Fever. (2) Chilly in a warm room. Shaking, especially of lower jaw. Face, head and hands hot; legs and feet cold. Cold extremities with warm body. Feet very warm between 4 and 5 P. M. every day. Feverish; skin hot and dry. Perspiration over whole body, forenoon. Cold, clammy sweat on face. FRAGMENTARY OBSERVATIONS ON MACY AND PROVINGS. BY A. C. CowPERTHWAITE, M.D. Our attention is first called to the comparative pathogenetic effects of the strong tincture and the dilutions. Prof. Hale exhibited Papaya in tincture to twenty provers, obtaining no results whatever, while Dr. Leonard gives us five excellent provings, well sustaining the pre-supposed action of the drug, all made with dilutions-mostly the 6*. I gave Caladium in massive doses to twenty provers without the slightest result; as Dr. Parsons remarked, who had similar experience with both Papaya and Caladium, "as if it was nothing but cold water." All the symptoms reported from Caladium, by both Dr. Farrington and myself, were obtained from provings made with the dilutions, mostly the 6 dec. Only three provers out of twenty reported symptoms from the 30th. One of these reported an intensely itching rash upon the chest, which necessitated leaving off the proving. Another prover, a lady aged 49, had an intense and persistent pruritus vulvæ, for the first time in her life. Those who have seen the beneficial effects of Caladium in this affection, will hardly doubt but that this symptom was caused by the drug. Many of my provers were total disbelievers in dynamization, at least had no belief in the pathogenetic power of potentized drugs. It is, perhaps, unnecessary for me to remark that all such were truly and happily converted! "Seeing is believing." It is but fair to state, in this connection, that in most instances provers did not at the time know the name or the potency of the drug they were taking. In Papaya I would call attention to the remarkable action upon bell pie fox the nervous system and upon the skin. Calling to mind the history of the drug as cited by Dr. Hale, we find in these provings abundant reasons why Papaya should possess curative virtues, not only in ringworm, but also in many other cutaneous affections, its action in this sphere closely resembling that of sulphur. One prover makes the important observation that the drug "has evidently waked up an old psoric taint caused by the suppression of itch forty years ago." It is altogether probable that in this drug we may find an important anti-psoric remedy. The action upon the nervous system no less bears out the native beliefs regarding the power of Papaya. To this end note first the piercing, shooting pain extending from the side of the head to the foot-then follows the depression and debility, with numbness and loss of power in the limbs, and symptoms of paralysis. Its avowed action upon the generative organs of animals is borne out by its production in man of a great depression of sexual instinct, even to impotence. As regards the provings of Viburnum, I quote from Dr. Hawkes: "Several persons, four females and three males, took from five to ten drops of the drug every two hours for several days, with varying results. "The only symptoms experienced by all of the seven was an unusual exaltation of spirits. I, myself, experienced this to quite a noticeable degree, as did also my assistant, Dr. Penfield; a big day's work and a hard work before me seemed as nothing. This in some cases seemed the primary action of the drug; some of the provers experienced a decided reaction and were depressed in spirits after ceasing to take the drug. I had no such symptom. "All of the lady provers experienced some unusual symptoms in the uterine region; one of them, a healthy young married woman, was troubled with a profuse and unusual leucorrhoea. All experienced more or less unwell pains in the back. "These remarks refer to only those provers whose records have not been regularly taken and handed in. I saw these several times a day, and they related their experience to me personally. The most marked and painful symptoms were experienced by a young man of about twenty-two years of age. He is of a nervous, sanguine temperament, with hair bordering on red, and is very sensitive; his health is good. He received first about ten drops of the mother tincture (B. & T.'s). About an hour later he took fifteen drops. Within a half hour he experienced a severe headache, with fiery, red face; confusion of mind to such an extent that, although an entry clerk by occupation, and very accurate, he made numberless and stupid blunders in addressing a lot of envelopes. He also was tortured and doubled up by severe cramping pains in the stomach and bowels. He was extremely angry with Dr. Penfield, accusing him of deliberately poisoning him. I watched his case closely, he being in my own house, and am perfectly satisfied the symptoms were caused by the drug. I wanted to try small doses upon him, but nothing would induce him to take anything more in the form or under the name of drug. "None, of all the provers, knew anything of the drug they were proving. I also am ignorant of its properties. I purposely refrained from studying what is published of its provings and clinical uses. After the violent headache, and cramp pains, confusion of mind, etc., above mentioned, I looked it up in Chambers' Encyclopædia and found that one name for the fruit was 'Crampberry." The following observation from one of the provers of Viburnum, a lady, merits especial attention: "I never in my life passed a menstrual period with no pain or unpleasant experiences until within the past three months, and these three periods have been absolutely painless, and without any inconvenience. Being the mother of seven large, healthy children, my abdomen had become so pendulous as to be a source of great annoyance as regards appearance, and in summer of excoriation in the groins. I had taken Sepia perseveringly without benefit, but for six or eight weeks I have noticed a gradual subsidence of the walls, and it has become evident to my friends also. The diminution is really marked and still continues, without any general loss of flesh. I can attribute this to no other source, and am greatly pleased with the effect." Prior to July 1st, 1880, I had never prescribed Viburnum. Since that time I have, as a matter of experiment, given it in quite a considerable number of cases of neuralgic and congestive dysmenorrhoea. In every case, without exception, it afforded very marked relief, but in no instance was the relief permanent, each patient being about as bad as ever in three or four months after ceasing the use of the drug. Whether the tincture or a potency (below the sixth) was used, seemed to make but little difference. Dr. Hale informs me that he has had a precisely similar experiDr. Owen reports very marked permanent cures of dysmenorrhoea made with the mother tincture of Viburnum. ence. |