Argentum Nitricum - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

Imbecile appearance. he looks at people with a foolish expression of countenance, even while conversing with them on some serious subject.

he behaves shyly and sillily, and talks in a childish manner. On lying down for the purpose of relieving his head, visions and distorted faces hover before his imagination, although his eyes are closed, even in daylight (30th potency, second day),.

Digging and tumultuous raging in the right hemisphere of the brain, until he lost his senses.

if the pain abates in the forehead, it increases in the side of the head and toward the occiput, where it extends down to the nape of the neck.

the pain increases during motion, when vertigo accompanies it, to such an extent that he walks to the left, instead of walking straight (30th potency, second day),.

Pressure in the eyes, as if too full.

heat and pain in the ball of the eye when moving or touching it.

mucous flocks impeding the sight, and obliging him to wipe the eyes, in the daytime.

a scarlet redness, which had appeared in the morning in the inner canthus of the right eye, extended considerably in the evening, looked very much heightened, and spread as far as the cornea.

the conjunctiva, bulbi, and palpebrarum looked inflamed and infiltrated.

the eye was affected with a stinging-itching pain, as if occasioned by a grain of sand which had become lodged in the eye.

*gray spots and bodies in the shape of serpents moved before vision.

he saw as through mist.

even the light of the candle, which was not tinged white, was enveloped in mist.

the aperture between the edges of the lids became narrower, and he had to wink frequently (with general debility and increased temperature of the skin, 2d potency),.

The canthi are red as blood.

the caruncula lachrymalis is swollen.

it stands out of the corner of the eye like a lump of red flesh.

clusters of intensely red vessels extend from the inner canthus to the cornea.

the conjunctiva is puckered and interstitially distended, increased secretion of tears and gum (2d potency, second day),.

Nightly agglutination of the right eye.

in the morning the eye was closed with crusts of dry gum, which had to be soaked before they could be removed, and the eye could be opened.

when opened it looked redder than the day before.

pressure and heat in the eye were more intense.

the aperture between the lids was swollen, accompanied with photophobia, dimness of sight (2d potency),.

In the evening at twilight, she felt as if she would become blind.

her sight became so suddenly weak that she broke forth into loud complaints.

she had to open her eyes widely to recognize the things around her, with dilatation of the pupils.

she had not yet recovered her full power of vision at candlelight, although there was an improvement (30th potency, first day),.

The teeth become affected and spoiled.

whereas he formerly never suffered with toothache, and had perfectly sound teeth, he now suffered constantly with some pain in the teeth ever since he commenced the proving, which was felt especially when chewing, when eating sour things, and when introducing cold things into his mouth.

besides this there is a grumbling and digging perceived in the teeth, especially those of the lower jaw, on the left side, as if they would become carious,.

Pain in the right side of the throat, as of an ulcer drawing and tension upward and downward.

sensation as if a splinter were lodged in the throat when swallowing, eructating, breathing, stretching, and moving the neck, sometimes and undulating jerking and pulsating was felt in the throat, continuing for several days (2d potency),.

Catarrh, which is at first slight and dry, and afterwards loose, changing in a few days to a rattling cough, with yellow expectoration, profuse sweat breaking out readily, bad look, hollow eyes, and disturbed nightly sleep.

as the cough improved, the boy blew from his nose purulent mucus mixed with blood (30th potency, second to fourth day).

She wakes about midnight from the oppressive sensation of having a heavy lump in the region of the stomach, inducing vomiting.

not till morning does she throw up glairy mucus, which can be drawn into threads.

she had two paroxysms of that kind of vomiting, after which she felt the whole afternoon a desire to vomit, a tremulous weakness, and a sensation in the head as if it were in a vice (30th potency, sixth day),.

After yawning, a sensation is experienced in the stomach as if it would burst.

wind presses upwards, but the oesophagus feels spasmodically closed.

hence an ineffectual effort to eructate, with excessive strangulation, pressing pain in the stomach, faintish nausea, confluence of water in the mouth, and inability to stir.

the paroxysm ceases after a quarter of an hour, amidst frequent and violent belching of wind (6th potency, fourth day),.

He wakes in the night owing to an acute pain in the left wrist-joint, as if sprained, accompanied with heat of the whole hand, and uneasiness in the hand, obliging him to change the position of the hand all the time.

in the morning, a pimple is seen not far from the joint, the tip of which is filled with pus, and in which a stinging pain is experienced, as of a splinter which had been stuck in.

the tip is raised upon a red, hard base of considerable extent (1st potency, first day),.

Febrile condition. during the whole of the forenoon she suffered with headache and chilliness, ate little at noon, and without any appetite.

complained a good deal of nausea.

in the afternoon, about 4 o'clock, she was seized with violent tumult and beating in the head, with heat of the head, creeping chills, the skin being dry and hot, accompanied with nausea, and inclination to vomit, and with great desire for something salt.

she felt likewise so debilitated, that she was no longer able to remain out of bed.

the desire for something acrid and sour having increased, she took, at 7 o'clock in the evening, some pot-cheese, which she devoured greedily.

after this the symptoms improved, but the febrile sensation continued the whole night (30th potency, sixth day),.

He took 1/8 grain of Nitrate of Argentum Metallicum ^silver in distilled water, frequently repeating the dose.

slight burning in the stomach. Afterwards took 1/4 grain, then 1/2 grain, daily. The burning sensation in the stomach became quite severe. The tongue showed in various places a dark-bluish color, and in the stomach there was a sensation of increased warmth and some nausea.

these symptoms disappeared after taking food. The stools and pulse were not affected. Some time after this, Schachert increased the doses to a grain, which he took an hour and a half after dinner. The burning in the throat was very severe. The tongue showed for several days a dirty-brown color. The warmth in the stomach increased to nausea and retching, without actual vomiting, and after a few hours gave place to a persistent, periodically aggravated sensation of compression in the stomach. Towards evening diarrhoea set in, and continued during the next day, with relief of the pressure in the stomach. The evacuations seemed thin, but their color was normal. In addition to these sometimes there was a distressing dull headache, seated especially in the forehead, and associated with a certain prostration and restlessness. Changes in respiration, pulse, and secretion of urine were not marked. On the third day all the symptoms of the drug action had disappeared. Eight days afterwards Schachert took 1 1/2 grain in the morning fasting. He experienced nausea and efforts to vomit. He felt unwell through the day and suffered from dull headache.

