Mygale

by Timothy F. Allen — The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica

"Mygale Lasiodora Cubana." A large, black, Cuban spider.

Preparation , Tincture prepared by putting the live insect into alcohol.

Authorities.

Dr. John G. Houard. Hahn. Month., 1869, vol. 5, p. 8; 1 , proving by a young lady, 10 drops (tincture?) first day, 20 drops second and third days; 2 , effects of bite on instep, of "Mygale avicularia," in a man, Am. Hom. Rev., 5, 81.

MIND

At 8 P.M., he became delirious, talked about his business, and was restless during the whole night, 2.
Felt sad all day (third day), 1.
Despondency, with anxious expression, 2.
Fear of death, 2.

FACE

Face flushed, 2.

MOUTH

Tongue dry and parched (third day), 1.
Tongue dry and coated brown, 2.

STOMACH

Aversion to food, no appetite whatever, at dinner-time; took no food till tea-time, then only a cup of tea and a small piece of bread; felt better after eating (second day), 1.
Excessive thirst, 1. [10.]
Nausea, with strong palpitation of the heart, dimness of sight, and general weakness (after twenty minutes, second day); nausea and palpitation of the heart returned with greater force (third day), 1.

URINARY ORGANS

Increased discharge of urine, with stinging pain in the urethra; the urine during the day was burning and hot, it seemed scalding (fourth day), 1.

RESPIRATORY ORGANS

Difficult breathing, 2.

PULSE

Pulse, 130, 2.

BACK

Pain in the back, extending around to the front (third day), 1.

INFERIOR EXTREMITIES

Local inflammation very extensive, reaching from the foot as high up as the knee, leaving a large violent spot, which changed in a few hours to a greenish color (after thirty minutes), 2.
Pulsating, stinging pain in the foot, 2.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS

Tremulousness over the whole body, in the evening (third day), 1.
Great prostration (third day), 1.
The symptoms lasted for days, with more or less intensity, and gradually passed off, 1.

SLEEP. [20.]

Restless all night, with ridiculous dreams (third day), 1.

FEVER

Severe chill, which lasted thirty minutes (after two hours); then fever set in, with trembling of the whole body, 2.

Mygale across the other classic books

Mygale appears in 6 of the 13 classic books on Similia. Each was written to do a different job — here is what each adds on this remedy, with the opening of its entry.

Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Black Cuban Spider Weakness, palpitation, nervousness, fear, like other spider preparations. Chorea is the principal therapeutic field of this. Sexual symptoms are important. Delirious, restless, sad; fears death; despondent. Twitching of facial muscles . Mouth and eyes open in rapid succession. Hot and flushed …”
Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“Nerves. Chorea of upper parts. .................... Twitching facial muscles and head (Cic.).”
Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Lasiodora Cubana. A large black Cuban Spider. N. O. Arachnida. Tincture of living spider. Chordee / Chorea / Gonorrhœa The pathogenetic data of Mygale consist of a proving by a young lady and the effect of a bite on a man. In the latter case, inflammation ensued which spread along the lymphatics, violet and afterwards…”
Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“A large black Cuban Spider. Mygale Lasiodora Cubano. Introduced and proved by Houard, J. G. (Hah. Mo., 1869, vol. 5, p. 8). Tincture prepared by putting live insect into alcohol. CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Chordee , Williamson, Farr. Clin. Mat. Med., p. 72 ; Gonorrhœa , Houard, Hah. Mo., vol. 5, p. 8 ; Chorea (2 cases)…”
Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Is also a spider poison, and has cured cases of chorea. The cases seem to have been of a very violent nature, and the twitching in the facial muscles is predominant. This remedy also ought to be fully proven.”

Mygale in Kent's Repertory

Kent's Repertory lists Mygale in 72 rubrics. These are the ones where it carries the highest grade — the symptoms Kent treated as most characteristic. Most of them sit in EXTREMITIES (16), GENERALITIES (11), HEAD (8), MIND (6), FACE (4).

EXTREMITIES - CHOREA
GENERALITIES - CHOREA
EAR - PAIN - midnight - after - driving her out of bed
FACE - DISTORTION - morning
EXTREMITIES - MOTION - Lower Limbs,chorea like
EXTREMITIES - MOTION - Lower Limbs,chorea like - convulsive
EXTREMITIES - MOTION - Leg - convulsive
BACK - SPASMS
EXTREMITIES - MOTION - Upper Limbs,automatic - convulsive
HEAD - FALLING - sideways of head
MOUTH - MOTION - Tongue,difficult
URETHRA - DISCHARGE - gonorrheal - chronic
TEETH - GRINDING - sleep,during
URETHRA - CHORDEE
MALE GENITALIA - ERECTIONS, - violent
EXTREMITIES - PAIN - Knee - walking,on
EXTREMITIES - JERKING - Lower Limbs
GENERALITIES - CONVULSIVE movements
EXTREMITIES - TWITCHING
FACE - TWITCHING

Search all 7 classical repertories

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