Baryta Carbonica 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.
“Barium Carbonate. (BaCO3.) Especially adapted to complaints of first and second childhood; the psoric or tubercular. Memory deficient ; forgetful, inattentive; child cannot be taught for it cannot remember; threatened idiocy. Scrofulous, dwarfish children who do not grow (children who grow too rapidly, Cal.)…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Barium Carbonate, BaCo3. Preparation , Triturations. Authorities. Emotional. Slight delirium and stupefaction at night, as in fever, 1. He imagines he walks on his knees (Rust), 8. Children do not desire to play, 7. Lachrymose at night, 1. Sad and fearful; he has all kinds of sad thoughts about his future state, and…”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Carbonate of Baryta (BARYTA CARB) Specially indicated in infancy and old age . This remedy brings aid to scrofulous children, especially if they are backward mentally and physically, are dwarfish, do not grow and develop, have scrofulous ophthalmia, swollen abdomen, take cold easily, and then always have swollen…”
- Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“COMPANY, CROWDS, ETC. AGG., CRAVES SOLITUDE, ETC. COORDINATION, disturbed CYSTS DIRECTION of sensations, Downward EMACIATION FORCED, THRU A NARROW OPENING, AS IF FORMICATION, crawling, etc. GLANDS HANGING LOOSE or down, as if HERE AND THERE (Comp. Wandering) LOOSE, as if (Comp. Rolling, Swashing.) LYING, on side, Agg…”
- Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“NUTRITION. MIND. GLANDS: THROAT. Prostate. HEART. Nerves. Blood-vessels. Lungs. Company. Thinking of it. Cold: Damp; to feet. To head. Changes. Lying on: Painful part. Left side. Odors. Warm wraps. Torpid, dwarfish (Med. Syph.) or marasmic. Weakly. Senility; early (Calc-c.). Adenopathies. Scrophula. Chronicity. Single…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Carbonate of Barium Ba C0 3 , with which are included symptoms of Baryta acetica - Barium acetate Ba(C 2 H 3 O 2 ) 2 . (I follow Hering and Hahnemann in combining the two, as I agree with Hering that "there is hardly any difference between the two, and certainly none in the symptoms cured.") Solution of acetate…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Barium Carbonate. Ba Co 3 . In 1824 Stapf published in his Archives, vol. iii, No. 3, p. 183, the Baryta acetica , proved by himself and his friends Gross, Hartman, Hartlaub, Sen., Adams, and Rückert, Sen. There were two hundred and fifty-four symptoms, and some additional observations and collections of Hahnemann on…”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“Generalities: Baryta carbonica is an interesting study, because it is fully proved and a constitutional remedy. Such remedies are always more interesting than the short-acting, superficial ones. They take hold in deep-seated, long-lasting, miasmatic troubles. This remedy looks towards the development of the young. You…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Mistrust; want of self-confidence, and aversion to strangers (the child does not want to play). Deficient memory (children cannot remember and learn). Pricking headache near the warm stove. Baldness. The scalp is very sensitive to the touch, especially on the side on which he lies, with the sensation of suggillation…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: barium carbonate. This is one of the leading so-called anti-scrofulous remedies (N.). Great weakness of mind and body of old men (Anac., Lyc., Sil.). LOSS OF MEMORY (Anac., Calc., Kali-P., Lyc., Nat-M., Phos., Sep., Sil.) (N.). Mistrust (Acon., Ars., Bry., Cann-I., Kali-A., Lach., Lyc., Puls., Rhus-T…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Mental and physical weakness; both ends of life; don’t grow. Almost imbecile (children) feeble and tottering; childish and thoughtless (old age); loss of memory. Tonsils inflame, swell and suppurate repeatedly, on every cold exposure; chronic hypertrophy afterwards. Glands swell, infiltrate, hypertrophy; neck…”