When I began my experiment I was quite well and strong, but afterwards was sick, and my stomach suffered for many days after I had discontinued the use of the Argentum Metallicum ^silver.

I frequently had heartburn, from which I had never before suffered, though these symptoms gradually disappeared. But in their place there soon appeared an almost uninterrupted neuralgic pain in the left infra-orbital region, which for some moments became most terribly severe, and lasted with interruptions the whole following winter. At the same time the action of the heart became irregular, and the beats at times omitted, when I had a distinct disagreeable sensation in the chest. To this was added a constant sensation of faintness in the praecordial region. I found that on turning my attention to the action of the heart its irregularity became more marked, but on moving about freely the sensation at times entirely disappeared. Upon my disposition these symptoms had no effect. The paroxysms of anxiety at the heart were not associated with it. Physical movement was uninterrupted, only sudden violent muscular action, as for example, jumping or rapid running upstairs, or after emotional excitement, caused violent palpitation.

the disagreeable sensations were least marked in a horizontal position, and in the evening in bed. Sleep was rarely disturbed by palpitation. Towards the end of the winter the attacks diminished in intensity. Physical signs of anything abnormal about the heart were entirely wanting, as I was assured by an eminent medical friend. The next summer all morbid symptoms had entirely disappeared. That these changes in my condition were really the results of the Argentum Metallicum ^silver I have no manner of doubt.

there is no other explanation of them, and I make this communication in hope that my colleagues, who may have the opportunity to make similar observations, may be able to verify them.

In observing the action of Argentum Metallicum ^silver I have endeavored as far as possible to pay attention not only to all the subjective, but also to all the objective symptoms.

changes in the pulse, temperature, and character of the urine have been especially observed. I lacked the proper apparatus to ascertain the amount of carbonic acid eliminated by respiration.

My average pulse in the morning after rising was 66.

at noon, soon after returning from my visits, 72.

and in the evening, ordinarly 68. A strict milk diet for more than two weeks had no effect upon the character of the pulse. My temperature is from 29.6° to 30°R. I examined the urine, keeping account of the total amount, specific gravity, amount of water, quantity of uric acid, urea, and incinerated salts.

In order to have correct data, I examined the urine from the 6th to the 19th of October. I rise at 6 A.M., breakfast on two cups of coffee, am busy reading or writing till 9, visit patients till 1, then take dinner.

work till 5 in my office, make evening visits, take supper at 8, go to bed about 11. Noon and evening I usually drink a glass of beer or wine. From October 19th to November 6th, I kept a very strict regular diet.

took daily 2293.7 grams of fresh milk, and 418. grams of white bread.

A consequence of the strict diet was that the stools, which are usually regular, were affected, so that October 21st, one was evacuated only after violent and painful effort, and on the 23d there was no voluntary stool. After several hour's effort to evacuate hard faeces, I took 1 ounce of Castor Equi ^castor oil. In the evening there was a hard painful stool, and the next morning a pasty stool. On the 25 th, repeated the oil, and the night of the 25th and 26th, took in addition an extra 1/2 ounce of the oil. On the 28th again took oil, also on the 29th, and from the 29th to the 2d of November, I took daily a teaspoonful of Castor Equi ^castor oil, so that the stools continued without great difficulty. After November 3d, I did not require the oil, because the large amount of Argentum Metallicum ^silver nitrate kept the faeces soft. November 2d, my stomach began to suffer. At noon, after taking milk and bread, I experienced a pressing sensation of fulness in the epigastric region. November 3d, especially towards evening, the whole abdomen was very tense. November 4th, there was violent headache, and I could scarcely force myself to take the necessary amount of nourishment. The night was restless.

I could not remain in bed after 4 o'clock. November 5th, I was still more averse to food, though the taste was natural and the tongue not coated. Through the day I had violent headache. The following night was very restless. I rose at 3 o'clock, and took nothing but a glass of milk before noon. The headache was very violent. In the afternoon, after passing the last quantity of urine for examination, I took two cups of strong black coffee, after which I felt quite relieved. Supper was relished, but the next day I could take but a very small quantity of food on account of heart-burn. The action of the Argentum Metallicum ^silver seemed to cause a sensation of satiety, and my stomach seemed to need less nourishment than in a state of health. In the morning I took 1/4 grain in a pill form with white sugar dry on the tongue. I immediately experienced a very bitter taste, followed by warmth in the tip of the tongue, then in the pharynx, after which these two symptoms seemed to alternate with each other. I drank a little distilled water, which was followed by slight eructations, and a sensation of catarrh in the fauces and larynx. At noon, before dinner, I dissolved my dose in a drachm of distilled water. I experienced a sweetish taste and feeling of warmth in the mouth. Three hours after dinner took 1/2 grain in distilled water. The sensations were the same as before, but perhaps more severe. The scraping sensation in the pharynx provoked hawking and coughing. After a quarter of an hour I had a sensation of warmth between the scapulae and sternum, which gradually became a pinching and slight pressure in the epigastric region. This was followed by tasteless eructations. The next morning I took 1 grain in water, and had only a very bitter taste. After ten minutes there was only very transient nausea.

