Ferrum Metallicum - General symptoms

GENERAL

General

The ill-humor appeared not only during the period of the greatest aggravation of the abdominal affection, but like that it was also worse soon after taking the drug.

it, however, continued after the abdominal trouble disappeared, and increased in the last days of the proving when the abdomen was almost free.

it even continued after stopping the drug, and gradually disappeared,.

One very decided symptom was a vertigo or dizziness in the head.

after sleeping in the afternoon, on suddenly rising, vertigo came on to such a degree that everything appeared black, as if a dark curtain was slowly let down before the eyes, and he had to lean against the door for support, or he would have fallen.

this vertigo was accompanied by nausea, prostration, and a lethargic dulness.

went to sleep again, and found great difficulty in arousing himself.

in the afternoon, two momentary attacks of vertigo.

a sensation of balancing to and fro, as when water,.

In a few days (after menses) had a sick headache, which formerly always proceeded or followed the menses, until within the last six months (after taking Veratrum Album ^Veratrum).

it was accompanied this time by throbbing in the top of the head, as of a vein too full in the brain, and a palpitating sensation in the stomach, extending through the oesophagus, as if a nerve was quivering, and gave, at times, a sensation of suffocating, as if something rose in the throat like a valve.

sensations seemed like those in hysteria,.

Pressure in both frontal eminences, after rising and dressing, in the morning, after a quarter of an hour, extending over the whole forehead to the vertex, and becoming more intense, and after twenty minutes changing to a pressive pain from within outward.

on going downstairs, the pain increased so much that I involuntarily pressed the palm of the hand on the painful spot, which momentarily relieved the pain, but it was only decidedly relieved in the open air.

about 2.45 P.M. it changed to a dull pressure, which lasted till 8 P.M. (second day),.

Dull, pressive sensation in the frontal eminences, which, after eight minutes, spread over the whole forehead, and, after half an hour, to the vertex.

relieved by pressure of the hands, and also in the open air, but again aggravated on descending steps.

the violent pain only disappeared after 4 P.M. when it changed to a dull, pressive pain in the frontal eminences as at first, lasting till 6 P.M. (third day),.

Slight prickling in the left frontal eminence, which, after a quarter of an hour, shifted to the right, and, after four hours, changed to a dull pressure.

this was not relieved in the open air, and was gradually increased in both these places.

about 1 P.M. the pressive sensation became less, and after 3 P.M. disappeared (from 20th dil.),.

Pain in head more acute, of a beating character, seated in the back part of the head an neck, gradually extending to the sides and forehead, the pain being almost insupportable, and greatly aggravated by moving or stooping.

these acute pains lasted about thee hours, when they gradually abated, but having periodical returns through the day, brought on by stooping,.

Tension and warmth in the epigastric region came on soon after the first dose, increased on the second day, diminished on the third, and disappeared on the fourth.

returned on the ninth and increased to a distressing sensation of pressure and heaviness, which seemed to start from the epigastric region and extend over the whole abdomen, becoming a griping.

especially severe in the morning and evening, and at times associated with an inclination to vomit.

this whole condition reached its greatest severity on the twelfth day, but afterwards gradually diminished in spit of increasing doses, till there was only a sensation of slight tension in the epigastric region,.

Awakened from an uninterrupted sleep of five hours by rumbling and griping in the abdomen, which is full and tense.

violent attack of colic for ten or fifteen minutes, always relieved by emission of flatulence.

very greatly relieved after a copious evacuation of the bowels, so that the colic was only distressing while sitting up (thirty-eighth day),.

A severe pain all over the bowels (at 2 1/2 A.M.).

had scarcely time to go to stool.

had a free and loose passage, with griping, cutting pain and severe straining.

straining lasted some time.

at same time felt sick at stomach, and a disagreeable taste in mouth, relieved by drinking cold water.

at 6 A.M., another loose, brownish-yellow stool, with colic pains before and straining during the passage,.

An extremely distressing pressive sensation in the abdomen, especially in the epigastric region, increasing to a pain on touch, usually disappearing within and hour after a dose, returning after every new dose, especially severe in the evening.

in spite of an undisturbed sleep the next night and increased appetite the next day, the pain increased until it was prevented by a walk immediately after taking the drug, or at least it was essentially diminished though each dose was increased.

but whenever to walk was omitted, either intentionally or accidentally, the distress returned in all its severity (seventh day),.

