Antimonium tartaricum

BRONCHITIS.

ACUTE BRONCHITIS.

Antimonium tartaricum is almost always loose cough with much coarse rattling of mucus, which is so abundant that the patient becomes cyanosed and cannot raise it. This is a serious condition and Antimonium tart. will often help. It is particularly found indicated in children and old people. If, notwithstanding the use of this remedy, the rattling and weakness increases, the cyanosis also, until the blood stagnates in the capillaries, the extremities and breath become cold, and the patient gasps fan me, fan harder, Carbo veg. is still able to turn the scale in favor of the patient. I have witnessed this result more than once. It is in these cases more of a bronch.-pneumonia than simple bronchitis.

ASTHMA.

Antimon. tartaricum is often beneficial in the cases that become very loose and rattling, coarse rattling, with inability to expectorate, marked relief follows expectoration. ‘

PERTUSSIS (Whooping Cough).

After this stage is modified or past, the stage of looseness or rattling of mucus follows, and may need such remedies as Pulsatilla if the expectoration is thick, green and the patient craves fresh, cool air, and is > in a cool room. Antimon, tart. if there is much rattling (coarse rattling) of mucus which is difficult to expectorate, especially if the child gets cyanosed from the abundant accumulation. When the child coughs it seems as if a cup full of mucus would come but it does not. Sleepiness or coma results. Expectoration relieves. Carbo veg. may follow it if the weakness and general blueness from unoxygenized blood, with great hunger for oxygen, wants to be fanned hard to breathe, coldness and prostration.

PNEUMONIA.

Carbo veg. Cough by spells or no cough; if cough with rattling but too weak to expectorate (Ant. tart.); Ant. tart. has failed; hippocratic face, nose pinched and cold; lips, hands, feet and skin blue and cold, breath cold, dyspnœa great, wants to be fanned, can’t get oxygen enough, vital force almost expended. I have seen several such cases come out under Carbo veg.y re-action setting in so that other remedies that did not act satisfactorily will now take hold and do better work Antimon. tart. is often of great utility where the case has gone into what might be called the “loosening up” stage. The chest seems full of mucus with coarse rattling and cough which seems as though it must bring up large quantities, but it does not; the patient becomes cyanotic from want of oxygen, which the great accumulation of mucus shuts out, there seems to be lack of strength to expectorate, even threatened paralysis of the lungs; fits of suffocation. This is the condition that precedes the desperate stage of Carbo veg. and may save the patient from it. It is oftenest found in children and very old people.

PLEURITIS.

Tartar. emetic., regarded by Kafka as specific at the commencement of pleuro-pneumonia, has great dyspnœa, must sit up to breathe, sometimes nausea and vomiting, but is more especially called for when there is much coarse rattling of mucus in the tubes, they are so loaded as to threaten suffocation and it cannot be expectorated, cyanosis appears and death will quickly come if not relieved. Here this remedy is wonderfully efficacious if relief is possible. If it fails the choice is next generally Carbo veg., according to indications above given under that remedy. The Veratrum is useful in collapse with prostration, general coldness and cold sweat, especially on the forehead. It may not cure the case, but will often bring on a reaction, as will also Arsenicum and Carbo veg., much better than the hypodermics of Strychnia of the old school. I have seen desperate cases recover under these remedies, skillfully applied. More than once nurses who had been used to the Strychnia expressed their astonishment at the result, which so seldom had been accomplished under that treatment.

COUGH.

Character—Predominantly loose, with coarse rattling of mucus, which is often difficult or impossible to raise. Bronchia and chest seem loaded with it. Seems as though a cupful would be expectorated with each cough, but little comes up.

Aggravation—< as the accumulation increases and when lying down.

Amelioration—> on expectoration and on sitting up

Accompanied by—Yawning, dozing and sleepiness; cyanosis from carbonized air; twitching; short breath from suppressed expectoration; coarse rattling of mucus; hepatization.

This condition calling for Antimon. tart. may be found in la grippe, pneumonia, broncho-pneumonia, bronchiectasis, senile catarrh, capillary bronchitis of children, œdema of the lungs, atalectasis, emphysema and threatened paralysis of the lungs. It is especially found useful at both ends of life (children and old age), though by no means confined there. It resembles most perhaps Ipecac (in children), but the noises (in Ipec.) from the mucus in the tubes is more of an asthmatic or wheezing nature. In the later stage of broncho-pneumatic troubles when the cyanotic state, and the coarse rattling mucus does not yield to Tartar em., Carbo veg. follows well after it, and Sulphur or Lycopod. later, to finish cure the case.