREGNANCY. PARTURITION. LACTATION [24]
Cracked, sore nipples in nursing women ; excessively tender, cannot bear touch of clothing ; even in neglected cases where nipple is nearly ulcerated off and only hangs by small strings.
Swelling of both mammary glands, especially right ; they are painful to touch, mostly left.
Violent internal itching in breasts, in attacks driving to despair ; rubbing and scratching >, but make the skin rough ; the areola are reddened for some distance around the nipples, which are painful and drier than usual.
Swollen mamma are very painful on descending stairs ; sensation as though they would fall off, he was compelled to press against them with his hands to ameliorate this disagreeable sensation.
The areola become red as in erysipelas, and also the nipples ; very painful on left breast.
VOICE AND LARYNX. TRACHEA AND BRONCHIA [25]
Disagreeable sick feeling in larynx ; when triturating.
INNER CHEST AND LUNGS [28]
Stitching pain in chest.
HEART, PULSE AND CIRCULATION [29]
Peculiar sensation about heart as of something alive struggling ; with anxiety, walking about, and fermentation in epigastrium and abdomen ; in forenoon.
OUTER CHEST [30]
Burning pain on chest.
NECK AND BACK [31]
Weakness of spine.
Pain in coccyx, < every evening while sitting.
UPPER LIMBS [32]
Pain in middle of left forearm, in evening.
Pain in left elbow and right knee, followed by violent pain in r. tibia, in evening.
Right wrist joint pains as though sprained, and on allowing arm to hang down, the pain radiates into ring and little fingers.
Left wrist joint becomes painful as though sprained, and at the same time pain in little finger of right hand.
Twitching pain, often recurring over left wrist joint.
Drawing pain, from in outward, in ball of left hand, extending to finger tips.
Drawing pain in right arm and axilla.
Pain in right arm awakes from sleep, accompanied by whimpering ; arm feels as if asleep, thicker and heavier, > from rubbing ; he goes to sleep again, and in morning has forgotten everything.
Frequent erratic prickling pains passing from one arm to other and also into face.
Crumbling of finger nails from slightest knock against them.
LOWER LIMBS [33]
Burning pain on side of left knee.
Pain in knee, especially when sitting.
Repeated pain in right tibia.
Continuous pain in right popliteal space, when knee is bent, especially on stooping, also on sitting down and most on rising after sitting.
Tension in left calf.
Pains in right tibia and in left forearm.
Many small blood-boils on both lower legs, in a psoric, very unsusceptible individual.
Dull pain in ankle and wrist joint.
Pain in both heels.
Pain in great left toe, as though frosted.
Some toe nails came off ; new ones had already formed beneath them.
Very brittle toe nails.
Frequent single fine stitches in lower limbs, continuous burning pain in right.
LIMBS IN GENERAL [34]
Arms and legs sore as if beaten.
REST. POSITION. MOTION [35]
Sitting : pain in knee.
Stooping : pain in popliteal space.
NERVES [36]
Syncope.
(OBS :) Epilepsy.
SLEEP [37]
Becomes sleepy early in evening.
Restless sleep, with many dreams, with going to sleep of r. arm.
Stretches his arms up over his head and cracks his fingers during sleep.
At night dreams that his mother, who is living in Germany, is sick, without having thought of her the previous day.
In winter dreams of fresh fruit hanging on trees.
TIME [38]
Morning : vertigo ; colic ; sleepy ; forgetful.
Forenoon : deep pressure in occiput.
Evening : pain in left forearm ; left elbow ; right knee ; tibia pains ; becomes sleepy.
LOCALITY AND DIRECTION [42]
Left : temple, headache with pressure outward ; ear, dryness ; ear, painless pustule ; hollow teeth, shooting ; inguinal region, pain ; forearm, pain ; wrist, twitching ; hand, drawing ; knee, burning pain ; calf, tension ; great toe, pain.
Right : eyelids, twitching ; ear, dryness ; molars, pain ; mammary gland, swells ; tibia, pain ; hand, pain ; axilla and arm, drawing pain ; popliteal space, pain ; arm, goes to sleep.
From in outward : pressure in temples.
SENSATIONS [43]
As though head was being screwed apart ; as though occiput had gone to sleep ; as though posterior half of head lay in ice ; as though something was running in hair ; as if arm was asleep ; as though his mamma would fall off.
Peculiar sensation about heart, as of something alive.
Stitching pain : in chest ; in lower limbs.
Prickling pain : in face ; in chest ; from one arm t other ; in face ; in left inguinal region.
Shooting : in cavities of hollow teeth.
Burning : in face ; on tongue ; pain left knee ; in chest.
Pressing pain : in both temples ; in forehead.
Soreness : of arms and legs.
Tension : in left calf.
Pressure : from in outward.
Drawing pain : in left hand ; right arm and axilla.
Dull pain : in ankles and wrist joint.
Pain : in knee ; in both heels ; left great toe ; in nasal bones ; in hollow teeth ; in left inguinal region ; in coccyx ; in middle of left forearm ; in left elbow and right knee ; in right tibia ; in right wrist.
Twitching : in left wrist ; in left ear.
Crawling : in hair.
Dryness : in left ear.
Itching : in canthi ; internal in breasts.
STAGE OF LIFE, CONSTITUTION [47]
An infirm old horse became rejuvenated.
RELATIONS [48]
To be though of in comparison with Hippomanes, Oxalate of lime, and Calc. phosph ., and on account of a similarity of odor, with Moschus and Castoreum .
Antidotes : Hepar relieved sore nipples ; Thuya removed warts which Castor equor . produced on mouth of a horse.