Kreosotum appears in 11 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.
“Kreosotum. (A Distillation of Wood Tar.) Dark complexion, slight, lean, ill-developed, poorly nourished, overgrown; very tall for her age (Phos.). Children: old looking, wrinkled (Abrot.); scrofulous or psoric affections; rapid emaciation (Iod.); post climacteric diseases of women (Lach.). Haemorrhagic diathesis…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“A product of distillation of wood tar. Composition doubtful and variable. Preparation , Solutions in alcohol. Authorities. A. Reichenback, "Das Kreosot," second edition, 1835, effects of application to skin. ( 1 to 8, provings by Dr. Syrbius, A. H. Z ., 12, p. 33).”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Beechwood Kreosote Kreosotum is a mixture of phenols obtained from this distillation. Pulsations all over the body, and profuse bleeding from small wounds. Very severe, old neuralgic affections; pains rather aggravated by rest. Excoriating , burning, and offensive discharges. Hæmorrhages, ulcerations, cancerous…”
- Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“ACRIDITY, excoriations, etc. BLACK, dark, etc. BLOOD SEPSIS, etc. BLUISH, purple, livid, etc. EATING, long after, Agg. FEMALE ORGANS GNAWING, eating, festering pains ITCHING, tickling, etc., internal LUMPY EFFECTS, discharges, etc. LYING, on side, Agg. MENSES, before, Agg. MENSES, before and after, Agg. MENSES, after…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Kreasote or Creasote. A product of distillation of Wood Tar. C 8 H 10 O 2 . Solution in Rectified Spirit. [J. Meredith makes dilutions of "the first heavy distillate of hard green wood," which he has named Carbo Pyroligneus .] Acne / Amenorrhœa / Cancer / Carbuncle / Change of life / Cholera infantum / Coccygodynia /…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“A product of distillation of wood tar. Provings by Syrbius, Hartung, Sen. and Jun., Immisch, Lange, Koch, Heinemann, Lunderstadt, Wahle, Eichhorn, Thomas. See Allen's Encyclopædia, vol. 5, p. 408 . Additional verified symptoms from provings by Hering and Kummer, MSS. CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Difficulty of hearing during…”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“Characteristics: There are three things that stand out most prominently in Kreosotum, and when they appear together the symptoms in minor degree will be likely to be associated. These three characteristics are: When these three things arc associated in a high degree Kreosote should be examined. A prick of a pin will…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Low-spirited, inclined to weep, longing for death; music and other subduing emotions cause him to weep. Ill-humor (in the morning), with disposition to weep. Weakness of memory. Painful dulness of the head, as; after intoxication. Heaviness in the forehead and sensation as if the brain would fall out. Pulsation in the…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: kreosote. Acrid, fœtid, decomposed, mucous secretions; sometimes ulcerating, bleeding, malignant (N.). Difficulty of hearing, before and during the menses, with buzzing and humming in the head (G.). Intense itching of the margins of the eye-lids, greatly aggravated by rubbing or touching them (Bt.)…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Cholera infantum; profuse vomiting; cadaverous smelling stools. Hæmorrhagic diathesis; small wound bleeds profusely (Phos.). Acrid, fœtid, decomposed, mucous secretions; sometimes ulcerating, bleeding, malignant. Gums painful, dark red or blue; teeth decay as soon as they come. Sudden urging to urinate or during first…”
