Selenium. (Selenium Metallicum.)
By Constantine Hering — The Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica
Selenium. The Element.
The trituration is prepared from the reddish-brown, somewhat translucent metal which resembles sulphur in its chemical relations.
Introduced and proved by Hering, Archiv für Hom., vol. 12, p. 192 ; proving by Schreter, N. Archiv für Hom., vol. 3, p. 184 ; Berridge, N. Am. Jour. of Hom., 1873, p. 501.
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Headache , Ballard, M. I., vol. 6, p. 182 ; Spermatorrhœa , Greenleaf, A. H. O., vol. 10, p. 258 ; Prostatitis and atony of sexual organs , Altschul, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 5, p. 586 ; Gleet , Nash, Hom. Phys., vol. 7, p. 289.
MIND [1]
Great dulness, with complete insensibility and indifference to his surroundings.
Very forgetful, especially in business ; during slumber, however, he remembers all he had forgotten.
A kind of stammering ; he uses syllables of words in wrong connections, therefore pronounces some words incorrectly.
Difficult comprehension.
Total unfitness for any kind of work.
Great talkativeness when excited, especially in evening.
Mental labor fatigues him.
Lascivious thoughts with impotency.
Dread of society.
SENSORIUM [2]
Vertigo : on lifting head or rising up ; on moving about, with nausea, vomiting, faintness ; < after breakfast and dinner.
INNER HEAD [3]
Violent stinging over left eye, when walking in sun or from strong odors ; with increased secretion of urine, and melancholy.
Headache every afternoon, especially after drinking wine, tea or lemonade.
Violent headache commenced in forehead and gradually involved whole head ; heavily coated tongue ; nausea ; frequent vomiting of bilious-looking matter ; her usual cup of tea was followed by an aggravation of all the symptoms.
Headache of drunkards ; headache after debauchery.
OUTER HEAD [4]
Hair comes out when combing ; also from eyebrows, whiskers and genitals.
Tingling itching on scalp in evening, oozing after scratching.
Tension and sensation of contraction of scalp.
SIGHT AND EYES [5]
Itching vesicles on edges of eyelids and on eyebrows.
Spasmodic twitching of left eyeball.
HEARING AND EARS [6]
Ear stopped ; hardening of earwax in his deaf ear.
SMELL AND NOSE [7]
Itching in nose and on edges of nostrils.
Inclination to bore fingers into nose.
Yellow, thick, jellylike mucus in nose.
Discharge of dark blood from nose.
Phlegm in choanæ.
Coryza, ending in diarrhœa.
Complete obstruction of nose, chronic.
UPPER FACE [8]
Twitching of muscles of face.
Great emaciation of face and hands.
Oiliness of skin on face ; greasy and shining.
TEETH AND GUMS [10]
Picks teeth until they bleed ; toothache.
Teeth covered with mucus.
Toothache from drinking tea.
TASTE, SPEECH, TONGUE [11]
A kind of stammering speech, made mistakes in talking, uttered syllables wrongly, and could not articulate some words.
APPETITE, THIRST. DESIRES, AVERSIONS [14]
Want of appetite in morning, white-coated tongue.
Aversion to food much salted.
Great longing for ardent spirits ; an almost maniacal irresistible desire, has to get completely drunk and feels distressed afterward ; wants to go to an insane asylum. θ Chronic alcoholism.
Hungry during night.
EATING AND DRINKING [15]
After eating : violent beating all over body, < in abdomen ; must lie down.
Bad effects : from sugar ; from salt food ; from drinking tea ; from lemonade.
HYPOCHONDRIA [18]
Searching pain in region of liver, < in taking a long breath, with sensitiveness to external pressure ; followed by a red, itching rash in region of liver.
Stitches in spleen when walking.
Enlargement of liver with loss of appetite, particularly in morning ; white coating on tongue ; sharp stitching pains in hepatic region, < from motion and pressure ; sensitiveness of liver ; peculiar fine rash over hepatic region.
ABDOMEN AND LOINS [19]
Pulsation in whole body, especially in abdomen after eating.
STOOLS AND RECTUM [20]
Stool : hard and so impacted that it requires mechanical aid ; mucus or blood passes with last portion ; contains threads of fecal matter like hair.
Papescent stool, with tenesmus and feeling in anus as after a hard stool.
