Aranea diadema

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

{Diadem Spider.)

(Eperia diadema. Fr. Araiynee Porte-croix, Araignee diadema, Araignh a'croix papule; Gr. Kreutz-spinne.)

This spider is found all over Europe and America, in stables, on old walls, etc. It may be distinguished by its ovoid form of body; often aslarge as a small nut; a longitudinal line on the back, composed of yellow and white points, and traversed by three other similar lines. This is sometimes called the "Geographical Spider," on account of its circular web, with latitudinal and longitudinal lines.

Officinal Preparations. — Dr. Gross recommends a puncture to be made in the belly of the living insect, and that the serosity which flows out be collected on one hundred grains Sugar of Milk, and the first three triturations be made from it.

( I can see no good reason for such a recommendation. First, we get no certain strength for a starting point, as many circumstances will render the flow of his serosity very uncertain; secondly, it is probable that whatever of poisonous fluid there may be in the insect is not in the belly, but somewhere in the head.)

Dr. Hering recommends that the whole insect be macerated with alcohol for some months, and that then the alcoholic attenuation be prepared from this tincture. I would recommend that one live spider be used for every one hundred minims of absolute alcohol, and macerated for ten or twelve days; dilutions be made from this, or that a trituration be made by triturating the live spider with sugar of milk — one to each one hundred grains.

Head.

Confusion of the head after eating. Confusion of the head, with relaxation.

In the evening, while studying, confusion of the head and pressing pain, as if upon the bones of the right temple and upper part of the forehead; relieved by supporting the head with the hand, but returning on removing the hand.

Drawing in the head, extending towards the lower jaw.

• Headache, especially in the forehead; relieved by smoking tobacco, but it soon returns.

Continued headache; * ceases in the open air.

° Vertigo on rising from a recumbent posture.

Headache, which is ameliorated by smoking, and is entirely relieved by smoking in the open air (in fine fall weather).

The headache lasts until evening; is, however, better after some hours duration, and ceases entirely in the open air.

Headache and confusion of the head; both removed by smoking, but afterwards returning and lasting nearly the whole day.

Headache, with burning in the eyes and heat in the face.

The headache is less severe while walking than when sitting, and is relieved, without being entirely removed, by smoking.

Eyes, Face and Mouth.

• Disagreeable, trembling (glittering) sensation in the eyes

while reading or writing, aggravating the headache, and accompanied by heat in the head and eyes. Heat in the face, and especially in the eyes (ceases after four hours).

• Sudden violent pains in the teeth of upper and lower jaws, at

night, immediately on lying down.

Pinching pains in the right ear and parotid, which, as they ceased here, went over to the left.

Sensitive, cold feeling in right lower incisor, especially on inspiring; returned next day at the same hour.

Sticking (stitches) in roof of mouth and larynx.

° Pinching, pressing pains in upper incisors, with sensitiveness to cold air.

Gastric.

Nauseous, bitter taste in the mouth, with coated tongue. An unpleasant taste remains after drinking milk. Bitter taste; relieved by smoking.

Belly-ache during a thin, fluid stool ; relieved by rubbing the abdomen with the hand. Stool only at intervals, accompanied by straining. Half an hour later fermentation in the abdomen.

Heaviness and fullness in the lower abdomen, as if a stone laid there; while in the pit of the stomach is an unpleasant feeling of faintness, together with a griping in the abdomen.

Stool.

• Thin fluid stool, with pain in the abdomen.

Sexual Organs.

• Periods eight days too early, too strong and too copious

Chest,

• Haemorrhage from the lungs.

Catarrhal. Coryza for three days, with thirst.

Extremities.

Fibrillar twitching in muscles of left arm (for two and a half hours in the evening).

Early in the morning, in bed, dull, digging pains in the right humerus, radius, ulna, and tibia; also at intervals through the day (a three days).

Severe, dull, digging bone-pains in right os calcis for some days, occurring when the foot is moved after being quiet, but disappearing on continued moving (first day a second dose).

At times, dull, digging bone-pains in the extremities.

Bone-pains for four weeks; feverish attacks, mostly consisting of coldness; abdominal pains, mostly accompanied with a chill, and generally coming towards evening.

Eruptions, pimples here and there.

In the ring and little fingers, of both hands, a feeling as if they had gone to sleep, and of formication.

Generalities.

Feeling of heaviness and fullness in lower abdomen, as if a stone laid there, with qualmishness in the scrobicular region. At the same time there is a gnawing in the abdomen, feeling of weight in the legs, so that they can hardly move, and confusion in the head. These symptoms return the next day, about the same time, lasting half an hour.

