Selenium metallicum

Volume IV — Main text

SELENIUM.

T. Provings. — 1. (No information as to provers, do&es, or time of appearoncr.) a. Very forgetful, especially in business matters, but when he is half asleep he remembers everything. Transient tearing^ deep in the head. Hi-adachc every afternoon. Headache after tamarind lemonade. He gets headache every time he drinks lemonade or wine, or sometimes tea, but not after water, chocolate, coffiee, or brandy. Produces and cures old attacks of violent shooting headache over I. eye, compelling him to lie down, with external tenderness* of head, profuse urination, anorexia and low spirits, also excited by walking in the sun and strong o<lours. Falling out of hair when comb«'d. Greasy skin of face. Glabella swollen as if pimples would breakout. Itching vesicles in eyebrows. The hairs oF the eyebrows fall out, Small round vesicles with itching and pressure on border of eyelid as if a grain of saad were ■ticking there. Pains deep in orbits. Increased myopia.

b. Small pimples behind car. In the deaf car the wax is harder, in the good ear moister, increased in both. In a black swcat.pore near the nose a plug came out, followed — as never before — by some matter; afterwards the place inflames. Itching on edge of alx nasi, causing him to rub, frequently recurring. Pain in heptum nasi as if a pimple would come. Itching in nose. She must often bore in her no&e with Dcr fingers.

c. Dislike to salt things. Upper lip broken out posteriorly. Less mucus in fauces and larynx, more comes from choana and nose. Tongue with thick white fur in m. Toothache as if the tooth were internally hollow, he must pick the tooth till blood comes. Teeth tree from mucus, smoother and harder so that they crepitate on being rubbed with finger ; at same time tongue furred. Lltlle appetite, m. Hunger on getting up at n. Late in e. he has great inclination to drink brandy, though quite \uiused to it. Frequent longing for brandy. On smoking tobacco there comet a disgusting swccl taste on Jips. On smoking before dinner hiccup and eructation. Before eating, lumbUng in belly. After eating, exhausted, wants to lie down, without being able to sleep on account of throbbing in blood-vessels all over body ; he feels the pulsation chiefly in belly. P^ins in r. side around and below last ribs, especially when inspiring, extending to renal region, everywhere \eiy sensitive to external pressure. Red, itching, miliary rash in hepatic region. Violent shooting in spleen between I. crista ilii and navel whilst walking, so that he can hardly get aloDE. Loose stool, with subsequent sensation in anus as though he had had a harxl stool. Cutting in abdomen followed by discharge of flatu!', e., repeated at n. Stool harder^ at the end some blood. Stool passed wiih great effort, at end slimy. Stool hard, and so accumulated in rectum that it can hardly be evacuated.

d. Must always urinate after stool, and must wait long before urine comes. Urine scanty and dark colouretl. Urine red, c. Feeling at point of urethra a« if an acrid drop were being forced out. While sitting still and wnen walking a drop of prostatic fluid exudes from urethra with a very disagreeable sensation. Shortly before the stool comes, and soon afierw.irds, a droji of watery viscid fluid exudes from urethra. Pain along the urethra, and then a drop exudes. Prostatic fluid drop.^ out. Itching pains in r. testicle, c. Itching on scrotum. Perspiration on hypogastrium and pudendum when sitting. Unnoticed emission of semen in sleep. The semen in coitus and pollution, as also what drops out unnoticed, is very thin and quite inodorous. Emission with soft penis. Weak erections. Diminished sexual desire. Impotence

with lascivious thoughts. He is excited to coitus only mentally, without physical desire ; erection slow and incomplete; emission too soon, but long-continued voluptuous tieeling. After coitus very weak and cross.

t. Sudden fluent coryza with much mucous discharge, which soon passes off. Fluent coryza every e. Gelatinous nasal mucus, sometimes small yellow lumps in it. Yellow, thick, lumpy nasal mucus. Increased hoarseness when singing, especially on commencing. He must often hawk, alternating with hoarseness. On hawking the mucus has often a spot of blood. Cough in m., though it is seldom and weak the whole chest seems to be involved in it ; lumps of mucus mixed with blood are expectorated. Deep breathing, like sighing. At n., when lying, pain in chest, in I. side, also in sacrum now and then, interfering with respiration.