The relation of the urea to the solid constituents in my case is somewhat less than the average given by Simon in his Handbook. I had an average of 26.3 per cent. of urea, perhaps dependent upon the peculiarity of my diet, which is generally vegetable. Under the effects of the milk diet this per cent. rose to 37.6, and the amount of uric acid became quite small, which during my ordinary diet was 0.6, but was now reduced to 0.045.

the amount of solid constituents was not essentially changed by the Argentum Metallicum ^silver, nor was the amount of urea perceptibly changed.

the average was 33.5 per cent.

the whole amount daily excreted was 1.5 gram. Uric acid entirely disappeared from the urine under the influence of the Argentum Metallicum ^silver. The amount of incinerated salts during the milk diet remained very constant. After several days' use of the Argentum Metallicum ^silver it rose slightly. In the evening of November 6th, there was found 0.127 gram of pure silicic acid.

so far as I know no analysis of urine has shown a like amount of silicic acid. No changes were noticed in the circulation or temperature. Argentum Metallicum ^Silver was not found in the urine.

Great debility With trembling, with rigidity and bruised feeling in calves and loins. General throbbing worse spine. Feels better out of doors. Incoherent ideas and incoordinate movements. Feeling of a hot fluid running along parts, skin, urethra, etc Sensation Of expansion.

of bursting as if bones of head were separating or sacral bones were loose, as of a band about parts. Boring pains. Pains in spots. Heaviness. Emaciation. Many left sided symptoms. Splinter - like sensation.

Great debility With trembling, with rigidity and bruised feeling in calves and loins.

General throbbing worse spine.

Feels better out of doors.

Incoherent ideas and incoordinate movements.

Feeling of a hot fluid running along parts, skin, urethra, etc Sensation Of expansion..

of bursting as if bones of head were separating or sacral bones were loose, as of a band about parts.

Boring pains. Pains in spots.

Heaviness. Emaciation.

Many left sided symptoms.

Splinter - like sensation..

In Argentum Nitricum the neurotic effects are very marked, many brain and spinal symptoms presenting themselves which give certain indications for its homeopathic employment. Symptoms of incoordination, loss of control and want of balance everywhere, mentally and physically; Trembling in affected parts. Is an irritant of mucous membranes, producing violent inflammation of the throat, and a marked gastro-enteritis. Very characteristic is the great Desire for sweets, the splinter-like pains, and free muco-purulent discharge in the inflamed and ulcerated mucous membranes. Sensation as if a part were expanding and other errors of perception are characteristic. Withered up and dried constitutions present a favorable field for its action, especially when associated with unusual or long continued mental exertion. Head symptoms often determine the choice of Argentum Nitricum. Pains increase and decrease gradually. Flatulent state and prematurely aged look. Explosive belching, especially in neurotics. Upper abdominal affections brought on by undue mental exertion. Paraplegia Myelitis and disseminated sclerosis of brain and cord. Intolerance of heat. Sensation of a sudden pinch (Dudgeon). Destroys red blood corpuscles, producing anemia.

side

Old, dried up, tremulous and weak

Progressive emaciation

Paralysis, ascending

Parts seem ENLARGED or bound up (Glo)

VIOLENT PAINS; LIKE DEEPLY STICKING SPLINTERS; sharp shooting, like lightning; worse down back or legs; cause starting; grinding or radiating

Sinking downward from head

Ulceration, with much yellow, bloody pus (Hep)

Conjoined mental and digestive symptoms

Tormented by strange ideas or emotions

Nervous, impulsive and hurried, yet timid and anxious (Arsenicum Album ^Ars)

Fearsome

Dreads ordeals, impending evil, passing a certain point, dark (Stramonium ^Stram---- ), etc

Incoherence

Faltering speech, gait, erections, etc

Nervous headache and nervous diarrhoea

Brain-fag

Head as if in a vise; better tight bandage

Vertigo; epileptic, worse night

Compressive or deep head pains; loses his senses (Laurocerasus ^Laur)

Boring in l

frontal eminence, 11-12 AM

Migraine

Scaly tarsi

Eyeballs feel big (Guaiacum ^Guai)

Swelled carunculae; chemosis

Photophobia

Violent purulent ophthalmia

Dilated pupils

Sickly, grayish, muddy color

Painful, red tip of tongue, or (dry) aphthae on edge

Food lodges in pharynx

Throat sensitive; as of a rough stick (Phytolacca Decandra ^Phyt---- ) or splinter in, better cool drinks

Dark red fauces and uvula

Craves sugar, which worse

Astringent sour or bitter-sour taste and vomitus

Alcoholic gastritis

Gastralgia; in a spot

Eructates ingesta

FLATULENCE; bursting (Lycopodium ^Lyc---- ); loud explosive belching (Coca)

Violent pains from kidneys to bladder

Cutting in urethra, with painful priapism

Yellow, bloody gonorrhoea

Painful coition

Cough from laughing

Dyspnoea, nervous or flatulent; worse gastric pains

Palpitation, worse lying on r

Craves fresh air

Laryngitis

Throbbing or weak spine

Trembling limbs

Peripheral neuralgias

Ischias antica

Weakness, rigidity or twisting in calves

Ulcers, angry, deep; hard edges; warty granulations

Adherent crusts

Chill if uncovered, yet smothers when wrapped up

Shivers through bowels; up back

Nitrate of Argentum Metallicum ^Silver. Lunar Causticum ^Caustic. Ag NO3. Trituration and solution.

It was the use of Argentum Nitricum ^{Argentum nit}. in olden times in the treatment of epilepsy which led to the production of the lamentable cases of lead-coloured pigmentation of the skin called Argyria. Homoeopathic experience has proved the applicability of the drug to many cases of epilepsy and the needlessness of employing a dosage that entails any risk whatever. The cases of epilepsy calling for Argentum Nitricum are those caused by fright, or occurring at the menstrual period. For days or hours before the attack the pupils are dilated, and after the attack the patient is very restless and has trembling of the hands. Among the leading symptoms of Argentum Nitricum ^{Arg. n}. are Great tremor. Nervous feeling.

sensation as if being squeezed in a vice. Feeling of constriction in various parts as of a band of iron round chest or waist. A feeling as if the body or some part of the body were expanding. Migraine, with feeling as if head were enormously enlarged.

amel. tightly bound. Defective co-ordination. Paralyses of motion and sensation.