Weariness, without heaviness, in the feet, relaxation.

• Restless sleep, with frequent waking, and always with a feeling as if the arms and forearms were greatly swollen (apparently as large again as natural). They also seem so heavy that he imagines he cannot raise them.

c Ailments from cold and damp, with constant chilliness. (Grauvogl.)

Fever.

0 Tertian and quartan intermittents.

0 Ilmmorrhage from all the openings in the body, and from wounds.

0 Yiolent haemorrhages from the lungs. (Grauvogl.)

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This remedy, heretofore rarely used except for haemorrhages from punctured wounds, has lately been brought into notice by Grauvogl.

The pathogenesis, as will be seen by reference to Vol. I, is very meagre, being made up of fragmentary provings. But Grauvogl, like many of his countrymen, has the power, apparently, of evolving unfailing indications for a remedy out of his “ inner consciousness” rather than from extended provings. Grauvogl (page 354) first mentions Aranea in the following way — after giving a clinical case illustrating the hydrogenoid constitution. He says :

“As I had found in my practice that Aranea diadema, still more than ISTux and Ipecac., diminishes the influence of hydrogen on the system, and since it was also indicated, according to the laws of similarity, by the constant chilliness, I directed,” etc.

The case he narrates is of a woman subject to catalepsy, periodical headache, etc. Her sufferings were always aggravated by damp weather, the use of baths. She was constantly chilly, with cold hands and feet, even in a warm room. The Aranea cured this case in a short time.

In another case of enlarged spleen, in a man subject to ague, who was constantly chilly, who lived in a damp location, and was worse when it rained, the 2X of Aranea cured.

Grauvogl more than intimates that in certain cases this remedy would be a specific for chlorosis. He narrates a case of protracted pneumonia, when the patient was “ one day better, the next decidedly worse, and then at 8 p.m. he was worse than ever .... he felt chilly , notwithstanding a constant sweat, and in spite of hot cloths to the abdomen.” Nux and Ipecac, ameliorated the symptoms, but “ after eight days he still was chilly in the upper parts of the body Aranea 3X was given alternately with Nux, under which he soon recovered.

It does not matter with Grauvogl what the nature of the disease is, or where it is located, if the patient is constantly chilly he cures him with Aranea or some hydrogenoid remedy. Thus, an old man had an abscess on his heel, due to “ chronic inflammation of the periosteum of the os calcis.” The ulcer was gangrenous, very painful. Aranea relieved the pains, but the ulcer deepened. Silica and Calc. carb. aggravated. Because the patient was constantly chilly , and the pains increased and decreased periodically, he gave Aranea, and says he effected a “rapid cure,” although the time was Jive months before the “ cure ” was complete.

On page 205 he gives a graphic description of a case of ague, in which the chill came on at 7 p.m. and lasted till 8 a.m. (no fever or sweat was present). He gave this patient 80 grains of Quinine, in three days, with no effect. Then he cured him with Aranea 2X, five drops every hour. An immediate improvement was observed.

Additional eases, as follows, are reported in the “ Allg. Hom. Zeit.” 55, 166.

(1.) A case of chronic headache, preceded by flickering before the eyes and vertigo, which forces her to lie down. The headache is attended with dulness, great heat in the face, weariness, loss of strength, and lasts one day. Cured by Aranea 6th.

1. Toothache ; pinching, pressing pain in upper incisors, regularly from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., leaving a sensitiveness and cold feeling on drawing in air. Nux was taken without result. The patient was bitten by a spider (Aranea), and “ from that instant the pains gradually went off.” This physician says he has often cured such toothaches, with sensation as if the gum or cheek was swollen, by means of Aranea 6th.

(3.) Pain in the temples, with vertigo on rising, and a disagreeable feeling, as if the hands and head were swollen. Cured by Aranea.

Dr. Chapman, in the “Annals of the British Horn. Soc.,” vol. ii, cured a similar case in a very nervous woman, who, for several years, was nightly distressed with the sensation that her hands and arms were enormously sivollen. She was speedily cured by this remedy.

In Europe, ever since Dioscorides, the spider’s web has been used for ague. In this country it is used in domestic practice for

the same disease. Old physicians used it in epilepsy, palpitation from hypertrophy, spasms, neuralgia, sleeplessness, etc. It was given in pills about the size of a small pea.

I have never given Aranea but once, viz., when I thought it decidedly called for by Grauvogl’s indication, but I saw no benefit from its use.