Best adapted to young weakly persons, anaemic and chlorotic, with pseudo-plethora, who flush easily; cold extremities; Over-sensitiveness; worse after any active effort. Weakness from mere speaking or walking though LOOKING strong. PALLOR of skin, mucous membranes, face, alternating with flushes. Orgasms of blood to face, chest, head, lungs, etc. Irregular distribution of blood. Pseudo-plethora. Muscles flabby and relaxed.

Pale mucous membranes

False erethism or plethora; weak; lies down

Excited, irregular surgings Wandering orgasms; head, face, chest, etc

Pulsations Haemorrhages (bright or with small clots); in rapidly growing youths

Relaxed blood-vessels; dilated veins, worse during menses, etc

Red faced old men

Exophthalmos

Pressure on chest, stomach, etc

Nightly pains that compel motion of part Dry; food seems; vagina, etc

Rapid emaciation

Anaemia Cachexy

Irritable mind and body

Always in the right; excited by the least opposition

Weeps and laughs immoderately

Sensitive and excitable; worse least opposition

Brain-tire

Throbbing, hammering headache, starts in the temples; worse cough or stooping; better letting hair down; with vertigo

Pain over l

Blind attacks

Puffy eye-lids

Nose-bleed Face flushes and pales or reddens from the least thing; florid; feels bloated

Erethistic chlorosis

Toothache, better ice water

Stomach won't tolerate any food

Averse to meat

Spits up his food Nausea at mid-night

Easy vomiting

Diarrhoea; painless lientery; worse while eating; nightly gushing; spluttering; alternating with constipation; worse if nervous or tired

Chronic nephritis

Enuresis by day only

Emissions; nightly, with backache; after over-exertion

Raw vagina, worse coition

Menses pale; intermit

Leucorrhoea; acrid, milky, watery, at puberty

Changeable voice

Dry, tickling cough

Blood-spitting (streaked)

Constriction of or flying stitches in chest

Dyspnoea or palpitation, better motion

Sudden cramps or tearing boring in limbs

Cracking joints

Omodynia

Swelled hands and feet

Heels pain, if lies on back

Sleepless

Chill, with red face and thirst

Heat, with distended veins

Sweats, clammy, yellow, cold, acrid or debilitating

Soft pulse

Iron. Fe. (A. W. 56). Including also symptoms of the acetate and the carbonate. Triturations of the pure metal and of the carbonate; solution of the acetate. The Protoxalate is also a useful preparation in the crude and in trituration. "Hensel's Tonicum," a liquid, is another serviceable form.

Anaemia. Aphonia. Asthma. Biliousness. Catalepsy. Chlorosis. Chorea. Consumption (Fe. acet.). Cough. Cramps. Debility. Diarrhoea. Enuresis diurna. Fever, intermittent. Goître, exophthalmic. Gonorrhoea. Haemorrhages. Heart, affections of.

Ferrum, the Mars of the alchemists, is one of the prominent constituents of the animal body, being present in considerable quantity in the blood.

It is present in many articles of daily food, and when given in excess to men or animals its first effect is to increase the amount of iron in the blood, stimulate the appetite, augment the heart's beats and the bodily vigour.

The secondary effects, which ensue sooner or later if the administration of iron is continued, are those which give the indications for homoeopathic prescribing.

Hahnemann (Mat. Med. Pur.) describes the effects of iron on persons who habitually drink chalybeate waters "In such localities there are few persons who can resist the noxious influence of the continued use of such waters and remain quite well, each being affected according to his peculiar nature.

There we find more than anywhere else chronic affections of great gravity and peculiar character, even when the regimen is otherwise faultless.

Weakness, almost amounting to paralysis of the whole body and of single parts, some kinds of violent limb pains, abdominal affections of various sorts, vomiting of food by day or by night, phthisical pulmonary ailments, often with blood spitting, deficient vital warmth, suppression of the menses, miscarriages, impotence in both sexes, sterility, jaundice, and many other rare cachexias are common occurrences." The digestive disorders set up by Iron are marked and peculiar, and among them is intolerance of eggs.