a peculiar numbness accompanied with hyperaesthesia. Sensation of a splinter sticking in various parts. Burning sensations. Gowers has recorded a case in which the use of Argentum Nitricum ^{Arg. n}. for stomach trouble caused (like lead), drop-wrist, gout, and albuminuria. In allopathic practice the dyspepsia for which it is given is agg. before food, when the stomach is empty. The opposite condition is the leading indication in homoeopathic practice. E. P. Brewer (Hahn. Monthly, July, 1883) has recorded a proving, (the prover, a young man, taking on three consecutive days one grain a day of Argentum Nitricum ^{Arg. n}. triturated with sugar of milk), in which a number of motor and sensory symptoms were elicited, reminding Dr. Brewer of locomotor ataxy, in which it has been used with success by old-school practitioners. This use also has led to many cases of argyria. Among the symptoms of this proving were. "Mental operations sluggish.

continued thought required special effort, but exertion of mind did not aggravate the heaviness and fulness of head. Lower extremities (loins, sacrum, and particularly gastrocnemii) fatigued.

as if they would suddenly fail him. Loss of ambition. Building air castles by day monstrous dreams by night." Another peculiar symptom was chilly down the back beginning close to occiput extending to extreme tip of coccyx at noon every day.

amel. by warmth. at 5 p.m. chills subsided, no sweat, but profound sleepiness, without sleep but enchanted with vivid imagination burning heat followed. There was burning in one spot in front of rectum, probably in prostate gland. Micturition more frequent, burning in urethra. The headache was amel. by Act. r. In a proving by myself one of the most marked symptoms was a kind of numb sensitiveness of the skin of the arms.

a hyperaesthetic-anaesthetic state, increased sensitiveness to contact, but diminished power of distinguishing sensations. Other symptoms were sore throat with white patches, rheumatic pains in (left) wrist (which I have since confirmed), and finger joints, with external tenderness of bony prominences, pain on rising in right sacro-iliac notch. Soreness of muscles of neck and back. Urticarious spots in various parts. In poisoning cases complete loss of consciousness, insensibility, and convulsions have occurred. Some of the notable digestive symptoms are "Irresistible desire for sugar." "Fluids go right through him." Belching accompanies most gastric affections. Green stools are remarkable. "Green mucus like chopped spinach in flakes." "Stool turning green after remaining on diaper." "Stool expelled with much spluttering." "Stool shreddy, red, green muco-lymph or epithelial substance." There is a pain in the small of the back, amel. on standing or walking, but severe when rising from a seat. (Sulphur ^Sul., Causticum ^Caust.) Argentum Nitricum ^{Arg. n}. has irresistible desire for sugar, which at the same time agg. Kent relates a case illustrating this. A nursing infant had a grass-green diarrhoea which failed to yield to Merc Viv ^Merc., Arsenicum Album ^Ars., and Chamomilla ^Cham. At last Kent discovered that the mother ate a pound of candy a day. Argentum Nitricum ^{Arg. n}. was given and the candy stopped and the child soon got well. Intestinal catarrh with shreddy membranous discharges is often cured by Argentum Nitricum ^{Arg. n}. A mental peculiarity is one of apprehension and fear when ready to go to church, &c., diarrhoea sets in. Fears projecting corners of buildings and high buildings. The sight of high buildings makes him giddy and causes him to stagger.

it seems as if houses on both sides of street would approach and crush him. Imagines he cannot pass a certain point (Kali Bich ^{Kali b}ro.). When crossing a bridge has an almost irresistible desire to jump over. Impulsion to walk very fast (Lilium Tigrinum ^Lil. t.). Mucous membranes affected, purulent and bloody discharges.

very nervous at night. agg. At night or in morning on rising (epileptic attacks). Day half more cough, night half more diarrhoea. agg. On awaking. At 11 a.m. nervous attacks amel. by stimulants. Chill down back every day at noon. agg. In warm room.

over a fire. in summer.

warmth of bed. amel. by warm drinks. amel. In cool open air, amel. washing with cold water.

agg. from cold food. agg. ice creams. Motion generally agg.

but walking in open air amel. back pains, which are agg. sitting. Lying on right side = pains in abdomen.

palpitation. Heat agg.

but there 19 also agg. from uncovering.

aversion to uncovering. agg. Rising from sitting. agg. Inspiration. agg. Touching the parts. amel. Bending double. agg. Thinking intently. agg. Riding. amel. Tight bandage (headache).

Suited to Hysteric nervous persons.

headaches from mental causes characterised by dulness of head. Women with menstrual disturbances. Cachetic state. Scrawny, feeble, dried-up-looking women. Guernsey puts it, "withered and dried up by disease. A child looks like a withered old man." It corresponds in lower potencies to Grauvogl's carbo-nitrogenoid constitution (Sulphur ^Sul., Cuprum Metallicum ^Cupr.).

in higher to the hydrogenoid or sycotic constitution. A large number of symptoms appear on the left side.

After yawning, feeling as if stomach would burst.

wind presses upwards, but the oesophagus feels spasmodically closed.

hence an ineffectual effort to eructate, with excessive strangulation, pressing pain in stomach, faintish nausea, confluence of water in the mouth and inability to stir.

the paroxysm ceased after a quarter of an hour, amidst frequent and violent out-rush of wind.

Nitrate of Argentum Metallicum ^Silver. J. O. Mueller. AgO, NO5

First of all, disturbance in the memory, disturbance of reason, he becomes most irrational in his explanations of his actions.

He is irrational and does strange things and comes to strange conclusions; foolish things.

He has all sorts of imaginations, illusions, hallucinations. He is tormented in his mind by the inflowing of troublesome thoughts, and especially at night his thoughts torment him. to the extent that he is extremely anxious and this puts him in a hurry and in a fidget and he goes out and walks and walks, and the faster he walks the faster he thinks he must walk, and he walks till fatigued.

Strange notions and ideas and fears come into his mind. He has an impulse that lie is going to have a fit or that he is going to have a sickness.

A strange thought comes into his mind that if be goes past a certain corner of the street he will create a sensation, will fall down and have a fit, and to avoid that he will go around the block.

