Comocladia dentata

Volume I — Special Symptomatology

(Ouao.)

Botanical Description. — A tree growing in St. Domingo and Cuba. The stem erect, not much branched. Leaves divided, shiny and green above, with a round foot-stalk six inches in length. Six to ten leaflets on each side, with an odd one, which are oblong, sharp-pointed, toothed, furry and somewhat downy at the back. Juice milky, glutinous, becoming black by exposure to air, staining the linen or skin the same color, and cannot be washed off. It is supposed by the natives of Cuba to be death to sleep beneath this tree, especially for persons of a sanguine or fat habit of body.

Officinal Preparation.— Tincture with strong alcohol, ot the leaves or bark; dilutions. Analogues.— Anacardi urn, Rhus tox., Rhus rad., and Rhus ven., etc.

Head.

Feeling of heaviness in the head — aggravated by holding the

head down. Shooting pains through the left temple.

On arising from bed everything looks dark; pains, relieved by motion and in the open air.

Face.

c Left side of face swollen; the left ear also all cracked and desquamating a substance like powdered starch. Cured in five weeks. {Navarro?)

Eyes.

Aching soreness in the eyeballs, which feel heavy. Inflammation of the eyes; sees from right eye a red ring

around the light of the lamp; closing the eye, the ring

disappears. Eyeballs seem too large.

Pains in the eyes increased by being near warm room, with

profuse lachrymation. Severe pains through the eyeballs, extending to occiput. Painful, pressing out sensation in the head, as if something

was pressing on top of the eyeballs.

Nose.

Intolerable itching of the nose.

Mouth, Teeth and Jaws.

Aching pains in the teeth.

Sensation as if the tooth was drawing out of its socket.

Sensation as if all the molar teeth on the right side were loose.

Pains in the teeth, relieved by pressure.

Inflammation of the gums of the lower jaw.

Tongue coated dirty yellow.

Lower lips blistered and swollen.

When the toothache stops the head feels large.

Larynx.

Spasmodic dry cough at night, with tickling in the throat, and

constant dull pain under the left nipple. Tittilating cough; hacking cough in the daytime

Abdomen.

A pale red flush, as if an eruption would make its appearance across the abdomen.

Acute, sore pains extending across the abdomen above the

umbilicus, affecting the breathing.

Genital Organs. Continued tingling, itching of the scrotum during the night. Intense itching on the lower part of the penis, also on inner

side of the prepuce.

Chest.

Acute, sharp pains in left mammary gland, about one inch above the nipple, and leaves a burning sensation; it goes to right side and down right arm.

Oppression of breath, on account of sharp pains in left side.

0 A sloughing ulcer on the right breast of a lady of thirty eight. (Cured in six weeks.) (Dr. Navarro?)

Constant pain across the chest.

Rheumatic or pleurodynic pains in chest.

Back.

Rheumatic pains and stitches in the back; the stitches leave a burning.

Superior Extremities.

Frequent rheumatic pains in the hands, arms and legs. Vesicular eruption on the arms and hands.

Lower Extremities. Severe pains in both knees; pressing down to the feet on the

inside of the legs. Pains, relieved by movement.

• Vesicular eruption on the legs; changing to pustules, and sometimes to deep, unhealthy ulcers.

c An indolent ulcer on lower third of right leg, near the external malleolus — of irregular shape and hard edges; the ulcer was deep, and discharged a sanious and foetid pus; it had lasted six years. (Cured in four weeks by Comocladia 30th.) (Dr. Navarro?)

° Inflammation of left leg and foot, with violent fever; the swelling increased enormously, when the pain subsided; the skin became white and covered with shiny scales; cracked and discharged a sanious fluid. (Cured by Comocladia 6th.) (Navarro.)

Skin.

Violent itching, redness and erysipelatous swelling of the face, hands, and other parts of the body, followed by yellow vesication and desquamation of the cuticle.

Painful burning on face and arms; face enormously swollen

Itash resembling scarlet fever.

° Erysipelas, herpes, zona, etc.

Inflammation of the skin, followed by deep, hard-edged ulcers, discharging a thick, purulent, greenish-yellow matter, having a very foetid smell; the parts looking like raw meat; the skin covered by small shiny scales.

Volume II — Special Therapeutics

This poisonous shrub, known to the natives of the West Indies as Guao, is very similar in its effects to the Anacardium of the East Indies and the Rhus of the United States.

So virulent is its poison, that sleeping beneath its shade often

causes fatal illness, especially if the sun is shining. It has been observed that the poisonous influence of the Rhus is felt more intensely in hot, sunny weather.

Like the Anacardium, the Guao causes not only vesicular eruptions, but malignant pustules and ulcers. The ulcers are deep, with hard edges ; they discharge a thick, purulent, yellowish-green matter, having a very peculiar fetid smell, the parts becoming in appearance like a piece of raw, decayed meat, while the surrounding skin is covered with small shining scales.

This gives a very good picture of the worst forms of malignant erysipelas, of a greater severity than that for which Rhus is indicated, and for which we have usually used Lachesis and Arsenicum.

It has been used in leprosy by the Spanish homoeopathic physicians, and with considerable success.

In erysipelatous inflammation of the tissues in and around the eye, it will be found superior to the ordinary remedies.

Dr. Navarro cured a sloughing ulcer of the right breast ; also an “ indolent ulcer ” on the lower third of the right leg near the external malleolus, of irregular shape and hard edges ; the ulcer was deep and discharged a sanious and fetid pus ; it had lasted six years. (Cured in four weeks by the 6th dil.) The same physician reports a case of inflammation of the left leg and foot with violent fever; the swelling increased enormously ; when the pain subsided the skin became white and covered with shining scales; cracked and discharged a sanious fluid. This case was cured with the 6th.

It caused the same rheumatic pains and swellings, aggravated by rest, relieved by continued movement, as does Rhus. I have rarely been able to procure the drug, and while we have the Rhus and Anacardium we hardly need it. It corresponds more closely to the diseases of the tropics than those of the temperate zone.