Stools exceedingly difficult and threaten to tear anus, from their immense size ; hours may be spent in an effort at evacuation, stool can be seen through the distended anus as an immense hard, dark-colored ball ; the sufferings are great and patient becomes wonderfully agitated.
URINARY ORGANS [21]
Sensation in tip of urethra as if a biting drop were forcing its way out.
Twinging pain along urethra from behind forward, with a sensation as if drops were passing out.
Involuntary dribbling of urine while walking, also after urinating, especially after stool.
Urine : dark, scanty ; red, in evening ; sediment coarse, red, sandy.
MALE SEXUAL ORGANS [22]
Erections slow, insufficient ; semen emitted too rapidly and with long-continued thrill ; weak, ill-humored after an embrace, weakness in loins.
Semen thin, without normal odor.
Lewd thoughts, but physically impotent.
No erection in evening, notwithstanding he was excited ; erection in morning without sexual desire.
Diminution of sexual desire.
Impotence with sexual desire.
Lascivious dreams, with seminal emissions, which awaken him, followed by lameness and weakness in small of back.
Impotence.
Involuntary dribbling of semen or prostatic fluid during sleep.
Seminal emissions about twice a week, lascivious dreams, is always awakened by it ; always rises with weakness and lameness in small of back. θ Spermatorrhœa.
Prostatic juice oozes while sitting, during sleep, when walking and at stool.
A drop of watery, sticky substance passes from urethra just before stool and soon afterward.
While sitting a drop of prostatic fluid passes from orifice of urethra with a peculiar, disagreeable sensation.
Frequent itching in small spots on skin and development of small vesicles on hands and feet ; sleep disturbed by confused and lascivious dreams ; glowing sensation of skin in various parts of body ; severe stitching pain over left eye, returning every afternoon ; belching before eating, particularly after smoking ; after eating desire to lie down with inability to fall asleep ; pain in region of right kidney, < from inspiration ; dribbling of urine after stool ; while at stool must wait a long while to urinate ; discharge of prostatic fluid before and after stool ; profuse sweat about abdomen and pubes ; dull pain in perineum, < urinating, evacuating bowels and during ejaculation of semen ; swelling of prostata, feels hard and causes narrowing of urethra ; seminal emissions during sleep ; weak erections although sexual desire may be great ; premature ejaculation of semen ; cough on awaking ; expectoration of small lumps of mucus and blood ; tearing pains in posterior part of thighs. θ Prostatitis and atony of sexual organs.
Prostatitis caused by an immense hard stool.
Discharge of slimy mucus from ten to fifteen drops or a tablespoonful looking like milk. θ Prostatic gleet.
Itching on scrotum.
Gonorrhœa (secondary) ; gleet.
FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS [23]
Catamenia copious and dark.
PREGNANCY. PARTURITION. LACTATION [24]
During pregnancy throbbing in abdomen.
VOICE AND LARYNX. TRACHEA AND BRONCHIA [25]
Voice husky when beginning to sing, or from talking long ; hawks transparent lumps every morning, sometimes bloody.
Hoarseness after long use of voice ; frequent necessity to clear the throat on account of accumulation of clear starchy mucus.
Increased hoarseness while singing, especially at the beginning.
Is frequently obliged to clear his throat, alternating with hoarseness.
Tubercular laryngitis ; raising of small lumps of blood and mucus ; tendency to hoarseness ; cervical glands swollen, hard but not sore.
RESPIRATION [26]
Frequent deep breathing with moaning.
Dyspnœa from accumulation of mucus in windpipe.
COUGH [27]
Cough in morning though slight and weak affects whole chest, and lumps of mucus with blood are expectorated.
INNER CHEST AND LUNGS [28]
Pains in right side and under last ribs especially on inspiration, extending to kidneys, which are sensitive to external pressure.
HEART, PULSE AND CIRCULATION [29]
Throbbing in vessels throughout whole body, pulsation especially felt in abdomen.
NECK AND BACK [31]
Neck stiff on turning head.
Pain as from lameness in small of back, in morning.
UPPER LIMBS [32]
Tearing in hands at night, with cracking in wrists.
Emaciation of hands.
Itching in palms ; vesicles on and between fingers.
Dry, scaly eruption on palms of hands with itching, having a syphilitic base.
Painful hangnails.
LOWER LIMBS [33]
Cracking of knee joint on bending it.