He avoids going past that corner for fear he will do something strange, He is so reduced in his mental state that he admits into the mind all sorts of impulses.

There is inflowing of strange thoughts into his mind, and when crossing a bridge or high place the thought that he might kill himself, or perhaps he might jump off, or what if he should jump off, and sometimes the actual impulse comes to jump off the bridge into the water.

When looking out of a window the thought comes to his mind what an awful thing it would be to jump out of the window, and sometimes the impulse comes to actually jump out of the window.

Looking forward to times he is anxious. When looking forward to some thing that he is about to do, or in the expectation of things, he is anxious.

When about to meet an engagement he is anxious until the time comes.

If he is about to take a railroad journey he is anxious, full of fear and anxiety and tremulous nervousness until he is on the car going and then it passes away. If he is about to meet a certain person on the street corner he is anxious and breaks out often in a sweat from anxiety until it is over with.

Not only is this particular symptom present, but the symptoms come on as a result of his anxiety.

He is excitable, angers easily, and as a result of this pain comes. When he becomes angry he becomes vehement and pain in the head comes on; cough, pain in the chest and weakness follow this anger

The anxiety he has from these circumstances will bring on complaints.

When he is going anywhere, going to a wedding or to the opera, or any unusual event it is attended with anxiety, fear and diarrhea.

So it is we have in this a wonderful medicine. It says in the text that he gave all sorts of queer reasons for his strange conduct, endeavoring to cover up, as it were, his foolishness which he himself realizes.

Sadness, melancholy and confusion. Defective memory. The sight of high houses makes him dizzy, and his vertigo is increased or comes on from closing the eyes; with the vertigo there is buzzing in the ears, great weakness and trembling.

Constitutional headaches from brain fag, from exertion of the mind. In such mental exhaustion, headaches, nervous excitement and trembling, and organic troubles of the heart and liver in business men, in students, in brain workers, in those subject to long excitement.

in actors who have kept up a long time the excitement of appearing well in public.

Argentum Nitricum state of mind progress until there is a general state of weakness; with trembling, paralysis, numbness, disturbed functions, palpitation, throbbing all over the body, with the mental state.

The nervous state continues until there is disorder of all the organs of the body. The stomach refuses to digest, everything taken, seems to go into gas, and he becomes distended and suffers with pain.

The circulation seems to be greatly disturbed in addition to the palpitation. Fullness of the blood vessels and throbbing all over the body. The blood vessels become diseased.

Atheromatous degeneration and dilatation of the veins, varicose veins.

Upon the mucous membranes and skin ulceration, and this progresses and the heart becomes increasingly feeble, and the extremities become cold and blue and the lips are cold and blue, with aggravation of all these complaints from mental excitement, from going to the opera, from meeting a friend, from keeping an engagement.

The medicine is preeminently a nervous one, full of spinal symptoms, rending, tearing pains down the extremities; such pains are found in locomotor ataxia fulgurating shooting pains.

There is one grand feature running through this patient modifying most of his symptoms, with few exceptions, and that is that he is like a Pulsatilla ^Pulsatilla patient; he wants cold air, cold drinks, cold things; wants ice, ice cream; wants the head in the cold air; suffocates in a warm room.

He suffocates from warm clothing, wants the door and windows open; cannot breathe in a stuffy room, suffocates if other people are in the room; cannot go to church or to the opera, cannot go to places of amusement or gatherings, must stay at home.

He dreads a crowd, dreads certain places.

Ulcerations Everywhere we find ulceration, but particularly upon the mucous membrane. The throat has ulcers in it, the eyelids, and of the cornea; ulceration of the bladder.

Ulcers of the uterus, of the vagina and of the external soft parts. This tendency of ulcerate seems rather strange, peculiar that it should have in its pathogenesis such a tendency, when the old school has been using it to cauterize ulcers, and yet it heals them up.

We know that Phosphorus ^Phosphorus willburn and it intensifies the tendency to ulcerate, makes the ulcer go deeper, while Argentum nitricum sets it healing.

Upon mucous membranes we find red elevations, granulations, enlargement of vessels, purplish aspect. Sensitive ulcers.

She suffers from most violent dysmenorrhoea, from nervous excitement, from hysterical manifestations, and an unusually increased flow.

A tendency to hemorrhages it belongs to Argentum Nitricum.

The ulcers bleed. there is bleeding from the nose, bleeding from the chest, the urine is bloody.

leucorrhoea copious, menstrual flow copious.

menorrhagia. bleeding from the mucous membranes generally, from the uterus. Vomiting of blood. It has cured prolonged and most inveterate ulceration of the stomach, when there has been vomiting of blood.

The aggravation at the menstrual period is a strong feature and she is free from symptoms during the interim.

The palpitation, the trembling, the coldness of the surface, though desiring cold open air, blueness of the lips, coldness of the extremities, blueness and coldness of the lower extremities to the knees and of the hands and arms to the elbows, and yet the patient wants cool things, wants something cold.

Argentum Nitricum may not be seen at any other time. Here is striking feature

"Patient cannot lie on the right -side because it brings on so much palpitations."

We have plenty of remedies with palpitation worse lying on the right side are rare (Alumen ^Alumen, Badiaga ^Badiaga, Kalmia Latifolia ^Kalmia, Kali Nitricum ^{Kali n}., Lilium Tigrinum ^Lil. t., Platinum Metallicum ^Platina, Spongia Tosta ^Spongia).

It is uncommon, strange, rare and peculiar.

It is such a strong feature in Argentum Nitricum that to a great extent it becomes quite general, because it is a heart symptom and is intermingled with the general symptoms.

With this sensitiveness he is compelled to get into some other position; must get up and walk, because of lying on the right side.

The patient will say he throbs from head to foot while lying on the right side. Do not forget in this medicine all these general things when we come to apply them in their particulars and the particulars in the generals.

Do not forget that this medicine is one of the most flatulent medicines in the books. He is distended to bursting; gets scarcely any relief from passing flatus or eructations.