The occurrence of this symptom in a patient about forty-five, who had had repeated attacks of articular rheumatism, led Kunkel to cure his case after he bad been dosed for three weeks with salicylate of soda by the allopaths.

The only other distinctive feature was constant.agg. of pain after midnight.

The obvious advantages derived in many cases of anaemia from the use of Iron in its crude forms has led to very grave abuses in old-school practice.

That Iron is what may be called a "nutritive" remedy in certain defective blood conditions, having an organopathic relation to the blood, I have no doubt.

But it is not suited to all cases of anaemia and chlorosis, or even to a majority of them, and should never be given without discrimination and careful watching.

But apart from its organopathic sphere, Ferrum has a strictly homoeopathic use in anaemia in which the highest potencies are curative.

For excess of Iron will cause anaemia, and at times will aggravate it when present.

The type of anaemia caused by Iron and suited for its homoeopathic use is commonly seen in young persons subject to irregular distributions of blood.

The cheeks are flushed as if in blooming health; but in spite of bloom in appearances there is pallor of lips and mucous membranes, great fatigue and breathlessness, and any motion will set up the symptoms.

Delicate girls, fearfully constipated, with low spirits.

Chlorosis with erethism.

Mucous membranes abnormally pale.

Feet swell. The irregular distribution of blood in chlorotics recalls another set of symptoms which indicate Ferrum haemorrhages of many kinds, from over-fulness of blood-vessels from vaso-motor paralysis, or else from delicacy of the vessels themselves.

Throbbing pains, the blood-vessels all over the body throb violently.

Feet swell. Fulness of blood-vessels accompanies neuralgia, which is brought on by washing in cold water, especially after being over-heated.

Hammering headache. The pulse of Ferrum is full and yielding; (that of Aconite ^Acon. is full and bounding).

With Ferrum there is excessive irritability, both of the mind and of the tissues.

It is like Arsenicum Album ^Arsen. and Chin. in this, as in many other symptoms, and it is an antidote to both.

It is one of the best remedies for over-dosing with quinine, and hence the favourite old-school combination of "Quinine and Iron" is so far a wise one.

Cramps are well marked in the pathogenesis; irritability of the bladder causing incontinence of urine when standing; irritability of the bowels, causing diarrhoea whilst eating.

Ferrum Metallicum symptom is peculiar to Ferrum, the diarrhoea coming on when the patient begins to eat.

Many remedies have it immediately after eating. agg.

From eating eggs. There is also gastralgia, heavy pressure in region of stomach; a feeling as if something rolled into the throat and closed it like a valve; frequent spells of nausea, periodic vomiting (especially at twelve midnight).

The liver and spleen are affected.

Walls of abdomen are sore.

Pain in os tincae on lying down; feeling of dryness in vagina.

Ferrum is a remedy that should be given carefully in haemorrhagic phthisis, as it may aggravate.

The acetate, iodide, and phosphate are better than the metal in such cases, unless the similarity is very close.

Rheumatic symptoms, especially of left shoulder and deltoid.

Paralytic weakness. Restlessness.

Tremor. Most symptoms are agg. by motion, especially sudden motion.

Vertigo on suddenly rising; when crossing a bridge over water; vertigo as if balancing to and fro, as when on water.

Neuralgia is amel. moving slowly about.

In fact "amel. moving about slowly" is a keynote condition of many Ferrum cases.

Rest agg. cramps. Lying down agg. pain in face; asthma; = pain in os tincae; amel. cough (H. W., xxxi. 57).

Descending stairs agg. headache.

Walking slowly amel. palpitation; pain in arms; in hip-joint.

The chief time of aggravation is night, and especially midnight, and also in early morning.

The symptoms generally are agg. in cold weather, and amel. in warm air; but there is a good deal of contradictoriness in this respect, showing the irritability of Ferrum to all influences uncovering chest amel. asthma and constriction, but too light covering agg. pain in shoulder.

Over-heating = neuralgia, and so does washing in cold water.

There is dread of open air, but open air amel. headache.

The chlorosis of Ferrum is agg. in winter.

Iron. Hahnemann. Metals.

* * *

Menses too late, long-lasting and profuse.

flow watery, or in lumps.

preceded by labor-like pains.

varices in legs worse.

intermit two or three days, then return.

uterus displaced. come on with a physical languor and mental displaced.

come on with a physical languor and mental depression unfitting her for work.

could overcome them by forced exertion. Hysterical symptoms after menses.

suppressed.

