Ledum palustre

The abdomen, stool, urinary and sexual organs, furnish us a field for the use of this medicine. The whole abdominal viscera seem to be dragging down from the stomach. The patient wants to hold up the abdomen, pendulous abdomen. It seems as if the pelvic organs would protrude. The patient must lie down, wants to wear a T bandage. Wants to grasp the abdomen from the sides and lift up for support. It is a sensation of weakness or bearing down in the pelvis as if everything were coming into the world through the vagina. This remedy has a very urgent diarrhoea, driving out of bed in the morning; he must make great baste. You may get this confused with Sulphur, because Lilium tig. has great heat in the head, emptiness in the stomach, and great burning of the palms and soles. It has also a dysentery that you will hardly be able to distinguish from Merc. cor., so marked is the tenesmus, mucus and blood. The stool is merely mucus mingled with blood, and the tenesmus is as great and the burning in the anus as marked as in Merc. cor. It is especially suited for those attacks of dysentery that come on as an occasional chronic manifestation in nervous patients such as I have described. Now, do not think that because this patient is nervous that she is weak, or liliputian, or lean; for it is especially suitable for those with full veins; apparently plethoric, full blooded, fleshy, rotund women who are very nervous, and especially at the change of life. Recurrent dysenteric attacks with every cold in those who suffer from pelvic and abdominal relaxation, mental irritability as described, palpitation and fluttering of the heart, with nervous constitutions. You do not see Merc. cor. in such a picture. If it were a dysentery alone I would not be able to tell which it was. All of these dysenteric manifestations have been left out of the Guiding Symptoms, yet I have seen them verified over and over. Again, it has a most inveterate and troublesome constipation. It has also a tenesmus of the bladder and rectum. Teasing to urinate, as well as urging to stool. Sit a long time with much urging, and after long straining no stool. Frequent urging, with a sensation as if a ball were in the rectum. When the fundus of the uterus is turned back to the rectum it gives a sensation as if the rectum were full of faeces; it brings on urging to stool and the patient will sit and strain, and the tenesmus of the bladder and rectum is unbearable. Constant urging to stool, and no stool in the rectum. You will be astonished to know that the remedy that is indicated with such symptoms will relieve the patient of all distress in a short time. But you ask, will this remedy put the uterus right again? Well, the patient will get relief of her sufferings and will not feel this uncomfortable state after the administration of the remedy. The bowels become regular, the disturbance of micturition is relieved and the patient gradually returns to health and later the uterus will be found in place. "Pressure in the rectum, with almost constant desire to go to stool." Lilium tigrinum has cured the most inveterate protruding hemorrhoids with burning. "Haemorrhoids after delivery, sore to touch, bearing down after stool as if all would protrude from the vagina." It does not mean that we shall apply that simply to hemorrhoids that come after delivery, but it has cured hemorrhoids in such a constitution, and not only hemorrhoids, but relaxed uterus and vagina. A paralytic relaxation is present in all the abdominal tissues. I have mentioned the uterine symptoms incidentally in connection with other parts. "Menses scanty, flow only when moving about." This will make you think of Puls., the menses being so scanty, and because the Puls. patient is of similar nervous temperament. Puls. has scanty menstruation and relief in the open air. It has also much dragging down in the pelvis, though not so extreme as a rule as in this medicine. But there is much in this medicine quite different from Puls. The come the heart symptoms. "Seems as if the heart were grasped or squeezed in a vise, hard, as if violently grasped." "Constrictive pain in the heart." "In fresh air, chilly, but vertigo is >." Pain in the back and down the spine; irritable and sensitive spine with trembling. It competes very closely with Platina.

