Coccus cacti

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Cochineal.)

Pharmacology. — This insect is found wild in Mexico and Central America, inhabiting different species of Cactus, and allied genera of plants. It is also cultivated to some extent in Texas and New Mexico. The female insect is the one used in commerce, and the one we use in medicine. They are collected and killed either by immersing in boiling water or over the heat of a fire.

Cochineal has a faint, heavy odor, and a bitter, slightly acidulous taste. When powdered, it is of a purplish carmine color, tinging the saliva intensely red. It is composed of animal matter, and a peculiar coloring matter, or principle, called by most authorities, Cochinilin. This is a brilliant purplish red, very dry powder, unalterable in dry air, soluble in water and alcohol, insoluble in ether, and is without nitrogen.

Officinal Preparation. — Triturations of the insect; tincture with strong alcohol.

Analogues. — (1) Bromide of Ammonia, Drosera, Corallium, Ipecac, Hyoscyamus. (2)

I have only given the symptoms relating to cough, larynx, kidneys, and bladder, because they are the most characteristic of the drug. The complete symtomatology can be found in the third volume of Allen's Encyclopedia. It was first published in Medcalte's New Homoeopathic Provings, 1863.

Cough.

Paroxysm of short cough, with expectoration of globular mucus.

Paroxysm of coughing produced by a tickling in the larynx and throat.

Paroxysm of cough for half-an-hour, and expectoration of a great quantity of mucus.

Cough which wakens him at six a. m., having remissions of a minute; it is at first clear, dry, and barking; subsequently some thick mucus is detached, and the effort of doing this causes desire to vomit, accompanied by an excoriated feeling of the throat, and a pressive headache.

The paroxysm of cough is renewed by the heat of the bed.

He can scarcely speak for coughing, in a warm room.

Very violent cough, which, notwithstanding the expectoration of mucus, is constantly excited by a tickling in region of bifarcation of the trachtea, the attacks go on increasing.

Dry cough in the morning, which lasts several minutes, and finally produces vomiting of mucus.

The cough annoys him all day, and at three p. m., an hour after dinner, is so violent as to vomit him.

The cough is so violent as to cause vomiting, and the expectoration of a great quantity of thick, viscous and albuminous mucus.

Violent cough, without expectoration, which lasts a long time in the morning-.

A little greenish yellow mucus, tasting like liquorice, is detached by the cough.

0 Cough of drunkards. ° "Whooping cough.

Kidneys.

Pressive pain in the renal region, extending by degrees to the bladder and its sphincter, accompanied by vesical tenesmus and frequent emissions of deep colored urine.

Pain in the kidneys, with increased secretion of urine.

Lancinating and boring pain in the region of the kidneys, in the evening in bed.

Sudden, acute, prolonged lancinations, extending from the left renal region along the ureters into the bladder.

Attacks of nephritic colic, but seldom and not violent — with very copious urine, and dull pain in the urethra.

He jumps about, bends himself, and rubs his hypogastrium in order to relieve the spasmodic pains in the kidneys.

Excessively violent pain in the renal region seizes him suddenly when sitting quietly in the afternoon; it radiates from the two sides of the kidneys, and differs from the pressive and drawing pain previously felt there, by its spasmodic character and extension, and can only be compared to the pain experienced in the testicles in consequence of a bruise.

Pressing pain through the ureters into the bladder; relieved by discharge of flatus.

At five a. m.j wakened by a drawing pain in right kidney, extending along the ureters into the bladder, at the same time a single lancinating thrust, and continual pressure in the urethra and navicular region.

Bruised pain in the sacro-lumbar region and in groins (on waking.)

0 Haemorrhage from the kidneys.

Bladder.

Alternations of cramps, coldness and heat in the bladder. Pain in the bladder during the night, with fruitless desire to urinate.

Excoriated, sore pain in the bladder.

Sensation of fullness and tension in the bladder, without desire to urinate.

She is obliged to urinate very often after dinner, which, together with a pressure analagous to that which is experienced at the period (of the menses), makes her think her bladder is diseased.

Feeling of fullness and pressure in the bladder extending towards the urethra, with constant desire to urinate and

frequent discharge of normally colored and slightly acid urine.

Attack of pressure, tenesmus, and cutting pain in the bladder,

during which the face becomes red. The pressure and pain in the bladder continue even after the

evacuation of urine. Strong tenesmus of the neck of the bladder after urination

with tension.

Very violent twisting pain in the neck of the bladder, lasting a quarter-of an-hour, and not ameliorated by the dis charge of urine or flatus.

The sensitiveness of the epigastrium extends throughout the abdomen; lancinating, drawing and pressive pains especially appear in the groins and vesical region, which obliges her to keep her bed.

Lancinations, as if from needles, extend from the bladder through the urethra, toward the glans.

Urethra.

Burning in the urethra when urinating, and continuing after.

The burning in urethra and titillation in meatus cease after the discharge of clear straw colored urine; the sensation returns, however, several times in the day before urinating.

The burning in the urethra and swelling of the vulva continue fifteen days.

Very violent lancinating thrusts in the anterior portion of the

urethra and glans, a long time after having urinated when

in bed at night; they force him to groan and cry out, and

last a minute-and-a-half. Burning pain in urethra, with sensation as if a little stone

were sliding along the urethra. Sensation in anterior portion of urethra before urinating, as

if pricked with a blunted needle. Very violent lancinations, along the urethra, toward the

glans, lasting several minutes, after urinating (urine

dark color.)

The meatus is so contracted and constricted that the urine flows very slowly, and as the vulva is excoriated the burning is very violent, and lasts an hour.

Violent pruritus and itching at the orifice of the urethra, obliging them to rub it constantly.

Urine.

Yery frequent, copious discharges (with more powerful stream) of pale, watery urine, both by day and night (primary effect.)

Frequent, scanty discharges of urine, but it is difficult, slow

in coming, and takes place with straining and vesical)

tenesmus (secondary.) Urine first normal in color; it then becomes citron-yellow,

then brown, and finally red. The urine becomes cloudy, and finally jumentous (namely,

like that of a horse.) The odor of the urine is sometimes alkaline, often ammonia

acal, also cadaverous (the latter when it is dark colored

and cloudy.) The urine seems to be thicker, like oil. Very acrid irritating urine.

The urine contains mucus in the form of filaments, clouds and flocks and sediments, and the sediment is entangled with much mucus.

Lateritous sediment; also a reddish sediment of the color of

brick-dust, which adheres to the vessel. [Purulent or bloody urine did not appear in the provings ; but

we do not know whether any chemical or microscopic

tests were applied.]

(See Therapeutics, Vol. II.)