The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica
Nitri Spiritus Dulcis nit-s-d.
General
Sweet Spirits of Nitre. C 2 H 5 NO 2 .
Alcoholized nitric ether is colorless, perfectly limpid, of a strong and agreeable smell, a sweetish, aromatic taste. It should be kept in well-stoppered vials, filled completely. --Am. Hom. Pharm.
Provings by Lembke (Zeit. für Hom. Klin., vol. 4, p. 145, and Neue Zeit. für Hom. Klin., vol. 17 ; p. 36).
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Prosopalgia , Liedbeck, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 5, p. 187 ; Allg. Hom. Ztg., vol. 73, p. 66 ; Soreness of mouth , Georgii, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 5, p. 203 ; Diarrhœa , Liedbeck, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 5, p. 424 ; Allg. Hom. Ztg., vol. 73, p. 66 ; Typhoid , Hahnemann, Fielitz, Rück. Kl. Erf., vol. 4, p. 758 ; Hering's Cond. Mat. Med., p. 751.
Sensorium
Lethargy.
Sensorial apathy, a sort of half paralysis of mental organs ; can be aroused, when he answers slowly but relevantly, and again goes into a stupor. θ Typhoid fever.
Lies indolently without sleeping or speaking ; scarcely answers ; appears to hear without understanding what is said or without allowing it to make any impression upon him. The few words he says he whispers, but not irrelevant ; he appears to feel almost nothing and to be almost immovable, and yet not quite paralyzed.
Vertigo with dulness ; while sitting, upper part of body sways to and fro.
Inner head
Confusion, fulness, heaviness or violent boring pains in forehead.
Drawing, tearing pains or pressure and heaviness in head.
Boring or pressure in temple ; heaviness.
Stitches in vertex.
Pressure, heaviness and heat in occiput.
Outer head
Drawing or horripilation on scalp.
Sight and eyes
Black spots and rings float before eyes ; pupils contracted.
Stitches in eyes and lids ; burning in margins.
Twitches in right upper lid.
Upper face
Sensation as of a cloud over upper part of face.
Prosopalgia after catching cold during stormy weather ; both sides affected ; photophobia ; burning heat in cheeks ; vomiting followed by lassitude ; at times attacks accompanied by pains in arms and back ; if pain is confined to right side it is less severe, but vomiting is <, often thirteen times in twenty-four hours ; if pain is on l. side it is very severe and vomiting is > ; eye sympathetically affected, pupil contracted, eyelid hanging, shortness of breath and wheezing before an attack, especially while eating ; least mental disturbance brings on or aggravates attack ; attacks more frequent and severe during Winter and Spring ; very sensitive to cold.
Boring and pressure in bones of face ; stitches in muscles.
Lower face
Boring in lower jaw, in angles.
Twitching in middle of left upper lip.
Chronic soreness in corners of mouth ; patient eats much salt.
Teeth and gums
Tearing drawing pain in teeth.
Taste, speech, tongue
Taste : salty on tip of tongue ; of lye.
Cutting, burning and stitches in tongue, fine stitches in tip.
Inner mouth
Cankers after eating cheese.
Much mucus in mouth ; salivation.
Palate and throat
Increased mucus, dryness in throat.
Cramp extending from elbow upward in œsophagus.
Eating and drinking
After eating cheese cankers in mouth.
Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting
Eructations of air.
Qualmishness, nausea, vomiting.
Scrobiculum and stomach
Paroxysmal cutting deep in stomach, flushes of heat and hot sweat.
Heaviness, fulness and oppression in pit of stomach.
Pressure in stomach : extending up œsophagus ; as from a dull instrument.
Aching, contracting pain from eating too much salt, fulness in stomach after a meal, with sour or slimy vomiting ; loss of appetite ; heartburn ; acidity.
For more than ten years has suffered from an affection of stomach supposed to be cancer ; passive motion like riding greatly aggravates his suffering ; eats too much salt and salted food.
Hypochondria
Incarcerated gall stones (with yolk of egg beaten up applied inwardly and outwardly).
Abdomen and loins
Rumbling in abdomen ; cutting in umbilical region.
Colic.
Stitches in left side below navel, extending towards bladder.
Stools and rectum
Bloody diarrhœa after purpura caused by excessive use of salt.
Epidemic dysentery with lethargy.
Urinary organs
Frequent desire to urinate, urine clear.
Increased urination ; diuretic effects.
Male sexual organs
Violent cutting stitches in tip of urethra.
Voice and larynx. trachea and bronchia
Tickling in larynx ; short, dry cough.
Stitches in larynx and constriction.
Respiration
Inhalations intermit.
Breathing slow and regular ; on walking a short distance it becomes very hurried ; if attempt is persevered in it becomes quick, difficult and painful, and a most distressing sense of painful constriction is felt underneath sternum.
Cough
Short, dry cough.
Inner chest and lungs
Pressure and stitches in chest.
Cramp rising up in œsophagus ; pressure behind sternum.
Heart, pulse and circulation
Violent beating of heart ; feeling of pressure.
Small intermitting pulse.
Neck and back
Violent pressure in nape of neck and cervical vertebræ.
Pressure and stitches in region of spine.
Sensation as if hot water creeping through back from below upward.
Upper limbs
Painful weakness in left shoulder and in several fingers.
Stitches in shoulder joints, muscles of arms and finger joints.
Violent pain in right shoulder.
Pressure in clavicles, shoulder joints, shoulders, muscles of arms, wrists and fingers.