AU day long, discontented with his feUow creatures, which at last amounted to misanthropy. Vertigo. Head tends to sink backwards. Considerable dilatation of pupils. Contusions or wounds of eye or lids, especially with extravasation of blood. A noise in the ears like ringing of bells, or like a storm of wind. Roaring in the ears, as from wind. Hard pressure inwards in the lower jaw. Sore throat, with fine shooting pain. A sudden flow of watery saliva from mouth, with colic. Water- brash. Tight, painful respiration. Dyspnceic constriction of chest, worse movement and walking. Chronic cough characterized by cold and deficiency of animal heat. Expectoration of bright red blood with violent cough. Pain in loins after sitting. On raising arm, extremely painful shooting in shoulder. Pressure in left shoulder joint, aggravated by movement. Pressure in both shoulder joints, aggravated by movement. Trembling of the hands when grasping or when moving them. Whitlows, from punctured wounds, needle pricks, splinters. Pressure in left thigh, posteriorly ; as if the muscles were not in their right places, like pain of dislocation ; in every position, but especially violent when touched and when walking. Trembling of knees {and hands) when sitting and walking. Weakness in knee joints, when walking, a tearing pressure in them. Tearing pressure in right knee joint and beloiv it : worse by walking. Sioelling, and tensive, and shooting pain in knees, when walking. Pressure above left ankle, worse by movement. 5o6 Very severe gnawing itching on dorsum of both feet : more violent after scratching : only allayed when he had scratched the feet raw : much aggravated by heat of bed. Obstinate swelling of the feet. Pressure on the inner ball of left foot. Soles of feet painful when walking, as if filled with blood. Ball of big toes is soft, swollen and painful when treading ; tendons stiff. Gout, worse in feet : gouty nodosities on joints : fine'tearing in toes. Pain in ankles, as from strain, or false step. Rheumatic pains going from below upwards ; joints pale, swollen, tense, hot ; stinging, drawing pains. Worse from warmth of bed, and bed covering ; worse motion and in evening. Rheumatism and rheumatic gout ; begins in lower limbs and ascends ; especially if brought into a low, asthenic state by abuse of Colchicum', joints become the seat of nodosities and “gout stones ” which are painful. Swelling of feet and legs up to knees, purple and mottled, pitting on pressure, with rending pains in periosteum ; comfortable only when holding feet in ice water. Affects principally left shoulder and right hip joint. Rheumatism begins in lower limbs and ascends. Heat in the hands and the feet, in the evening. Long continued warm sweat on hands and feet. Cannot bear the heat of the bed, on account of heat and burning in the limbs. Gone to sleep feeling of the limbs. Uneasy dreams : he is sometimes in one place, sometimes in another, sometimes occupied with one subject, sometimes with another. Sleeplessness with restlessness and tossing about. On waking, slight sweat all over, with itching all over that compelled scratching. Chilliness without subsequent heat : limbs extremely cold, while rest of body was warm. Rigor over whole back, with rather hot cheeks and hot'forehead, without redness of face, or thirst ; with cold hands. Sfrains of ankles and feet. Punctured wounds, from sharp pointed instruments, as awls, rat bites, nails, etc. ; particularly if wounded parts feel cold to touch, and to patient. Punctured wounds ; stings, of insects, especially of mosquitoes. Rheumatic, gouty diathesis ; constitutions abused by alcohol. Emaciation of suffering parts. (? Plumb.). Other Notable Symptoms One of its mental pictures is striking :—Cross, surly : every­ thing is disagreeable. Restless ; cannot reflect steadily, or work quietly. Cross : he retired into solitude, and, almost weeping, longed for death. Least covering of head is intolerable. Mouldy taste in mouth every time she coughs, causing nausea. Spasmodic, double inspiration, with sobbing, as after crying. Child gets stiff before paroxysm ; bends himself backwards, followed by expectoration of clear frothy blood. (Whooping cough.) Haemoptysis, bright-red, profuse, with cough, rattling and hissing in air passages : burning pain in fixed spot in chest. Great swelling of knees with rheumatic pain, comfortable only when applying cold. Stiffness of all joints, could only move them after applying cold water. General coldness, with heat and redness of face. Parts cold to touch, but not subjectively cold to patient (Am.). Limbs and whole body painful, as if bruised and beaten (Am.). Purple spots over body like petechiæ(Arn., Phos., Crot. A.). Blood boils. Eruption, only on covered parts. (Thuja : sweat only on uncovered parts.) Sensation as if lice were crawling over surface : < from heat, motion, and at night.