Zincum metallicum 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.
“Zinc. (The Element.) Persons suffering from cerebral and nervous exhaustion; defective vitality ; brain or nerve power wanting ; too weak to develop exanthemata or menstrual function, to expectorate, to urinate; to comprehend, to memorize. Incessant and violent fidgety feeling in feet or lower extremeties; must move…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“An element. Preparation , Triturations of the metal. Authorities. (No. 1 to 12 , from Hahnemann, Chr. Kn.)”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Zinc (ZINC) The provings picture cerebral depression. The word "fag" covers a large part of zinc action. Tissues are worn out faster than they are repaired. Poisoning from suppressed eruptions or discharges. The nervous symptoms of most importance. Defective vitality. Impending brain paralysis. Period of depression in…”
- Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“BRAIN AND NERVES: Occiput. Spine. Orbital region. Root of nose. Blood. Inner canthi. EXHAUSTION; mental. Suppressions. Noise. Touch. Wine. After being heated. Motion. Hard pressure. Warm open air. FREE DISCHARGES. Fagged , enervated or depressed; can't throw things off; develop exanthema or discharges, etc. Increasing…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“metallicum. Zinc. An Element. Zn. A. W. 64.9. Trituration of the metal. Alcoholism / Amblyopia / Asthma / Brain-fag / Brain, paralysis of / Breasts, affections of / Cataract / Chilblains / Chin, eruption on / Chlorosis / Cholera / Chorea / Constipation / Cracks / Dentition / Diarrhœa, nervous; with stupor / Diphtheria…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Zinc. The element. Introduced by Franz. Provings by Hahnemann, Franz, von Gersdorff, Hartlaub, Hartmann, Haubold, Lesquereux, Nenning, Rückert, Rummell, Schweikert, Stapf, Chronische, Krankheiten, vol. 5, p. 428 ; Franz, Archiv für Hom., 6, 2, p. 188 ; Schreter, Neues Archiv für Hom., vol. 3, p. 187 ; Wernek, Hygea…”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“Zinc. has a full and substantial proving, including symptoms of every part of the body. It is an antipsoric, suitable in broken down constitutions, feeble constitutions; enfeeblement characterizes the whole proving. The Zinc. patient is nervous and extremely sensitive, excitable, trembling, quivering, twitching of…”
- Lippe (KN) — Only the symptoms Lippe considered reliable enough to prescribe on.
“Deathly sickness at the stomach with marked nausea. Pallor of the body surface, with low fevers, inclining to coma. Variableness of the symptoms. Twitching of the members.”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Very variable mood: at noon, low-spirited; and in the evening, hilarity, or vice versa. Morose and indisposed to converse (especially in the evening). Great sensitiveness to the talking of others and to all noise. Aversion to work and to walk. Weakness of the memory. Thoughtlessness and dulness of the intellect…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: zinc. Pallor of the body surface, with low fevers (Ferr., Nat-M., Sep.). Nape of the neck feels weary and tired, from writing or any exertion (N.). Variableness of the symptoms (Ign., Kali-S., Tub.). Pain in the back, worse when sitting (Agar., Arg-M., Rhus-T., Sep., Valer., Zinc.) (N.). DEFECTIVE…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Inability to develop or hold out the rash in eruptive diseases, can’t expectorate or menstruate, is > if can. Cannot take stimulants, as they aggravate in general. Fidgety feet, must move them constantly. Twitching of single muscles all over the body. Violent trembling all over, so as to shake the bed; lost nerve…”
