Myrtus communis

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Myrtle.)

Description.— The common Myrtle is well known by its shining ever green leaves, and white, sweet-scented flowers. Though extremely abun. dant in Italy, Southern France, Spain, etc., it is not indigenous to Europe or America, but only naturalized, having originally been brought from Western Asia. In England it is not sufficiently hardy to withstand the frosts of very severe winters. It grows well in our Southern States and South America.

[See Hering's article, Hahnemannian Monthly, vol. 7, p. 62.]

Officinal Preparations. — Tincture of the leaves (and berries).

Analogues. — Bryonia, PJiosphorus, etc.

(No provings.) Chest.

° Pain in the chest; cough, with tightness on the breast.

° Dryness in the throat; pains in the throat and chest, with

expectoration of blood. (Hbgr.) ° Acute pain in the chest; pressing pain in the chest. (Ib.)

• Stitches in the left breast, running through the shoulder

blade, as they often occur in tuberculosis. Relieved when no other remedy would. ( Wahle.) ° Hepatization of left lobe of the lung. {Ib.)

• Catarrhal fever with pain in the elbows and knee-joints. (Ib.) ° Dry, hollow cough, from tickling in the upper anterior lobes

of the left lung; worse in the morning, less tickling in the evening; great lassitude during the afternoon hours. (lb.)

0 Congh, with tickling in the chest. (Pehrson.)

° Several homoeopathic physicians besides myself have used

the 3d in cases like the above, with great success.

(Hering.)

0 Throbbing ache, and stitching pain in the left infra-clavicular region, extending thence through to the left shoulder blade, aggravated by making a deep inspiration, sensation of burning in the left breast. ( W. E. Paine?)

straight through to the left shoulder blade, worse from breathing, yawning and coughing. (Raue.)

"I have confirmed the above symptoms." (McClatchey.)

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This drug, although it has no proving, has a very useful sphere, but a very limited one. Dr. Hering first published an account of it in the first volume of the “ North American Journal of Homoeopathy ,” over twenty years ago.

The one characteristic symptom given as a guide to its administration is — “ Stitches in the left breast running to the shoulderblade.”

Whenever this symptom occurs, especially in neglected pneumonia, phthisis pulmonalis, tuberculosis, etc., the Myrtus is specific i. e., it cures all the symptoms connected therewith ; or, if the case is incurable, it relieves that peculiar symptom.

Dr. Wahle, of Rome, reports several cases of suspicious cough, with tickling and pain in the upper portion of the left lung, cured promptly by this remedy.

It is rather singular that this medicine has not been thoroughly proven. It might develop symptoms of such importance that it would rank with Rumex, Bryonia, and Phosphorus.

It has generally been used in the third dilution.