Mercurius Dulcis

Mercurous chloride, HgCl. Calomel. Hydrargyrum chloratum mite.

Preparation for use , Triturations.

Authorities.

1 , Hahnemann, R. A. M. L., 1, 422; 2 , Spens, effects of "a few powders," in a case of erythema, Ed. M. and S. J., 1805; 3 , Hellwig, effects of purgative doses taken for experiment, Obs. Phys. Med., 1680, from Wibmer; 4 , Vagnitius, effects of 15 grains in a healthy child, from Wibmer; 5 , Harder, effects of 15 grains, Apiar, Obs., 43, p. 192, from Wibmer; 6 , Pierer's Annal., 1827, a woman took 14 drachms (from Wibmer); 7 , omitted; 8 , Ascherson, from Kussmaul, effects of 4 grains, in a man; 9 , George, effects of 1 grain at night, and 2 grains next morning, in an infant, Brit. Med. J., 1833, 12, p. 569; 10 , Roberts, effects of two teaspoonfuls of Calomel (at least 1 ounce), in a girl of nineteen, Lond. Med. Gaz., 1838 (Am. J. Med. Sc., 23, p. 199); 11 , Crampton, effects of 2 grains, Bost. M. and S. J., 18, 361 (from Trans. Roy. Coll. Phys.); 12 , Byford, effects of inunction for a week, in a case of iritis, Am. J. Med. Sc., 1857, vol. 33, p. 314; 13 , same, effects of Calomel internally and externally, in a case of violent ophthalmia; 14 , Blair, effects of three doses of 3 grains each, a dose every other day, in a boy aged seven, Ed. M. and S. J. Aug. 1859; 15 , Clough, effects in a girl, suffering from an injury to the head, Bost. M. and S. J., 32, 517; 16 , Strong, case of periodically recurring salivation, Bost. M. and S. J., 54, 439; 17 , omitted; 18 , Dr. D. S. Kimball, in MS., effects of various potencies, 3d to 30th, taken for catarrhal troubles, especially affecting the ear.

MIND

• Considerably agitated (after two hours), 10.
• Apprehensiveness, 4.

HEAD

• Some headache (second morning), 10.
• Slight headache (after five hours), 10.
• Pain or heaviness across the forehead (second evening), 10.

EYE

• Gummy secretion on the edges of the eyelids; next day, increase of the eye symptoms, with some smarting and indistinctness of vision, as from matter on the cornea, 18.
• Slight redness of conjunctiva, 14.
• Photophobia, and dryness of the eyes, 18.
• Eye symptoms aggravated after exercise and being heated from exercise, 18.

EAR. [10.]

• Itching in the meatus auditorius externus, 18.
• A few light twinging pains, or shocks, in the left internal ear, awaking me from sleep (seventh night), 18.
• Sudden fluttering in the left ear for a few minutes, 18.

NOSE

• Dryness and incrustation in the nostrils, worse in the night, 18.
• Soreness in the right nostril, 18.

FACE

• Face flushed, 14.
• Pallid as a corpse (two hours after second dose), 9.*
• Slight swelling of both cheeks, 14.
• Exfoliation of lower jaw, and death, 11.

MOUTH

• Teeth.
• Looseness of teeth, 14. [20.]
• The teeth became loose, and several came out, 15.
• Uneasy sensation on gnashing the teeth (second evening), 10.
• Gums.
• Gums spongy, 14.
• Tongue.
• Tongue thickly coated (second morning), 10.
• Tongue covered with a white creamy fur, 14.
• Tongue had a narrow streak of fur down the centre (after nine hours), 10.
• Tongue so tumid that speech was entirely gone, 14.
• Sensation on the tongue as if scalded, 18.
• General Mouth.
• The whole inside of the mouth, tongue and all, had a very black appearance, emitting a constant flow of a dark putrid saliva, of intolerable fetor . The greater part of the mouth and tongue mortified; and part of the tongue, the under lip, and part of one side of the face, sloughed off, presenting a most horrid spectacle to behold, 15.*
• *Inflammation of the lips and tongue, 3. [30.]
• Interior of cheeks inflamed and tender; a quantity of bloody puriform matter came away from right cheek, 14.
• Whole mouth filled with ulcers, 6.*
• Dryness in the mouth, with thirst, 18.
• Saliva.
• Salivation, 11.*
• Copious salivation (after two days), 6.
• Violent salivation, 5.
• Saliva flowed continually, so that his dress was completely soaked, 14.
• For the last eighteen years, and since the first salivations, she has had regular returns of the salivation without exception, in October and February of each year; it often returns on the same days of the month as at first, sometimes a few days later, 16.
• Taste.

THROAT

• Excessive ulceration of throat, 11.* [40.]
• Difficulty of swallowing, 14.
• The throat and face became immensely swollen, 15.

