Mephitis Putorius
By Constantine Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica
Skunk. Mustelidæ.
The alcoholic dilution is prepared from the liquid contained in the glands of the animal.
Introduced by Hering ; symptoms obtained from the 30th dilution, and from inhaling the substance while preparing the dilutions. Also proved, in 1853, by Cowley, through Neidhard, MSS. (Not contained in Allen's Encyclopædia ).
"If the facts collected since 1851, which are numerous, do not prove that Mephitis will supersede all other remedies in whooping cough, it certainly may be considered a valuable specific. In order to insure its full success, it should be exhibited in the lower dilutions, from one to three, at least in severe cases." --NEIDHARD.
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Spasm of glottis , Searle, Raue's Path. and Therap., p. 338 ; Asthma , MSS. ; Cough , Blake, Hahn. Mo., vol. 10, p. 375 ; Pertussis , Moore, N. E. M. G., vol. 4, p. 446 ; (23 cases), MSS., Neidhard, N. A. J. H., vol. 3, p. 504 ; Cushing (9 cases out of 10), MSS. ; Knerr (numerous cases), MSS. ; Sleeplessness , Theobald, Org., vol. 1, p. 300.
MIND [1]
Fancies so vivid they unfit for labor.
Talkative, as if drunk ; excited, with heat of head.
Angry about trifles or imaginary things.
Disinclination to work, with inclination to stretch.
SENSORIUM [2]
Vertigo : sitting, stooping, turning in bed.
Numb and dull, with sensation as if head became enlarged, with ill humor and nausea.
INNER HEAD [3]
Pain above eyes ; violent pain in head, as if a fulness was pressing upwards.
Fulness of forehead and front part of head.
Fulness in head, more on vertex, < from studying.
Headache while riding in a carriage.
Heaviness in back part of head, as if fingers were pressing on it.
Slight pain like pulsation or undulation in front part of head, left side, > on stooping reading, < on writing steadily.
Strange feeling in right side of cerebellum.
SIGHT AND EYES [5]
Inability to read fine print.
Letters become blurred, he is unable to discern them, they run together.
Weakness of sight, with headache and pain in eyes.
Pain in eyes : when turning them in certain directions ; as from a foreign body ; as from overexertion.
Stitches in eyes as from needles.
Stinging and itching in eyes, evening and morning.
Inflammation of eyes and lids, especially right side.
Redness of conjunctivæ.
Heat and burning of eyes.
Pressing on lids, with burning of margins as if a stye would form.
HEARING AND EARS [6]
Fetid discharge from ears.
Erysipelas of ear, with itching, heat, redness and blisters.
Neuralgic pain in and about ears ; deafness.
SMELL AND NOSE [7]
Dry nose ; bleeding from nose ; swelling.
Fluent coryza, cough and soreness in chest.
UPPER FACE [8]
Bloated face.
TEETH AND GUMS [10]
Sudden jerks in roots of teeth ; strumming toothache.
Pains in hollow back teeth.
TASTE, SPEECH, TONGUE [11]
Taste in mouth : coppery ; as after eating onions.
Want of sensation in tongue.
APPETITE, THIRST. DESIRES, AVERSIONS [14]
Wants every dish very much salted.
No appetite in morning.
HICCOUGH, BELCHING, NAUSEA AND VOMITING [16]
Nausea, with emptiness in stomach and sensation as if head was distended.
SCROBICULUM AND STOMACH [17]
Pressure in stomach, with colic.
HYPOCHONDRIA [18]
Rheumatic pain in region of liver.
Pain under short ribs.
ABDOMEN AND LOINS [19]
Colic from cold, > near warm stove.
STOOLS AND RECTUM [20]
Stool infrequent but thin.
URINARY ORGANS [21]
Difficulty in urinating, all day ; stream interrupted.
Frequent micturition : with clear urine ; with rheumatic pain ; with chill.
Urine turbid in morning, after evening fever.
MALE SEXUAL ORGANS [22]
Dwindling of testicles from masturbation.
Heat of genitals at night.
Itching of scrotum.
FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS [23]
Burning leucorrhœa.
Soreness of genitals and swelling of labia and uterus.
VOICE AND LARYNX. TRACHEA AND BRONCHIA [25]
When drinking or talking, liability to have something get into larynx.
RESPIRATION [26]
Asthma : as from inhaling vapor of sulphur ; in sleep ; of drunkards.