Lower limbs
Persistent, pressive pain in left hip joint.
Boring, pressive pain in lower extremities.
Boring in left hip, tibiæ and feet.
Drawing, pressure and stitches in knee.
Violent pressure in right leg, ankle and malleoli.
Tearing, drawing, boring in feet.
Stitches in toe joints.
Limbs in general
Pressure, boring and stitches in muscles and joints of extremities.
Drawing in calves and scapulæ.
Wandering pains in limbs.
Rest. position. motion
Lies in bed motionless.
While sitting : upper part of body sways to and fro.
Walking : a short distance, breathing becomes hurried.
Nerves
Loss of muscular power ; laming of muscles.
Exerts a stimulant action upon nervous system ; has the same action upon disturbed innervation as the so-called anti-spasmodics.
Temperature and weather
After catching cold during stormy weather : prosopalgia.
Cold : very sensitive to.
Fever
Chilliness : internal, with cold hands ; frequent ; creeping under skin, from small of back to lower limbs ; followed by heat ; in back and limbs.
Heat : in head and face ; in nape of neck and occiput ; with swollen veins ; from cervical spine into occiput ; in head and face, with chilliness in back, and cold hands ; in back ; with inclination to perspire.
Sensorial apathy, a sort of half paralysis of mental organs ; lies in bed motionless, and without sleeping or speaking ; will hardly answer when urged to do so ; appears hardly to feel anything, and yet there is not complete stupor. θ Typhoid.
Wild, staring eyes ; hears nothing ; dry, brown lips ; desires nothing, unconscious of natural necessities, great prostration ; murmuring and delirium during sleep ; cannot be wholly aroused from her apathy, and appears to be unconscious of touch. θ Typhoid.
Adynamic rather than sthenic fevers ; fever with nervous symptoms, such as startings, jerkings, etc.
Attacks, periodicity
In twenty-four hours : vomiting thirteen times.
For more than ten years : suffered from an affection of stomach supposed to be cancer.
During Winter and Spring : attacks of prosopalgia more frequent and severe.
Locality and direction
Right : twitches in upper lid ; pain on side of face less severe ; violent pain in shoulder ; violent pressure in leg, ankle and malleoli ; crawling in forepart of tibia.
Left : pain on side of face very severe ; twitching in middle of upper lip ; stitches in side below navel ; painful weakness in shoulder ; pressive pain in hip joint ; boring in hip ; stitching in axilla.
From below upward : cramp in œsophagus.
Sensations
As of a cloud over upper part of face ; pressure as from a dull instrument in stomach ; as if hot water was creeping through back from below upward.
Pains : in arms and back.
Violent pain : in right shoulder.
Violent boring pains : in forehead.
Tearing, drawing, boring : in feet.
Drawing, tearing pains : in head ; in teeth.
Cutting : in tongue ; deep in stomach ; in umbilical region.
Boring : in temple ; in bones of face ; in lower jaw ; in left hip, tibiæ and feet.
Boring, pressive pain : in lower extremities.
Violent cutting stitches : in tip of urethra.
Stitches : in vertex ; in eyes and lids ; in muscles of face ; in tongue ; in left side below navel towards bladder ; in larynx ; in chest ; in region of spine ; in shoulder joints, muscles of arms and finger joints ; in knee ; in toe joints ; in muscles and joints of extremities ; in skin of l. axilla.
Fine stitches in tip of tongue.
Wandering pains : in limbs.
Aching, contracting pain in stomach.
Cramps extending from below upward in œsophagus.
Drawing : in scalp ; in knee ; in calves and scapulæ.
Persistent pressive pain : in left hip joint.
Violent pressure : in nape of neck and cervical vertebræ ; in right leg, ankle and malleoli.
Pressure and heaviness : in head ; in occiput.
Pressure : in temple ; in bones of face ; in stomach ; in chest ; behind sternum ; about heart ; in region of spine ; in clavicles, shoulder joints, shoulders, muscles of arms, wrists and fingers ; in knee.
Painful weakness : in left shoulder and in several fingers.
Soreness : in corners of mouth.
Burning heat : in cheeks.
Burning : in margins of lids ; in tongue.
Heat : in occiput ; in head and face ; in nape of neck ; from cervical spine to occiput ; in back.
Dryness : in throat.
Constriction : in larynx ; painful underneath sternum.
Fulness : in forehead ; in pit of stomach.
Heaviness : in forehead ; in pit of stomach.
Confusion : in forehead.
Twitches : in right upper lid ; in left upper lip.
Crawling : in skin and forepart of right tibia.
Touch. passive motion. injuries
Passive motion like riding greatly aggravates affections of stomach.
Skin
Crawling in skin and forepart of right tibia.
Stitches in skin of left axilla.
Warts from having used too much salt.
Stage of life, constitution
Young girl, otherwise healthy, suffering two or three years ; soreness in corners of mouth.
Boy, after recovery from purpura, caused by excessive use of salt ; diarrhœa.
Woman, æt. 33, unmarried, blonde, anemic, five years ago had pneumonia and measles, and was bled much ; prosopalgia.
Man, æt. 50, small stature, smoker, suffering ten years ; affection of stomach.
Woman, æt. 55, weak during typhoid ; stupor.
Relations
Antidoted by : Calc. ostr., Camphor , Carbo veg ., Caustic ., Conium, Kali carb., Natr. carb ., Natr. mur ., Nitrum, Opium, Sepia .
Incompatible : Digit . and Ran. bulb .