Flat ulcers on lower legs.
Emaciation of legs.
Itching around ankle, in evening ; blisters on toes.
Cramps in calves and soles.
Legs feel weak, with fear of paralysis, after typhus.
Itching about ankles.
REST. POSITION. MOTION [35]
Must lie down : after eating.
Lifting head : vertigo.
Turning head : stiff neck.
Bending knee joint : cracking in it.
Sitting : prostatic juice oozes.
Rising up : vertigo.
Any exertion : easy fatigue ; sweat.
Motion : vertigo ; pains in hepatic region <.
Walking : stitches in spleen ; involuntary dribbling of urine ; prostatic juice oozes.
NERVES [36]
Weakness and general debility ; easy fatigue from any exertion or labor ; especially in hot weather.
Irresistible desire to lie down and sleep ; strength suddenly leaves him.
Easy exhaustion ; inability to perform any kind of labor, either mental or physical ; sexual desire with debility and relaxation of organs ; loss of prostatic juice.
Great nervous debility after typhus, particularly when sensations of patient spread from above downward.
After typhoid fever great debility of spine, fears he will be paralyzed.
Very great aversion to a draft of air either warm, cold or damp.
SLEEP [37]
Sleepless before 12 P. M. ; light sleep, least noise awakens him ; starts on falling asleep ; sleeps in cat naps.
Dreams of quarrels and cruelties.
Hungry in night.
Awakes early and always at same hour.
Worse after a siesta on hot days ; < after sleep.
TIME [38]
Morning : want of appetite in morning ; erection without sexual desire ; cough ; pain in small of back.
Evening : great talkativeness ; tingling itching on scalp ; urine red ; itching around ankle.
Night : tearing in hands ; hungry.
At 12 P. M. : sleepless.
TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER [39]
Hot weather : weakness and general debility.
Draft of air either warm, cold or damp : great aversion.
FEVER [40]
Chill alternating with heat.
External heat, burning in skin in single spots.
Sweat : profuse on chest, armpits and genitals ; from least exertion ; as soon as he sleeps ; stains yellow, or white and stiffens linen ; staining brownish-yellow.
ATTACKS, PERIODICITY [41]
Alternation : of chill and heat.
Every morning : hawks transparent lumps.
Every afternoon : headache ; pain over left eye.
About twice a week : seminal emissions.
LOCALITY AND DIRECTION [42]
Right : pain in region of kidney ; pain in side under last ribs.
Left : stinging over eye ; twitching of eyeball ; pain over eye.
From above downward : sensations spread.
SENSATIONS [43]
As if biting drop were forcing its way out of urethra.
Pain : in region of right kidney ; in right side under last ribs ; in small of back.
Violent pain : in head.
Tearing pains : in thighs ; in hands.
Twinging pain : along urethra.
Searching pain : in region of liver.
Sharp stitching pains : in hepatic region.
Stitches : in spleen.
Violent stinging : over left eye.
Burning : in skin.
Dull pain : in perineum.
Cramps in calves and soles.
Violent beating : all over body.
Throbbing : in abdomen ; in vessels throughout whole body.
Sensation of contraction : of scalp.
Tension : of scalp.
Weakness : of loins ; in small of back.
Tingling itching : on scalp.
Itching : of vesicles on edges of eyelids and eyebrows ; in nose and edges of nostrils ; in small spots on skin ; on scrotum ; in palms ; around ankle ; in folds of skin between fingers and about joints.
TISSUES [44]
Great emaciation, especially of face, thighs and hands.
Emaciation and withering of affected parts.
The hair falls out.
TOUCH. PASSIVE MOTION. INJURIES [45]
Pressure : region of liver sensitive to ; kidneys sensitive.
Scratching : oozing on scalp.
SKIN [46]
Red rash on region of liver.
Frequent tingling in small spots of skin, with great irritation to scratch ; spots remain humid.
Itch checked by mercury or sulphur.
Flat ulcers.
Itching in folds of skin between fingers and about joints, particularly ankle joint.
Hair falls off, on head, eyebrows, whiskers and other parts of body.
RELATIONS [48]
Incompatible : Cinchon ., wine.
Compare : Phosphor ., genito-urinary and respiratory symptoms ; Stannum and Argent. met ., cough, transparent, starchy, mucous expectoration ; Alumina , hard stool.
Antidotes : Ign., Pulsat .