Iron We will take up the study of Ferrum metallicum The Old School has been giving Iron for anaemia throughout all tradition. They have given it in great quantities in the form of the tincture of chloride, and the carbonate.

Whenever the patient became anemic, pallid, waxy and weak, Iron was the tonic. It is true that Iron produces anemia, and it would be astonishing to any one who ever read the provings of Ferrum of the allopaths did not create additional bloodlessness with the doses of Iron they administer.

It is true that under the provings, and under those circumstances where Iron has been given in excess, the patient becomes greenish, waxy, yellow and pallid, with a sickly and anemic countenance. The lips become pale.

the ears lose their pink color.

the skin of the body becomes waxy, and there comes a tendency to hemorrhage, at times with clots, but commonly with copious, thin, liquid blood, very dark.

The clots will separate and the fluid parts look brown, dirty and watery. The patient gradually emaciates. He is pallid and waxy.

his muscles become flabby and relaxed.

he is incapable of endurance. All the muscular fibers become tired from any exertion. Rapid exercise, or, any unusual exertion. is impossible. Any rapid exertion or motion brings on weakness, dyspnea, sinking and fainting.

A strange thing running through all the constitutional conditions of Ferrum is that the pains and sufferings come on during rest.

The palpitation sometimes comes on during rest, the dyspnoea comes on during rest, and even the weakness. The patient is ameliorated by moving gently about, but any exertion tires and causes faintness.

Any rapid motion aggravates the complaints. The pains are ameliorated by moving about the house slowly, so that the exertion does not excite or fatigue. In many cases the patient is dropsical. The skin pits upon pressure and is pale, yet the face shows an appearance of plethora. From every little excitement the face becomes flushed.

During the chill the face becomes red. From taking wine or stimulant the face becomes flushed, and the patient, though flabby, relaxed and tired, does not get credit for being sick.

She fails to get the sympathy of her friends. She is feeble, she suffers from palpitation and dyspnoea, she has great weakness with inability to do anything like work, she feels that she must lie down-yet the face is flushed. This is called a pseudo-plethora.

The blood-vessels are distended, the veins varicose, and their coatings relaxed. On this account bleed ing takes place easily; capillary oozing; hemorrhage from all pass of the body, haemorrhage from the nose, the lungs, the uterus.

Women suffer much from haemorrhage from the uterus, especially during and after the climacteric period. Ferrum will be found of great value when the symptoms agree in that wonderful anemic state called "green sickness," that comes on with girls at the time of puberty and in the years that follow it.

There will be almost no menstrual flow, but a cough will develop, with great pallor. So common is this sickness among girls that all mothers are acquainted with and dread it. In a large practice you will have a number of cases of chlorosis.

Sometimes the early menstrual period is attended with a copious, and then occurs, and this goes on for a number of years before anything like menstrual regularity is established.

In these cases the Old School always used to feed their patients Iron in great quantities, but the more Iron the patient took the worse she grew.

Congestion, tending upwards, with red face, hot head and coldness of the extremities. But the heat of the head and face is not at all in proportion to the red appearance. It will be found that this congestion upward in Ferrum will take place during a chill, in septic fevers or in other forms of fever, and the head is not always hot, but sometimes cool. The face may be red and cool.

Redness of face - a healthy looking bloom - in one who is unable to walk fast on the street, or to stand any exertion. Yet some of the complaints of Ferrum are better from occupation, from doing something, from taking a little exercise, because the complaints come on during rest.

Over-excitability and sensivity of the nerves; oversensitiveness to pain. The sensitive woman who needs Ferrum has a flushed face and is often complaining because she gets no sympathy. She does not look sick, yet she puffs on going up stairs; she feels weak and wants to lie down.

Restless when keeping still.

must keep the limbs moving. Rending pains in the limbs.

dull aching in the limbs. These pass off when moving about quietly and gently, like Pulsatilla ^Pulsatilla But Ferrum is a very cold remedy, and is ameliorated by warmth, except the pains about the neck, face and teeth, which are ameliorated by cold. But most of the pains are ameliorated by heat.

the patient wants to keep warm and dreads anything like fresh air or a draught.