He is possessed with the distressing idea that all his undertakings must fail. When walking he becomes faint with anxiety which makes him walk faster. Everywhere you will find the intellectual symptoms predominant.

Pains in the right side of the head, jagging, cutting, stitching pulsating. Head feels much enlarged.

All of the eye symptoms are worse in a warm room, worse from sitting by the fire. Wants cold applications, cold washing. Intense photophobia; aversion to light, and this is worse in a warm room; wants it cold, wants it dark.

There is much swelling and tumefaction of the blood vessels of the eye, and redness, and it has a raw denuded excoriated appearance.

"Chemosis with strangulated vessels."

"Cornea opaque."

"Ulceration of cornea in new-born infants; profuse purulent discharge from the lids,"

and this is what the "Regulars" in former days and almost tip to date have been using for the eyes, treating them with Argentum nitricum

Photophobia after long looking at fine sewing, fine print. In one who has suddenly taken on far sightedness, it has come on as a congestive condition; not of old age but something that should be cured.

All at once he cannot see print at the usual distance but must hold it away off; if it occurs in some one twenty-five years of age or in a child.

At close distance it is indistinguishable. Such a disturbance of accommodation producing far sightedness it has caused and cured.

"Oedema of lids," etc.

Oedema is a word which runs through the remedy. That is to say, it has a dropsical state wherever dropsy may occur.

"Face Sweat stood in drops on his face."

"Face sunken, pale, bluish."

"Looks prematurely old."

"Face blue, heavy breathing, pulseless."

There is a tendency to favor the growth of warts and in the throat there are little wart-like growths polypoid growths in the throat and about the genitals and anus; hence its great use in sycotic constitutions.

It has all the discharge necessary to its use in the sycotic constitution.

Felt as if he had a stick in the throat when swallowing. At once you will see its close relation to Hep Sulph Calc ^Hepar In inflammatory conditions of the throat with ulceration.

In Argentum nitricum he wants to be in a cold room, wants cold air, and to swallow cold things. In Hep Sulph Calc ^Hepar he wants warm things to drink, warm clothing, warm room, and cannot put even his hand out of bed or his throat will begin paining him.

Things, you see, just exactly opposite, but they both have "sticks" in the throat. In dry chronic catarrh Alumina ^Alumina and Nat Mur ^{Natrum muriaticum} have "sticks" in the throat.

but in red throat with tumefaction and pain these two remedies give no relief, the former two are better. "Sticks" in the throat like fish-bones.

Nitric Acid ^{Nitric acid}, Hep Sulph Calc ^Hepar, and Argentum nitricum, are the most striking remedies for the fish-bone sensation. Many remedies have sticking in the throat, but these are the most prominent.

We know how Argentum nitricum has been used for ulceration in the throat, and here it comes in as one of the most useful remedies in congestion of the throat of long standing. Catarrhs with loss of voice. Warty growths, condylomata, etc.

Loss of voice, tumefaction of the mucous membrane round about the vocal cords and paresis of the vocal cords. Condylomata on the vocal cords.

"Loss of appetite" and refuses drink.

Digestion This is another feature. He feels that he must have it and it makes him sick; brings on eructations, increased flatulence, sour stomach.

He cannot digest it; it acts like a physic and brings on a diarrhea. So marked is the aggravation from sugar that the nursing infant will get a green diarrhea if the mother eats candy.

Then is it astonishing that the baby can get a dynamized dose from the mother, when the dynamized dose can travel like lightning, and sugar takes all day to be digested and dynamized and fed as poison to the baby? I remember a case that I figured and figured on.

The baby had Mercurial stools, sure enough, they were grass green. Well Chamomilla ^Chamomilla has grass green stools and Arsenicum Album ^Arsenicum and Merc Viv ^Mercuriusand lots of remedies have grass green stools.

Routinist that I was in those days I could not get anything but Merc Viv ^Mercurius out of it, and although the baby had gotten Merc Viv ^Merc., Arsenicum Album ^Ars. and Chamomilla ^Cham. There was no relief, until I found that the mother had been eating candy.

When she was asked if she ate sweet things, sugar, etc., she said,

"Oh, no."

"I bring you home a pound of candy every day.

What do you do with it?"

"Oh, that was nothing," she replied.

But the baby did not get well until it got Argentum nitricum and the mother stopped eating sugar.

"Irresistible desire for sugar."

Quite a number of medicines have craving for sweets, but many of them can eat sweets with impunity. It is always a peculiar thing when one of the articles of diet, such as milk, sugar, salt, starch, etc., and the things of the table make sick.

When it is said that "I cannot eat a teaspoonful of anything with starch, egg or sugar in it without being sick," it is always strange and peculiar, because it is not something that comes in only as a craving and affecting the stomach, but it affects the whole patient.

The patient says

"I become sick" and hence it becomes a general.

When the patient gets a diarrhea from eating sugar it is not merely a local and particular symptom, because the whole patient is sick before the diarrhea begins; the diarrhea is the outcome. Hence as it is a general it i necessary that it should be examined into.

"The vomited substances tinge the bedding black".

Incessant vomiting of food. He sometimes spits up food by the mouthful until the stomach is empty. Eructations of air accompanied by a mouthful of undigested food, like Phosphorus ^Phosphorus and Ferrum Met ^Ferrum. Spitting it up; welling up in mouthfuls

"Eructations relieve ".

"Flatulence passes upwards, in quantities."

Frequent eructations. Eructations do not always relieve. It is more like China ^China in its eructation.

The eructations of Carbo veg relieve for some time and he feels better. This is the way with Carbo Veg ^{Carbo veg}; he is distended almost to bursting and he cannot get up any wind, but finally after much pain and distension it wells up in empty eructations and then he gets relief.

With China ^China he is distended, and every little while getting up gas, but with no relief. It does not seem to help, and sometimes patients will say they seem to get worse after it.

So it is with Argentum nitricum at times. It evidently has both.

"Most gastric ailments arc accompanied by belching."

"Belching difficult; finally air rushes out with great violence."