Inhalation difficult, exhalation almost impossible, or barking.
Suffocative feeling, with inability to exhale ; bloated face and convulsions. θ Spasm of glottis.
When drinking or talking, liability to get foreign substance into throat. θ Asthma thymicum.
Asthmatic paroxysm at night on lying down, also sometimes waking him in morning ; at 10 P. M. had to sit up in bed, got to sleep at 12 P. M., but was wakened by paroxysm exactly at daybreak ; had to get up and walk about, whereby a slight cough was excited, the more he coughed the worse the breathing became, but each cough brought up a little transparent phlegm, like white of egg, with sourish taste ; urine turbid on standing a few minutes, of fetid smell and depositing brick-dust sediment ; sensation during paroxysm as from inhaling fumes of sulphur, and a general oppression of front part of chest, especially behind upper part of sternum ; < from ice water, wine, horseback riding. θ Asthma.
COUGH [27]
Cough : after drinking, talking or loud reading ; with fluent coryza and soreness in chest ; spasmodic, hollow or deep, with rawness, hoarseness and pain through chest ; with suffocative feeling when inhaling ; cannot exhale ; vomits all food some hours after eating ; bloated face ; convulsions ; < at night and after lying down ; in morning it is loose, with some expectoration.
Whooping or any kind of cough which is very violent, coming on spasmodically, and seeming as though each spell would terminate life.
Spells day and night ; child must be raised, gets blue in face and cannot exhale ; convulsions ; fetid diarrhœa.
Eight or more paroxysms of cough every night ; rattling of phlegm during cough, with vomiting after eating.
After slight catarrh, whooping cough ; during day cough slight, but in night paroxysm every ten minutes, with frequent vomiting and fever.
Spasmodic cough of phthisical girls (where Dros. failed).
INNER CHEST AND LUNGS [28]
Pains in chest (last left short rib) when touching it ; when coughing and sneezing.
Strange feeling like that produced in throat when taking the preparation is felt in right lung and hypochondrium.
NECK AND BACK [31]
Stitches in spinal column during motion.
Pain in back and all limbs, with lameness.
Tension and pain in right side of neck.
UPPER LIMBS [32]
Sensation in right arm, over deltoid muscles, similar to that produced by substance on throat.
Rheumatic pains in arms, > on motion.
Restlessness in left arm, with sensibility.
Trembling of arm when leaning on it.
Painful twitching of left hand.
Feels impelled to stretch fingers and make them crack.
LOWER LIMBS [33]
Rush of blood to legs on getting awake at night.
Rheumatic pains from hips to feet ; arthritic pain in heel.
Legs restless as if becoming insensible ; knees feel bruised.
Peculiar spasmodic pain in left foot.
Stitches in feet.
Pain in big toe as if being pinched off.
Burning and pains in corns.
LIMBS IN GENERAL [34]
Rheumatic wandering pains in limbs, with much pressure to urinate and shocks.
Stretching of limbs.
REST. POSITION. MOTION [35]
Lying down : asthmatic paroxysm ; cough <.
Had to sit up in bed : asthmatic paroxysm.
Child must be raised : whooping cough.
Sitting : vertigo.
Stooping : vertigo.
Leaning on arm : trembling in it.
Motion : stitches in spinal column ; rheumatic pains in arms >.
Turning in bed : vertigo.
Stretching of limbs.
Had to get up and walk about : asthmatic paroxysm.
Disinclination to work, inclination to stretch.
NERVES [36]
Very fine nervous vibrations, causing great uneasiness.
Convulsions.
Inclination to stretch one's self, with disinclination to do anything.
Restlessness.
Lameness, especially with the pains.
SLEEP [37]
Frequent yawning ; lachrymation.
Extremely sleepy in morning, during day, even in company.
Cannot sleep whole night.
Sleeplessness from "fidgets" in left side, both legs and arms.
Nightmare.
Awakens in night with congestion to legs.
Night walking, open eyes, angry gestures ; hair on head rises, cannot be made conscious.
Vivid dreams which he recollects.
Asthma during sleep ; not waking ; continues after he has waked up.
TIME [38]
Morning : stinging and itching in eyes ; no appetite ; urine turbid ; asthma waking him ; cough loose ; extremely sleepy ; increased warmth.
Day : occasional spells of whooping cough ; cough slight.
All day : difficulty in urinating ; extremely sleepy.
Evening : stinging and itching in eyes ; fever ; chilliness.
