Belladonna

LARYNGITIS.

Belladonna may follow, or be preferable at the first, if instead of the fearfulness and anxiety there should be just as high or even higher temperature, the skin seeming fairly to radiate heat, or impart a burning feeling to the hand that touches it; there is drowsiness with twitching; spasmodic or barking cough, pain in the larynx, dark red, turgid face, throbbing carotids; dilated or contracted pupils; sweat on covered parts (Acon. dry) all the disease or vascular excitement tending to the head. Delirium is common with this remedy, and it is especially indicated if there is dry soreness of the throat.

CROUP.

Belladonna has some times served me when in the first or inflammatory or spasmodic stage Aconite failed. Here the Aconite restlessness and fearful agony was displaced by a condition of as great heat, but there was more of a semi-stupor, twitching and jerking and delirium. Many other remedies might be mentioned, and exceptional cases may call for any one of them according to indications, especially in the diphtheritic form. So far as tracheotomy is concerned, good men can be found to favor or disfavor it. I should not, having had such good results from medication, resort to it early, and would perhaps be charged with failure on account of lateness. But on the other hand, I suspect that many operations claim credit where operation was not at all imperative. In these days of Surgo-phobia the tendency is to a neglect of skillful medical treatment.

BRONCHITIS.

ACUTE BRONCHITIS.

Belladonna will follow well either of the two in those cases where Aconite has quieted the great excitement, so far as the anxious restlessness is concerned, but the heat still continues, though there is a disposition to sweat on the covered parts. The disease presents more brain symptoms, such as red eyes, flushed face, throbbing carotids and delirium, and especially if the child starts and jumps in sleep. One of these three remedies will often either check the disease in its first stage or so modify it as to call for one of the following:

PERTUSSIS (Whooping Cough).

This affection, now classed among the infectious diseases, is to be treated homœopathically just as it was before the Bacillus pertussis eppendorf was discovered. In the first stage, when it can hardly be distinguished from a common cold, Belladonna is as often indicated as any other remedy. Of course, other remedies may supercede it according to indications. After the whooping stage begins, if there is considerable wheezing and spasmodic coughing with blueness of the face during the paroxysm, also gagging and vomiting, ipecac comes in.

PNEUMONIA.

Belladonna is to be preferred in this stage, if the fever and heat is fully as great as that of the Aconite case, but the patient is more stupid, not so anguished, but jerks and twitches in sleep, is delirious, the eyes are very red, the face dark red and bloated, especially upper lip; the carotids throb and beat visibly, and instead of the universally hot, dry skin there is sweat on the covered parts; the blood seems to mount to the brain as well as the chest, and it is sometimes, especially in children, difficult to tell whether the brain or lung is the center of the trouble, from outward signs. The Belladonna case is more apt to run into that condition which is called typhoid pneumonia.

PLEURITIS.

If in exceptional cases there are strong head symptoms as delirium, high fever and red hot skin, thirst, throbbing carotids and sweat on covered parts while uncovered parts remain hot and dry, the patient moaning and twitching in sleep, all worse at 3 P. M. or A. M., and Aconite does not modify these high grade inflammatory symptoms, Belladonna will often do it or so modify them that Bryonia, Mercurius, Rhus or Sulphur will again come in to take the case along when the stage of effusion is established in spite of the above treatment, or we are not called in in time to prevent it, and the process of absorption is delayed if the patient shows signs of increasing prostration to an alarming degree. If the thirst is for cold water in small and often repeated quantities, there is great dyspnœa, and little pain which motion greatly aggravates, increasing the prostration and the dyspnœa, notwithstanding the patient suffers great anguish and restlessness, so that he wants to be moved or carried from room to room, or place to place, and especially if all is aggravated at night, 1 to 4 A. M., Arsenicum album must be given and will often change the whole aspect for the better in a few hours. Such cases will be often found in cachectic persons, drunkards, malarial subjects and in pyothorax.

COUGH.

Character—Short, dry; tearing, spasmodic, hoarse; generally little or no expectoration.

Excited by—dryness, scraping, tickling or burning in, the larynx.

Aggravated by—< evening and night, most violent after midnight; talking or crying; deep inspiration and when awaking.

Ameliorated—Eating or drinking warm things.

Accompaniments—Crying before cough; red, injected sore throat; redness of the eyes; tightness or congested chest; congestion to head and chest with high fever, quick pulse, throbbing carotids, headache, often delirium.

Belladonna like Aconite is oftenest found useful in the first stage of acute inflammatory affections of the respiratory organs. Aconite oftener in croup; Belladonna in bronchitis; Aconite in pleuritis; Belladonna in congestion of the lungs; Aconite with great excitement and fearful anguish; Belladonna with semi-stupor, strong head symptoms and delirium; twitching in sleep, or spasms. Aconite dry, hot skin, no sweat and does not want to be covered. Belladonna wants to be covered and sweats on covered parts. They follow each other well, but should not be alternated or combined, and will not be by a GOOD prescriber. Although so useful in acute diseases, they may often be called for in acute aggravations often arising during the course of chronic.