Kent's - Classical Homeopathy Online

Let me say that a part of the study of Materia Medica consists in the observation of sick people. A busyphysician learns without books, though of course he should familiarize himself with the literature, sothat from reading, as well as observation, he may acquire a knowledge of the general nature ofsickness. When he listens to the patient's story or makes a physical examination, he knows how suchcases usually conduct themselves. He knows what to expect.He knows the natural trend of sickness and instantly recognizes what is strange and unusual. Hewill not recognize what is strange and unusual unless he knows what is natural. So your books onsymptomatology and pathology, diagnosis, etc., will tell you much of this, but as you gain experiencein homoeopathic practice you will get a much finer idea of this because your Materia Medica teachesyou to observe more closely. The Materia Medica man learns to single out and trace every little thing inorder to individualize. So it may be said that years of observation in studying disease, studying the sickman along with the Materia Medica, will open to the mind a much grander knowledge of the sicknessesof humanity than can be had by practicing traditional medicine. Traditional medicine benumbs theability to observe.All the complaints of this remedy are aggravated from motion.The painful complaints, the head complaints, the bowel complaints, the liver complaints, thestomach complaints, are all worse from motion. Such an aggravation from motion that he dreads tomove. About as marked as we find in Bryonia. Aversion to motion, and aggravation from motion.Aggravation from becoming cold and in cold, damp weather. He is a chilly patient, sensitive to cold.Most rheumatic patients are sensitive to cold, but there are a few exceptions. There is no greaterrheumatic patient than the Ledum patient. He presents both sides. Though he is cold, his pains areameliorated by cold. In Colchicum the pains are ameliorated by heat, by wrapping up, by being warm.If he moves, any suffering that he may have will be intensified. Great prostration accompanies thecomplaints of this remedy. Weakness of the limbs, great exhaustion, nervous exhaustion of a typhoidcharacter. He gradually grows weaker like one going into Bright's disease. He has grown weak forsome time, and he is pallid and waxy. His hands and feet pit upon pressure. Examine the urine and youwill find albumen in it. The urine becomes black like ink with albumen. There is an unusual degree ofirritability of the tissues, soreness, sensitiveness to touch, sensitiveness to motion; bruised feeling of thejoints and of the whole body.Touch and motion bring on a painful sensation in the body as of electric vibrations. Greatweakness and exhaustion. He cannot exert himself in the least without causing dyspnoea. Must liedown; does not want to move; sinking of strength; seems as if his life will flow out of him from motionand from exertion; so tired and exhausted. This naturally occurs when going towards Bright's disease,when going towards a continued fever. Kidney affections and liver affections. Lassitude, prostration,anxiety. The muscles twitch and electric shocks pass through the body. A paralytic weakness wasobserved in the poisonous effects and too prolonged provings. The jaw hangs down, the muscles areflabby, relaxed. He lies on the back as if sinking; slides down in bed like one in typhoid, in low formsof rheumatic and in continued fevers, so great is the exhaustion. Paralysis of the limbs or of one limb,or of any part.The Colchicum patient is almost constantly sweating, even with fever, and sometimes the sweatis cold. A draft blows upon him, suppresses that sweat and the paralytic condition of the limbs comeson; suppression of urine and retention of urine. This describes the profound character and type ofsickness. Low forms of sickness; prostrating sickness; sickness with nervous trembling; with greatexhaustion. After acute disease has passed away, great weakness and dropsy follows. Dropsy afterscarlet fever.With all these troubles, the stomach and the bowel symptoms are very decided. This is likeCocculus. Absolutely unable to touch food. Nausea, gagging& retching at the bare mention of food inhis presence. The thought and smell of food bring on nausea and vomiting. With all these low forms ofdisease, these states described, we can see that this kind of weakness is little different from theCocculus weakness. Colchicum has delirium, prostration, prostration, depression of mind, greatsensitiveness to pain, which he seems to feel in his mind, and it brings out mental symptoms. Verysensitive to pain; confusion of the mind; disorders of comprehension. Cannot understand what he reads.The headaches are all of a rheumatic character. Very often the whole skull, the pericranium, is sore asif bruised. The scalp is sensitive. Pressure in the head---constriction; pressing, bursting headaches. Heatin the head. Tearing in the scalp.Headaches are all aggravated by motion.The eye symptoms are of a rheumatic character, are connected with rheumatism, rheumaticfever. It is not very uncommon to have iritis in connection with rheumatic fever and it is a strong