Iodum appears in 12 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.
- Allen HC — The keynotes that separate this remedy from its nearest neighbours.
“Iodine. (The Element) Persons of scrofulous diathesis, with dark or black hair and eyes; a low cachetic condition, with profound debility and great emaciation (Abrot.). Great weakness and loss of breath on going upstairs (Calc.); during menses (Alum, Carbo an., Coc.). Ravenous hunger; eats freely and well, yet loses…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“The element, Iodine. Preparation , Tincture (or triturations, -Hahnemann). Authorities. [None of Hahnemann's quoted authorities are admitted, in accordance both with the strong advice of Dr. Hering, and the character of the references as pointed out by Dr. Hughes; a few of those referred to by Hahnemann have been…”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Iodine (IODUM) Rapid metabolism: Loss of flesh great appetite. Hungry with much thirst. Better after eating. Great debility, the slightest effort induces perspiration . Iod individual is exceedingly thin, dark complexioned, with enlarged lymphatic glands, has voracious appetite but gets thin. Tubercular type. All…”
- Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“GLANDS: THYROID. Testes. Mesenteric. Mammæ. MUCOUS MEMBRANES: LARYNX. Lungs (R. Apex or base). HEART. Blood-vessels. Skin. Nerves. Connective tissue. HEAT: ROOM. Air. Wraps. Exertion: Ascending. Talking. Fasting. Night. Rest. COLD: AIR. Bathing. Motion. Eating. Intensely rapid action. ALWAYS TOO HOT. Hot, acrid or…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Iodine. An element. l. (AM. 126.53). Tincture. Appetite, disordered / Atrophy / Brain, atrophy of / Breasts, affections of / Cancer / Chilblains / Chyluria / Constipation / Consumption / Coryza / Cough / Croup / Debility / Diabetes / Diarrhœa / Diphtheria / Emaciation / Enteric fever / Galactorrhœa / Goître /…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Iodine. The element. Obtained principally from the ashes of seaweeds. Provings by Hahnemann, Jorg, Hering, Macfarlan, Robinson, etc. See Allen's Encyclopædia, vol. 5, p. 119 . CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Mania , Spooner, N. E. M. G., vol. 4, p. 452 ; Inflammation of brain , Schmid Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 1, p. 126 ; Headache …”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“Iodine Anxiety: This remedy in all of its complaints whether acute or chronic, has a peculiar kind anxiety that is felt both in mind and body. It seems also that this state of anxiety is attended with a thrill that goes throughout his frame unless he removes it by motion or change of position. The anxiety comes on…”
- Lippe (KN) — Only the symptoms Lippe considered reliable enough to prescribe on.
“Violent trembling of the limbs. Twitching of the muscles. Emaciation to a skeleton. Great debility, the slightest effort induces perspiration. Great excitability of the whole nervous system. Violent tearing in the joints. Chronic rheumatism of the joints, with nightly pains without swelling. Swelling and induration of…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Excessive excitability; irritability and sensitiveness. Restlessness, with inclination to move about, not permitting one to sit or to sleep. Despondency, with disposition to weep. Fixed, immovable thoughts. Congestions to and pulsations in the head. Headache, as if tape or a band were tightly drawn around the head…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: iodine. Adapted to persons of a scrofulous diathesis, with a low, cachectic condition, profound debility and great emaciation (Abrot., Nat-M., Sanic.) (A.). Bad effects of mercury (Chin., Dulc., Hep., Lach., Nit-Ac.) (Bt.). EMACIATION TO A SKELETON. Great debility; the slightest effort induces…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Always hungry; eats or wants to all the time, yet emaciates; > while eating. Hypertrophy of all glands except mammary, which dwindle; while body withers glands enlarge. Mentally anxious, anguish, wants to move, do something, hurry, kill somebody, etc. (Arsen.) Warm blooded notwithstanding emaciation; wants a cool…”