"Nausea after every meal; nausea with troublesome efforts to vomit."

I have seen these Argentum nitricum patients vomiting and purging in the same moment, not vomiting one second and purging the next, but gushing out both ways with great exhaustion like cholera morbus, so relaxed, prostrated and weak.

"Vomit; streaked brown, flocculent, like coffee grounds."

The stomach, liver and abdomen are full of pain. The abdomen distended with all this troublesome flatulence. Inflammation of the stomach, ulceration of the stomach, most troublesome diarrhea. Diarrhea with copious flatus. Stool with copious flatus in nursing children, with tormina and viscous sanguinolent stools and tenesmus.

"Diarrhea of children after weaning."

Another feature in connection with the diarrhea and dysentery is that casts are passed with the stool, like diphtheritic membrane or deposit; casts like the rectum, strings of membrane, come with the stool. Stools of green, foetid mucus with noisy flatus at night.

Urinary

"Urine passed unconsciously and uninterruptedly."

"Urging to urinate; the urine passes less easily and freely."

"Bleeding of the urethra; painful erections; gonorrhoea."

It has most painful gonorrhoea with painful erections in the male. In the female the vagina is extremely sore, and the external soft parts are swollen; tumefaction.

Vagina feels sore on urinating; bloody discharge. In the male, orchitis from suppressed discharge. In the female, ovaritis, inflammation of all the pelvic organs. Great soreness all over the pelvis.

Bleeding from the vagina. Ulceration of the uterus. Coition is painful or impossible.

"Pains like sticks or slivers in and about the womb".

Argentum Nitricum sensation prevails wherever there are ulcers.

"Prolapsus with ulceration of the os or cervix".

Haemorrhage of short duration; shoot ing pains through abdomen and stomach. Metrorrhagia. Complaints of nervous women and at the menstrual period. Menses suppressed or scanty. Complaints during pregnancy.

"Anxiety with palpitation and throbbing through the whole body."

"Violent palpitation from the slightest mental emotion or sudden muscular exertion. Palpitation obliges her to press hand hard against heart for relief. HeartAEs action irregular, intermittent," etc.

Pain in the lumbar region comes on while sitting, but is better when standing a walking. Pain in the back from flatulence. Sore pain in the spine. Pain in back at night. Great weight in the lumbar region. It is a very useful remedy in locomotor ataxia.

Great restlessness. The nervous symptoms are very numerous. Periodical trembling of the body. Chorea, with tearing in the legs. Convulsions preceded by great restlessness. Nervous faintish, tremulous sensation, etc.

The sleep symptoms are quite general. Distressing nightmares. The dreams are horrible Wakens in excitement and with starting. All sorts of strange, horrible things in sleep. Dreams of vicious and violent things, and that everything is going to happen to him. Dreams of departed friends, etc.

On waking in the morning limbs feel bruised aching in the chest,

Cannot sleep at night because he is so nervous.

Erysipelatous bed sores. While riding, palpitation and anxiety compelling him to get out of the wagon and walk, and that real fast.

Purplish rash, such as appears in the most serious forms of scarlet and zymotic diseases.

Its most natural antidote is Nat Mur ^{Natrum muriaticum} When you have the ulceration where the throat has been cauterized or the cervix uteri or eyelids have been cauterized by Nitrate of Argentum Metallicum ^Silver, study Nat Mur ^{Natrum mur} and see if the symptoms of the case would not justify its administration. It is the most common natural antidote for these vicious practices.

Impulsive time goes too slow; must walk fast.

Apprehension, on getting ready for church, opera, etc., has an attack of diarrhoea.

Vertigo, with buzzing in the ears and weakness and trembling.

Canthi, as red as blood; swollen, standing out like a lump of red flesh.

Irresistible desire for sugar; gastric ailments, with violent loud belchings.

Stool; green, mucous, like chopped spinach in flakes; turns green on remaining on diaper; expelled with much spluttering.

Profuse, sometimes purulent, discharges from mucous membranes, generally.

Dried-up, withered patients, made so by disease.

Craves fresh air.

Guernsey says "We think of Argentum Nitricum on seeing a withered and dried up person, made so by disease." This especially in children. "He looks like a little withered old man." (Fluoric acid, young people look old.) Argentum like Aurum Metallicum ^Gold profoundly affects the mind. Like Aurum Metallicum ^Gold it is one of the best remedies for hypochondriasis. The symptoms are so many in this trouble that we can only call attention to them as found in Guiding Symptoms. I will only mention a few more prominent and peculiar symptoms that have been frequently verified. "The sight of high houses makes him dizzy and causes him to stagger. It seemed as if the houses on both sides of the street would approach and crush him."

"When walking in the street he dreads to pass a street corner, because the corner of the house seems to project and he is afraid he will run against it." Impulsive, must walk very fast, always hurried. (Lilium Tigrinum ^{Lilium tigrinum}.) "Apprehension when ready to go to church or opera; brings on diarrhea." (Gelsemium Sempervirens ^Gelsemium).

The hurried feeling of both Argentum nitricum and Lilium Tigrinum ^{Lilium tigrinum} have occurred mostly in uterine troubles; while the diarrhoea on excitement seems to depend upon a general nervous condition. Unless the indications pointed strongly to one in preference to the other remedy it might be well to try the vegetable first. The minerals are generally longer and deeper in their action, and would perhaps be preferable the more chronic the case.

Some of the very curious symptoms found under this and other remedies are not found in everyday practice, but when found are all the more valuable because the cases presenting them are rare and not easily understood or cured by the ordinary remedies. Some of our most brilliant cures have been made in just such cases, and they are very gratifying to both physician and patient.

Argentum nitricum is sometimes the best remedy for hemicrania; this kind of headache is often very distressing and hard to cure. One peculiar symptom belonging to Argentum nitricum in headache is a feeling of expansion, feels as though head were enormously enlarged, and like Pulsatilla ^Pulsatilla and Apis Mel ^Apis, feels better when tied up tight. This feeling of expansion is also a general symptom, feels as though the whole body or part of it were expanding, some express it as a feeling of fullness. (Aesculus Glabra ^Aesculus hipocastanum). It is found under other remedies also, but very prominently under this.