Weakness and prostration.

weakness even from talking. Prostration with irregular pulse and rapid pulse, or with too slow pulse.

palpitation. And then comes paralytic weakness.

the limbs give out. Paralytic conditions from anaemia or haemorrhage. Fainting spells from haemorrhage. Jerking and twitching of the muscles.

chorea. catalepsy.

The least noise, like the crackling of paper, sets the patient wild. It brings on nervous excitement and restlessness; she must get up and move.

Excitement from the slightest opposition. Any sudden or rapid motion, or the least hurry, causes blackness before the eyes; dizziness; things turn in a circle; she must sit down. And with all this the face is red. When alone and at rest, the face becomes pale and cold, but the least excitement brings a flush to the cheeks.

Fullness and distension of the eyes; fullness of the neck. Palpitation of the heart. Exophthalmic goitre. The headaches are ameliorated by pressure. Ferrum wants to be pressed to support the veins. Throbbing like hammers in the head.

Every quick motion aggravates the headache. Coughing aggravates the headache; pain in the head and occiput from coughing These pains are sometimes ameliorated by walking gently. Going up stairs, sitting down, rising from a seat unless it is done very deliberately - will arouse all the pains of Ferrum

Any sudden motion will bring on hammering and a feeling of great expansion in the head. And then will come more or less shooting, tearing pains. Beating in the back of the head from rising or from coughing, because coughing is a sudden motion. Confusion of mind with hammering headache. Rush of blood to the head. Congestive headaches from excitement.

from taking cold. from exposure.

lasting three or four days or a week. The face is gushed and perhaps cold, the head somewhat hot, but not as hot as would be expected.

Redness of the eye; engorged vessels. Great weakness, dyspnoea and palpitation. Writing - a mental operation - causes the headache to reappear. Great sensitiveness of the scalp. The patient must let the hair hang down. Mental disorders and headaches accompanying or following haemorrhages, and in lying in women.

Bloated appearance about the eyes. All sorts of disturbance of vision from congestion. Venous stasis; swelling of the eyelids; pus-like discharge. Over-sensitiveness to sound; ringing in the ears.

The symptoms of the nose are numerous. Colds and catarrhal troubles, ending in nosebleed. Nosebleed on slight provocation, with headaches at the menstrual nisus.

Scabs form in the nose. Extreme paleness of the face.

face becomes red and flushed on the least emotion. Flushed face with dropsy of the lower limbs.

flushed face with chill. Thirst during the chill is a striking feature of Ferrum During the menstrual period there are violent pains, and as soon as the pain starts the face becomes flushed.

Nothing taken into the stomach digests, and yet there is no special nausea. It is the exception to find nausea in Ferrum. Food goes into the stomach and is vomited without nausea-simply emptied out. Sometimes there are eructations of food by the mouthful, like Phosphorus ^Phosphorus

Food Phosphorus ^Phosphorus wasthe remedy with all the old masters for spitting up of food by the mouthful until. the stomach was empty.

Canine hunger. It says in the next

"Double the amount of an ordinary meal in the evening was hardly sufficient."

All food tastes bitter.

solid food is dry and insipid. After eating there are eructations. Heat in the stomach.

regurgitation of food Spasmodic pressure in the stomach after the least food or drink, especially after meat. Aversion to meat, to eggs, to sour fruit. Aversion to milk, and to his accustomed tobacco and beer. Sweet wines agree, but sour wines and all sour things disagree. The tongue feels as if burnt. As soon as the stomach is empty vomiting ceases until he eats again. Vomiting of food, immediately after midnight, Vomitus tastes sour.

There is no nausea, but the face is flushed and the woman is flabby and weak. She vomits without becoming sick. Fullness and pressure in the stomach.

pressure in the stomach after eating. Ferrum is an unusually interesting remedy because of this peculiar stomach. It is like a leather bag.

it will not digest anything. Fill it up and it empties itself just as easily as it was filled.

Ferrum has a troublesome diarrhoea, with acrid watery excoriating stool. Morning diarrhoea. Many of these patients are old sinners with broken-down constitutions, who have suffered long from constipation. Chronic constipation with ineffectual urging and hard, difficult Stools.