f. Tearing through 1. side of neck. Pain in region of root of tongue. On 1. side of neck over carotid a gland is painful, especially to pressure, at same time tearing pains along neck. Small itching papules on back. Sacrum feels lame without pain, m. Miliary rash on forearm. Tearing in hands, n. Cracking of wrist when extending or turning it. Inward quivering in 1. hand, on side of little finger. Itching on inside of wrist. Violent itching between third and fourth fingers. Itching on finger balls after scratching a white spot surrounded by red. Itching papules on hands. Itching vesicles on lower comer of 1. hand. A strip of skin peels oft at side of nail till it becomes sore and painful. Tearing down posterior aspect of I. thigh. A thin person from sitting becomes sore .on the skin over tuberosities of ischium. Cracking of knee on moving it while lying. Cramp in calves, soles, near ankles, in flexor tendons of big toe, when lying, e. Cramp in sole on moving, n. and towards m. Itching smarting pimples betwixt thigh and scrotum. Itching and small pimples on nates. On I. calf a lump which he scratches till raw, it continues to exude moisture for a long time. Itching of feet, e. On 1. inner ankle a flat pimple with pustule, painless, becomes a small ulcer. A spot he has scratched above ankle continues to discharge. Itching about and under ankle. Violent itching betwixt tendo Achillis and ankles. On inner side of r. tendo Achillis a small lump on the skin that is neither itching nor painful. Rubbed off blister on knuckle of toe, m.

g. Frequent formication as if dust lay on small spots about mouth, cheek, chin, compelling scratching, which takes it away. Insuperable desire to lie down, also to sleep, thereafter all symptoms worse. When sitting at work must often leave off suddenly and lie down, without feeling anything but that it is impossible for him to do the least thing. Striking emaciation, especially in &ce, hands, and thighs. Pains in all limbs as from a chill. He must lie down as long as the heat of day lasts, and he remains half asleep ; his thinking power is quite weak.

h. After midday siesta much viscid saliva. Sleeps profoundly all forenoon. Early in e. sleepy, then only half asleep, with frequent waking ; quite wide awake at midnight ; after reading again drowsy ; has sound sleep only towards m. Cannot get to sleep for a long lime, e. Jerking of whole body on going to sleep, e. Sleep with many unremembered dreams. Historical dreams about distant persons, n. Dreams of daily business. Wakes up at n. at cwry little noise. Wakes up from siesta and nocturnal sleep with great dryness of mouth, fauces, and oesophagus ; must drink much water, after which breaks out in perspiration. On waking is first stupid and then lazy, quite lively after washing. Feels very ill after sleeping. Long of getting to sleep and wakes early. From 3 a.m, he remains awake and feeb well. Wakes very early and always at the same hour, however late he is of getting to sleep, after several weeks. He wakes up from profound dreamful afternoon sleep quite punctually at the very minute when it was time to go out, 14th d.

i. Much perspiration en walking out, a.m. The sweat on chest and in axillae makes stiff white marks on his linen. Heat of the skin as if it came out of an oven, he feels it outwardly not inwardly, though he is hot on large patches of the body, sometimes on the side, sometimes on chest, loins, and belly. (Cures too great tendency to perspiration when walking and in midday siesta, after previous great increase of it } when it begins to lessen the sweat has to him an agreeable odour.)

j. Complete inability to do any work ; though he always begins again he must soon leave off. After mental work continued zealously till late at n. he is so uncommonly fatigued that for several days he can only think of the most necessary things, and it is only after a long time that he can go on with his work. Great loquacity.

8o

Dislike to persons and to his work, but Tvhen he overcomes this he can go on ill ri^ht. Dreami of quarrelling and unnatural, disgusting cruelty. (Hekinc, Jrdiiv, xii, 3, 193.)