Argentum nitricum has a great deal of vertigo, which is often accompanied with buzzing in the ears, general debility and trembling.

Cannot walk with the eyes closed; the sight of high houses makes him dizzy.

These symptoms call to remembrance Gelsemium Sempervirens ^Gelsemium.

Both remedies have much vertigo; great tremulous weakness, accompanied with general debility, actual trembling and tremulous sensation, and both have been found useful in locomotor ataxia.

I should, other things being equal, give the preference to Gelsemium Sempervirens ^Gelsemium in recent cases, or in the beginning, and Argentum nitricum further along.

But there are generally diagnostic indications which enable us to choose between them.

In eye affections Argentum is one of our most valuable remedies, and like all remedies which are very valuable for anything has been woefully abused by the old school.

It is a pity that they do not know enough to get the good and to avoid the bad effects of such valuable agents, for many times the disastrous results of their misuse brings the remedies into such disrepute that others are afraid to use them at all.

It was for this reason that the old botanics rejected all mineral remedies. Merc Viv ^Mercury had so scared them.

It falls to the Homoeopath to teach how to use all such a way as to get the good, while avoiding the bad effects.

In eye troubles Allen & Norton write as follows "The greatest service that Argentum nitricum performs is in purulent ophthalmia.

With large experience, in both hospital and private practice, we have not lost a single eye from this disease, and every one has been treated with internal remedies, most of them with Argentum nitricum of a high potency, 30th or 200th.

We have witnessed the most intense chemosis, with strangulated vessels, most profuse purulent discharge, even the cornea beginning to get hazy and looking as though it would slough, subside rapidly under Argentum nitricum internally.

The subjective symptoms are almost none.

Their very absence, with the profuse purulent discharge, and the swollen lids from a collection of pus in the eye, or swelling of the sub-conjunctival tissue of the lids themselves, indicates the drug. (Apis Mel ^Apis; Rhus Tox ^Rhus.)", Later Norton writes "I do believe that there is no need of cauterization with it except in the gonorrhoeal form of purulent conjunctivitis." Such testimony from such sources ought to shame the abuse of this agent in the hands of old school physicians, and sometimes bogus Homoeopaths.

In ophthalmia neonatorum in my own practice as a general practitioner I have had very often better success with Merc Viv ^Mercurius solubilis, especially where there was much purulent matter pouring out on opening the eyes.

In blepharitis Graphites ^Graphites and Staphysagria ^Staphisagria have served me oftener than Argentum nitricum, but this may not be the experience of others, for in eye troubles, as in all others, the indications are to be studied and carefully recognized in their entirety. (Borax ^Borax must not be forgotten in blepharitis.) Specialists are apt to lose sight of this and be led to local treatment when constitutional would be infinitely better.

The symptom, "red, painful tip of the tongue, papillae erect, prominent," has guided to the cure of many different kinds of cases.

There are also some valuable symptoms in the digestive organs; for instance, "Irresistible desire for sugar.

Dyspepsia, gastralgia and even gastric ulcer have sometimes found a powerful remedy in Argentum, and it has also done great good in very obstinate cases of diarrhoea of various kinds.

"Green mucus like chopped spinach in flakes."

"Stool turning green after remaining in diaper."

"Stool expelled with much spluttering."

"Stool shreddy, red, green muco-lymph, epithelial substance."

"During stool emission of much noisy flatus."

Now there are other remedies which have some of these symptoms in a marked degree, notably Calc Carb ^Calcarea Phosphorus ^phos., which has the spluttering stool with much noisy flatus, and it is also a fact that both remedies are very valuable ones in hydrocephaloid consequent on the long-continued drain from intractable cases of entero-colitis. If the bone development should be slow with open fontanelles and sweaty head of course Calc Carb ^Calcarea Phosphorus ^phos., would win. Then in Calc Carb ^Calcarea Phosphorus ^phos. the child wishes smoked meats, bacon, etc., in Argentum nitricum sugar or sweets. Yet both have great emaciation, the child looking old and wrinkled, and it will sometimes be close individualizing to choose between them. Argentum nitricum has its place in the treatment of throat affections. There is thick, tenacious mucus in the throat obliging him to hawk and causing slight hoarseness. Rawness, soreness, scraping in throat, causing hawking and cough. Sensation as of a splinter lodged in the throat (Nitric ac., Hep Sulph Calc ^{Hepar sulph}., Dolichos Pruriens ^Dolichos). and wartlike excrescences, which feel like pointed bodies when swallowing. This kind of throat may extend downward until it involves the larynx, especially in singers, clergymen, or lawyers who are using their voice very much. Then it is doubly indicated. When we come to the back and extremities we again find our remedy in the field for a share of the honors. "Pain in the back (small of) relieve when standing or walking, but severe when rising from a seat," is a condition often found in practice. I have often relieved it with Sulphur ^Sulphur or Causticum ^Causticum, but remember also Argentum nitricum. If in back troubles we find great lassitude (Kali Carb ^{Kali carbonicum}), with weariness, especially in forearms and lower legs, especially calves, or if in addition to this we find vertigo and trembling of the extremities, we may be sure Argentum nitricum will do us good. In paraplegia from debilitating causes or paralysis after diphtheria we may find Argentum Nitricum indicated. Also in epilepsy or convulsions; in the former (epilepsy) one characteristic symptom is that for hours or days before the attack the pupils are dilated.

Cuprum Metallicum ^{Cuprum metallicum} has great restlessness between the attacks. Finally Natrum muriaticum is the best antidote for the abuse of Argentum Nitricum ^{Argentum nit}., especially upon mucous surfaces.

Region

MIND

NERVES Cerebro-spinal ABDOMINAL

MUCOUS MEMBRANE STOMACH

Bowels Eyes

Throat

Urethra

Periosteum

Skin

Left side