Relaxation runs through the remedy. From this relaxation there is prolapsus of the rectum, vagina and uterus. Dragging down in the lower part of the body, as if the organs would come out-and sometimes they do come out.

Bladder The bladder is also relaxed. Ferrum Metallicum's sphincter is weak, and there is no regularity of its muscular action. Hence, we have involuntary urination from sudden motion, from walking, or from coughing. In little children the urine dribbles all day just as long as the child plays the urine dribbles and keeps the clothing wet, but this better while keeping perfectly quiet.

The bladder is so relaxed and tired that it cannot hold the urine, and as soon as it is partially filled it allows its contents to escape. This relaxation runs through the remedy and gives it character, just like a human being. You know what each one of your friends is likely to do on every occasion. So it is with a remedy. You ought to know what it is most likely to do, in order to know what it will accomplish in curing the sick.

Spasmodic cough, such as we find in whooping cough, coming on in violent paroxysms. Cough after every meal, with gagging, emptying the stomach of its contents. Cough felt in the head. Cough worse from the abuse of brandy, tobacco or tea. Cough coming on after the loss of fluids, as after haemorrhages.

Palpitation of the heart from fear, excitement, or exertion. Rapid action of the heart, or sometimes slow action. Fatty degeneration of the heart. Pulse accelerated toward evening Pulsations throughout the body, feeling like little hammers.

Rheumatic pains in the extremities, ameliorated by heat and by gentle motion; aggravated by cold, by exertion, or by rapid motion. Pains through the deltoid muscles are spoken of more prominently than pains in other parts, but these pains are no more striking than the pains anywhere in Ferrum.

Tearing pains through the limbs. Inability to raise the arm; paralytic pains, - that is, pains that are benumbing. Pains that make him feel as if he were going to lose the power to move the part. Violent pains in the hip-joint are just as common as the pains in the shoulder.

Lippe says,

"Rheumatism in the left shoulder," but it is just as common in the right. Rheumatic pains in the deltoid muscle of either side Violent pain in the muscles and along the nerves. Pinching in the right deltoid; boring in the right shoulder; aggravated by motion and by the weight of the bedclothes; ameliorated by heat.

Tearing and stinging pains. The Ferrum pains come on in the night, because the patient attempts to keep still in bed. Rest brings on the Ferrum pains When moving gently about in the daytime be will not have so much pain. Coldness of the limbs.

and again, heat of the soles and palms, they change about. With all this weakness and prostration dropsical conditions come on, so that the feet and hands become bloated.

Evening chill or chilliness with fever, cold hands and feet and red face. Icy cold feet with the chill. Chill ameliorated after eating. Thirst with the chill. Copious sweat which stains yellow. All symptoms worse while sweating. Strong-smelling night sweats. All the febrile symptoms are better by slowly moving about. In intermittent fever after the abuse of quinine

We read in the text that Ferrum is a remedy for diarrhea in the last stages of consumption. Well, sometimes it is, if the patient is prepared to die.

Ferrum will stop the diarrhea, but after it is stopped the patient will not live long. The diarrhea is not usually painful. It is annoying, but it is painless, and the night sweats are painless. Do not suppress them; they had better be let alone. Let the patient go on to a peaceful termination.

The best remedy for diarrhoea in the last stages of consumption is Saccharum Lactis ^{Saccharum lactis} in the crude form, given in very small quantities and repeated as often as is required by the patient and the bystanders.

Another grand feature of Ferrum is that, like China ^China, it has complaints from loss of animal fluids.

from prolonged haemorrhage, with weakness remaining a long time. There is no repair, no assimilation. The bones are soft and easily bent.

they take on crooks. Emaciated and feeble children. Dryness of the joints, causing cracking on motion. Sudden emaciation, with false plethora.

Weakness and relaxation of the genital organs is common to Ferrum. The menstrual flow comes in for its share. Copious, watery flow.

haemorrhage or suppression - amenorrhoea - no flow at all, only a leucorrhoea. Suppression of the menses with great nervous excitement.

with flushed face. with weakness and palpitation. Prolapsus of the vagina. Insensibility of the vagina during coition. Metrorrhagia. Menses too soon too profuse and lasting too long.

Region

VASO-MOTORS CIRCULATION

Blood

Blood-vessels

Spleen

Digestion

Left deltoid