STOMACH

• No appetite whatever (second morning), 10.
• Urgent thirst (after five hours), 10.
• Slight nausea and faintness, which had not prevented her from partaking of a luncheon of bread and salad, with a little ale (soon), 10.
• Vomiting, 4, 9.*
• Vomited twice after each dose of the mixture (eleven hours and a half), 10.
• Profuse vomiting and diarrhœa, 6.
• Vomited the milk and water she had been drinking, without any appearance of Calomel (after six hours), 10.
• Copious vomiting, immediately; on examining the egesta by letting it stand to settle, and then pouring off the upper part, and testing the sediment with lime-water, I could detect no traces of Calomel. I now gave her half a tumbler of lime-water, mixed with an equal quantity of warm water, every three or four minutes, and the vomited seven times in the course of the next half hour; everything she had eaten since taking the Calomel came off her stomach; still, however, there were only slight evidences of the Calomel, a few blackish specks here and there, 10. [50.]
• Weight and pain at the epigastrium, and in the right side (after two hours and a half); relieved after a few minutes by vomiting up a thick ropy stuff, consisting of Calomel, entangled in a quantity of mucus, 10.

ABDOMEN

• Violent pain in the abdomen, 6.
• Severe griping pains (after eight hours and a half), 10.
• Some tenderness of the abdomen (after nine hours), 10.
• Some slight tenderness of the abdomen on firm pressure (second evening), 10.

RECTUM AND ANUS

• Teased with a frequent tenesmus (second morning), 10.
• *Excessive tenesmus (after four days), 12.
• *Burning pain in rectum (after four days), 12.
• Soreness around the fundament (second morning), 10.

STOOL

• Watery diarrhœa (fourth day), 18. [60.]
• Symptoms thoroughly dysenteric (after four days), 12.*
• Constant disposition to stool; the discharges were small and consisted of mucus and blood, colored with bile , in the evening; about 10 A.M., he had had two large bilious evacuations, succeeded by these small ones; he had to be up every ten minutes, and felt as if it would be a relief to discharge the whole contents of his abdomen (fourth day), 12.
• Gripings, abdominal fulness, burning pain in the epigastric and umbilical regions, followed by copious serous discharges for three or four evacuations in quick succession; the discharges became gradually less, and in the course of seven or eight hours were very small, and composed of bloody mucus, attended with tenesmus, and excessively frequent attempts to evacuate, and constant desire to do so (after four or five days); these symptoms required active treatment for two or three days before they were subdued, 13.
• Bowels opened four times between 5 and 6 o'clock (after six hours); a quantity of black particles similar to those precipitated from the vomited matters adhered to the vessels, 10.
• Two dejections of a greenish fluid from the bowels, 9.
• Has had two stools of a dark-green color, and accompanied with some griping pain (second evening), 10.
• Bowels have been opened once; the stools watery, green , and small, without any admixture of the black matter noticed yesterday (second morning), 10.
• Passed a stool tinged with blood during the night, 14.

URINARY ORGANS

• Urine increased (second day); diminished (third, fourth, and fifth days), 18.

SEXUAL ORGANS

• Stinging and itching just back of the corona glandis, 18.

RESPIRATORY ORGANS. [70.]

• Foul or putrid breath, 18.
• Fetor of breath so strong that it could be noticed at a considerable distance from the bed, 14.
• Asthma, 3.

PULSE

• Pulse quick and hard, but otherwise there was not much fever, 14.
• Pulse full, hard, and about 90 (after five hours); small, hard, 100 (after nine hours), 10.
• Pulse 90, small and hard (second morning), 10.

EXTREMITIES IN GENERAL

• Trembling of the hands and feet, 4.

INFERIOR EXTREMITIES

• Rheumatic stiffness and catching pain in the muscles of legs and knee-joint, 18.
• Cramps in the legs, at night, 18.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS

• In a convulsive paroxysm, presenting as frightful appearances as ever ushered in the most malignant disease, 9. [80.]
• Tired and sleepy, at 10 A.M., 18.
• Languor (second evening), 10.
• So much prostration that I was uneasy as to its results (after inunction), 12.
• Appeared occasionally faint, 9.
• Was uneasy, 9.
• Restlessness of the whole body, 4.

SKIN

• Erythema commencing in the pubic regions and extending like a scarlet redness over the whole body within twenty hours, without pain or fever, lasting two days, 8.
• It commenced with considerable redness and swelling of the face, and extended only over the face, neck, shoulders, and upper part of back; terminating in a serous exudation and desquamation of the cuticle, 2.
• Numerous round, deep, eroding ulcers in the mouth and fauces, on the face, genitals, and other parts of the body, with white bases and inflamed, extremely painful margins, with a persistent fever and constant heat, with night-sweats, sinking of strength, tearing pains in the limbs, and trembling, 1.
• Itching and tingling in the skin, especially of the scalp and face, 18.

SLEEP AND DREAMS. [90.]

• Sleepiness, in the morning, 18.
• Slept during the night, form 3 to 8, and is disposed to sleep at the present time (second morning), 10.
• Rather unpleasant dreams, 18.

FEVER

• Temperature of the body low (two hours after second dose), 9.
• Quite disposed to perspire, 18.

CONDITIONS

• Aggravation.
• ( Night ), Dryness, etc., in nostrils.
• ( Exercise ), Eye symptoms.