Night : heat of genitals ; asthmatic paroxysm ; cough < ; spells of whooping cough ; on getting awake rush of blood to legs ; cannot sleep.
At 10 P. M. : asthmatic paroxysm ; got to sleep at 12 P. M., but was wakened by paroxysm exactly at daybreak.
TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER [39]
Warm stove : colic from cold >.
Feels less chilly in cold weather ; feels pleasant after ice cold washing.
Ice water : asthma <.
FEVER [40]
Cold feeling predominates ; evening chilliness, with desire to urinate ; colic as if diarrhœa would set in.
Increased warmth, especially in morning.
ATTACKS, PERIODICITY [41]
Every ten minutes : paroxysms of cough at night.
Every night : eight or more paroxysms.
LOCALITY AND DIRECTION [42]
Right : strange feeling in side of cerebellum ; inflammation of eyes and lids < ; strange feeling in lung ; tension and pain in side of neck ; sensation in arm over deltoid muscles, similar to that produced by substance on throat.
Left : undulation in side of front part of head ; pains under short ribs ; restlessness in arm ; painful twitching of hand ; peculiar spasmodic pain in foot ; "fidgets" in side.
SENSATIONS [43]
Strumming through body ; anxiety.
Feels as if threads had been drawn through head and trunk.
Wandering pains with pressure to urinate.
Fine nervous vibrations in bones.
A kind of burning feeling as from raw onions, in stomach, nose, head, right arm, right lung and down œsophagus.
As if head became enlarged ; as if a fulness was pressing upwards in head ; as if fingers were pressing on back of head ; pain as from a foreign body in eyes ; as from overexertion ; stitches in eyes as from needles ; as if a stye would form ; as if head was distended ; as if inhaling vapor of sulphur ; legs as if becoming insensible ; as if big toe was being pinched off ; as if diarrhœa would set in.
Pain : above eyes ; in eyes ; in hollow back teeth ; under short ribs ; through chest ; in back and all limbs ; in r. side of neck ; in big toe in corns.
Violent pain : in head.
Stitches : in eyes as from needles ; in spinal column ; in feet.
Neuralgic pains : in and about ears.
Rheumatic pain : in region of liver ; when urinating ; in arms ; from hips to feet ; wandering, in limbs.
Arthritic pain : in heel.
Spasmodic pain : in left foot.
Slight pain-like pulsation in front part of head.
Painful twitching : of left hand.
Sudden jerks : in roots of teeth.
Stinging and itching : in eyes.
Soreness : in chest ; of genitals.
Burning : of eyes ; of margins of eyes ; in corns.
Heat : of eyes ; of ears ; of genitals.
Pressure : in stomach.
Fulness : of forehead and front part of head ; in head.
Heaviness : in back part of head.
Tension : in right side of neck.
Pressing : on lids.
Lameness : in back and limbs.
Suffocative feeling : in larynx.
Strange feeling : in right side of cerebellum ; in lungs.
Restlessness : in left arm.
Fidgets : in left side, both legs and arms.
Trembling : of arm.
Itching : of ears ; of scrotum.
TOUCH. PASSIVE MOTION. INJURIES [45]
Touch : on last short ribs, pain.
Riding in a carriage : headache.
Horseback riding : asthma <.
SKIN [46]
Pimples on thighs, forehead, face, neck and nates.
STAGE OF LIFE, CONSTITUTION [47]
Baby, æt. 20 mos. ; pertussis.
Boy, æt. 1 ; pertussis.
Child, æt. 2 ; pertussis.
Boy, æt. 3 ; pertussis.
Boy, æt. 4 ; pertussis.
Girl, æt. 6 ; pertussis.
Boy, æt. 6 ; pertussis.
Boy, æt. 6 ; pertussis.
Two children, æt. 8 1/2 and 5 1/2 ; pertussis.
Girl, æt. 9 ; pertussis.
Man, æt. 26 ; bilious temperament, while in army two years previously had suffocative catarrh ; asthma.
RELATIONS [48]
Compare : in asthma, Drosera, Rumex and Sticta ; in pertussis, Coral. rubr . and Drosera ; in vertigo, Carbo veg . ; in loquacity, Amanita (Agaric.) and Laches . ; in effects on nervous system generally, Castor . and Moschus ; in chorea, with fidgety feet and legs, Act. rac., Am. carb., Arsen., Asaf., Aurum, Sticta and Tarent .