». a. Two dr. 4th dil. e. Jan. i8th. Much thirst, e. Frequent micturition, n. Tickling and scraping in throat, with need to hawk up mucus. Burning feeling on tip of tongue, which wakes him up. — 29th. Hunger, m. Dull stitches in forehead, temples, and eyes, after coming from cold air into warm room, a.m. and e. Sleepy at 9 p.m., must go to bed, and falls asleep immediately. Burning and itching on borders of r, eyelids, he must rub them. Throat ver)- dry, e. Increased appetite and hunger. No stool m. — 30th. Slept well n., can hardly wake up at 7 a.m. Dreamful sleep all about calculations. On waking m., a strong erection with vohtptuous feeling. Great confusion of head, especially e. Pressure in stomach as if a spasm would come on. A kind of stammering, he makes mistakes in speaking, misplaces syllables, and can hardly pronounce many words, foi a d. In the e. when lying beside his wife no erection, but on lying awake in m. has erection, but without sexual desire or voluptuous feelings. Late of getting to sleep n.— 31st. 'Wakes early. Disagreeable and intense dry feeling in throat.

b. One dr. 3rd dil. e. Feb. 8th. The urine has a strong smell of violets after 6 m. Dreams of travelling and desire for coitus, on waking has a strong erection. — gth. Cross, sleepy, lazy, frequent yawning and stretching xums. — loth. Hawking of mucus mixed with blood, e. — iifh. For a d. quivering oi cj-elids and indistinct vision. Watering of eyes and dull pressure in 1. eye. Frequent spa.^modic twitching in 1. eyeball. Ears stopped as if a skin were stretched over them, this goes off for a short time when he puts his finger in the car and shakes it. — 14th. Urine dribbles away when walking. Toothache in a hollow tooth, as if it must be pulled out, with cold feeling in cheek, relieved by open air and cold water taken into mouth, and by eating, drinking, and smoking, but in the e. in bed the pains increase, with throbbing and beating in I. eye, 1. temple, and check, — i8th. In 1. ear a distant voice like "Wee, wee," the hearing dulled, in bed, e. — 19th. On driving out, e., vertigo, he fears he might fall. — aoth. Vertigo as if intoxicated, he staggers and mu.^t support himself, with attacks of faintness, pale distorted face, and sweat of anxiety, so that his shirt becomes wringing wet ; on driving out immediately after breakfast he must immediately return home, when he vomited and became so weak that he must go to bed. — list. A fit: almost constant vertigo, all turns round in a circle, so that he must keep his eyes almost constantly closed ; this is followed by nausea, with outbreak of sweat all over body and then vomiting of all he had eaten, though he had relished what he ate. After the food had been vomited he threw up water and mucus without taste, and, lastly, acid water. The attacks were most violent an h. after breakfast and dinner; thereafter extreme weakness with much thirst for cold water, which was always vomited j the taste was flat and insipid, though the tongue was not furred ; stool soft, copious, tinged with bile j shooting in chest anteriorly as from div. placed flatulence; sense as of board before forehead, later feeling as it a warm hand pressed forehead on to the pillow ; at same time frequent hiccup and eructation j nead very stupefied, cannot collect his thoughts and often is in half slumber, he must lie quite still ; the vertigo is increased by moving and rising up in bed ; the urine is scanty and reddish ; discharge of flatus relieves his state. These attacks were repeated every h. or h. and half, for 48 h., but he had several h. of sleep at n. — »and. Turbid urine with brick-dust sediment. Great heaviness in occiput, occasional undu. lations in brain, flapping in both ears, twitching and pressure in both eyeballs. While the nausea was passing off, there came on in a hollow 1, molar a drawing-, shooting pain, and throbbing in r. ear. (Schreter, N. Arcfiiv, iii, 3, 184-)

III. Extieriments on animals. — 1. Rabtjteau experimented on 7 middle-sizeil dogs, introducing 10 — 50 centigr, of selenite or seleniate of potash or soda (diluted in water or milk) either directly by intra-venous injection, or through the stomach. The animals died, but whether J h. after introduction of the poison into the system or some d. later, all expired with symptoms of asphyxia. Lungs were found extcn. sivelyand intensely congested, air.tubes Injected, trachea choked with froth, and blood in arteries dark-coloured. (^Eltments dt TAeraf. tl de Pharmacoiogir. 187a.)