Mercurius cyanatus

by James Tyler Kent — Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica

Historical reference for practitioners and students. The statements below reflect the named author’s homeopathic teaching and do not establish treatment effectiveness. This text is not medical advice and must not replace appropriate diagnosis or care.

Given a Merc. base and diphtheria, when the membrane is greenish and inclined to spread through the nose and involve a large surface, the Cyanide of Mercury is needed.

It has exudation more marked than any other form of Mercury .

Malignant forms of diphtheria, rapidly forming, and with phagedenic ulceration.

Mercurius cyanatus across the other classic books

Mercurius cyanatus appears in 12 of the 21 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.
“Cyanide of Mercury. (Hg(CN2).) Malignant diphtheria with intense redness of fauces and great difficulty of swallowing; pseudo-membranous formation extends all over fauces and down throat; putrid, gangrenous diphtheria, with phagedenic ulceration; membranous croup. Great weakness; extreme prostration ; cannot stand up…”
Allen TF — A compiled symptom record drawing on proving reports and other named observations.
“Cyanide of mercury, Hg(Cn)2. Preparation for use , Solutions. Authorities. Excitement, at night (second day), 2. Night sleepless; great excitement and incessant talking; is angry with the attendant, and raved furiously (first and third day), 2. Vertigo. Vertigo, 3. Vertigo, on sitting up, with loud ringing in the…”
Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Cyanide of Mercury Acute infections, pneumonia, nephritis. Its action is similar to that of the toxines of infections diseases. Great and rapid prostration, tendency toward hæmorrhages, from the different orifices, of dark fluid blood, cyanosis, rapid respiration and heart action, albuminuria and twitching and jerking…”
Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“COLLAPSE, sudden prostration, etc. MOUTH and THROAT RELAXATION (Comp. Inactive.)”
Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“MOUTH. THROAT. Larynx. Glands. Capillaries. Nerves. Swallowing. Speaking. Early , rapid and extreme prostration; with tremor, coldness and cyanosis. Putridity. Rapid, local destruction. .................... Cutting pains in throat or larynx. Much thick, or grayish membrane in throat. Septic diphtheria; of soft parts…”
Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Bicyanide of Mercury. Mercuric Cyanide. Hg (CN) 2 . Solution. Trituration. Diphtheria / Dysentery / Enteric fever / Hæmorrhages / Kerato-iritis syphilitica / Phlebitis / Throat, sore / Varicosis The history of this remedy is a romantic one. When Dr. Alexander Villers was an infant he had diphtheria. Known remedies had…”
Hale — The introduction story — early pathogenetic and clinical evidence for medicines new to Hale's generation.
“{Hydrargyri Cyanuretum.) Pharmacology. — This salt is prepared by dissolving in sixteen parts of •water, in a glass flask, two parts of crystallized Ferro-cyanuret of Potassium, and then adding three parts of dry per-sulphate of mercury. Boil for half an hour in a sand bath, filter, and evaporate to dryness, stirring…”
Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Cyanide of Mercury. Hg (CN 2 ). Of this form of Mercury no regular proving has been made ; the symptoms are toxicological and clinical. CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Keratoiritis syphilitica , Nunez, Norton's Ophth. Therap. ; Ulceration of tonsils , Richards, Raue's Rec., 1872, p. 100 ; Follicular tonsillitis , (2 cases)…”
Hughes & Dake — The source evidence — provings and poisonings retained with their experimental context.
“Mercurius OyanatUB, mercuric cyanide, Hg (CN),. I. Provings. — 1. A partial proving of the cyanide gave great pros tration and weakness, a low febrile condition, a whitish-grey deposit upon the tonsils and mouth, extending along the r. side of the tongue, with slightly swollen tonsils and difficult deglutition. These…”
Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: cyanide of mercury. It seems to spread its action all over the buccal cavity (N.). Is of great value in that much dreaded disease-diphtheria (N.). MALIGNANT DIPHTHERIA, WITH INTENSE REDNESS OF FAUCES AND GREAT DIFFICULTY OF SWALLOWING (A.). Diphtheria of the larynx and nose (Br.). Pseudo-membranous…”
Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Dr. Beck, of Monthey, in Switzerland (I think it was), first brought this remedy to notice as of great value in that much-dreaded disease, diphtheria. Von Villiers claimed to have had astonishing success with it in Germany, losing only two per cent. (if I remember correctly) of the cases treated with it. He…”

Mercurius cyanatus in Kent's Repertory

Kent's Repertory lists Mercurius cyanatus in 114 rubrics. These are the ones where it carries the highest grade — the symptoms Kent treated as most characteristic. Most of them sit in THROAT (27), MOUTH (19), GENERALITIES (17), FACE (9), NOSE (6).

STOMACH - VOMITING - bile
GENERALITIES - WEAKNESS,enervation
THROAT - MEMBRANE,exudation,diphtheria,etc. - greenish
FACE - SENSITIVE - submaxillary glands
NOSE - OBSTRUCTION - diphtheria,in
MOUTH - MEMBRANE - false
MOUTH - ULCERS - Palate - on velum
NOSE - EPISTAXIS - diphtheria,in
THROAT - MEMBRANE,exudation,diphtheria,etc. - yellow
MOUTH - DISCOLORATION - Tongue - gray
NOSE - CORYZA - diphtheria,during
THROAT - PAIN - stitching - extending to ear
THROAT - DISCOLORATION. - redness - dark red
EYE - INFLAMMATION - syphilitic
THROAT - INFLAMMATION - follicular
LARYNX TRACHEA - CROUP - membranous
THROAT - MEMBRANE,exudation,diphtheria,etc. - white
MOUTH - APHTHAE - Tongue
THROAT - LIQUIDS taken are forced into nose
NOSE - LIQUIDS comes out through the nose on attempting to swallow

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Mercurius cyanatus across the other classic books

Mercurius cyanatus appears in 12 of the 21 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.

“Cyanide of Mercury. (Hg(CN2).) Malignant diphtheria with intense redness of fauces and great difficulty of swallowing; pseudo-membranous formation extends all over fauces and down throat; putrid, gangrenous diphtheria, with phagedenic ulceration; membranous croup. Great weakness; extreme prostration ; cannot stand up…”

Allen TF — A compiled symptom record drawing on proving reports and other named observations.

“Cyanide of mercury, Hg(Cn)2. Preparation for use , Solutions. Authorities. Excitement, at night (second day), 2. Night sleepless; great excitement and incessant talking; is angry with the attendant, and raved furiously (first and third day), 2. Vertigo. Vertigo, 3. Vertigo, on sitting up, with loud ringing in the…”

Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.

“Cyanide of Mercury Acute infections, pneumonia, nephritis. Its action is similar to that of the toxines of infections diseases. Great and rapid prostration, tendency toward hæmorrhages, from the different orifices, of dark fluid blood, cyanosis, rapid respiration and heart action, albuminuria and twitching and jerking…”

Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.

“COLLAPSE, sudden prostration, etc. MOUTH and THROAT RELAXATION (Comp. Inactive.)”

Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.

“MOUTH. THROAT. Larynx. Glands. Capillaries. Nerves. Swallowing. Speaking. Early , rapid and extreme prostration; with tremor, coldness and cyanosis. Putridity. Rapid, local destruction. .................... Cutting pains in throat or larynx. Much thick, or grayish membrane in throat. Septic diphtheria; of soft parts…”

Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.

“Bicyanide of Mercury. Mercuric Cyanide. Hg (CN) 2 . Solution. Trituration. Diphtheria / Dysentery / Enteric fever / Hæmorrhages / Kerato-iritis syphilitica / Phlebitis / Throat, sore / Varicosis The history of this remedy is a romantic one. When Dr. Alexander Villers was an infant he had diphtheria. Known remedies had…”

Hale — The introduction story — early pathogenetic and clinical evidence for medicines new to Hale's generation.

“{Hydrargyri Cyanuretum.) Pharmacology. — This salt is prepared by dissolving in sixteen parts of •water, in a glass flask, two parts of crystallized Ferro-cyanuret of Potassium, and then adding three parts of dry per-sulphate of mercury. Boil for half an hour in a sand bath, filter, and evaporate to dryness, stirring…”

Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.

“Cyanide of Mercury. Hg (CN 2 ). Of this form of Mercury no regular proving has been made ; the symptoms are toxicological and clinical. CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Keratoiritis syphilitica , Nunez, Norton's Ophth. Therap. ; Ulceration of tonsils , Richards, Raue's Rec., 1872, p. 100 ; Follicular tonsillitis , (2 cases)…”

Hughes & Dake — The source evidence — provings and poisonings retained with their experimental context.

“Mercurius OyanatUB, mercuric cyanide, Hg (CN),. I. Provings. — 1. A partial proving of the cyanide gave great pros tration and weakness, a low febrile condition, a whitish-grey deposit upon the tonsils and mouth, extending along the r. side of the tongue, with slightly swollen tonsils and difficult deglutition. These…”

Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.

“Common name: cyanide of mercury. It seems to spread its action all over the buccal cavity (N.). Is of great value in that much dreaded disease-diphtheria (N.). MALIGNANT DIPHTHERIA, WITH INTENSE REDNESS OF FAUCES AND GREAT DIFFICULTY OF SWALLOWING (A.). Diphtheria of the larynx and nose (Br.). Pseudo-membranous…”

Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.

“Dr. Beck, of Monthey, in Switzerland (I think it was), first brought this remedy to notice as of great value in that much-dreaded disease, diphtheria. Von Villiers claimed to have had astonishing success with it in Germany, losing only two per cent. (if I remember correctly) of the cases treated with it. He…”