577

THE PURE EFFECTS OF SULPHUR.

BY DR. F. WURMB.

(continued from page 396.)

VII.

DR. WILLIAM HUBER proved high dilutions and low triturations of Sulphur.

A. TRIALS WITH HIGH DILUTIONS.

a. Sulphur 101.

On the 6th of June, 1846, at 7 P.M., he took 5 drops. In two hours, when in bed, he had a violent rush of blood to the head, and felt all the arteries in his head beating; heaviness and confusion of the whole head; roaring in both ears; together with dull drawing, throbbing pain deep in the right side of forehead, which was at times more violent, and again less so; it lasted half an hour. Slept well.

On the 7th he woke at an unusual hour, namely, at 5 A.M., with aching throbbing headache in the right half of the occiput, and pain in the left side of the small of the back. The former went off in half an hour, the latter after getting up out of bed. On stretching out the legs in bed he had a very painful cramp in the right calf. At 8 A.M. every time he made a step up stairs he had shooting dislocation pain in the metatarsal bone of the right great toe. The same pain occurred also in the afternoon when walking, but then beneath the left outer ankle. At 6 P.M. he took 10 drops. In the course of two hours, at every step he felt a cramp-like pain in the left calf, and pains. in the corns of the left foot.

8th. No medicine and no symptoms.

9th. He took 15 drops at 6 P.M. Four hours afterwards, when in bed, he felt a rubbing dry sensation (like sand) in the mucous surface of the eyelids, and at the same time a sense of heat in the skin of the whole body, with tendency to perspire, and a slight threatening of a headache on the left side of the forehead. At night, uncomfortable dreams of murders, from which he woke at 4 A.M. feeling very tired, and with aching tensive pain on the left side of the small of the back. VOL. XV, NO. LXII.-OCTOBER, 1857.

2 P

10th. He took 20 drops at 3 P.M. After four hours, sudden, oft-recurring, dull drawing pain in the left side of the forehead, which (in the house and out of the house) alternated with a similar pain, now in the right side of the forehead and now in the right parietal region; when walking, frequent dislocation pain over the left inner ankle. At night in bed, drawing pain penetrating into the marrow of the bones (similar to the pain that occurs when we hold a piece of ice a long time in the hand), now in the metacarpal bone of the right fore-finger, now in the right knee-joint, but never lasting beyond a few seconds. Night undisturbed.

11th. On awaking in the morning, transient colic-like pains in the bowels below the navel, as from an accumulation of wind; dislocation pain in the left knee while walking. At 8 A.M. pressive pain on both sides of the sagittal suture. At 10 A.M. shooting pain as if in the left pleura. At 7 P.M. when standing several throbbing shoots in the rectum, from the border of the anus through the bowel and into the right hip. At 8 P.M. he took 25 drops. Soon afterwards shoots as from a fine needle in the left great toe. At night great flow of water from the mouth.

12th. Frequent fine burning stitches in different parts of the skin of the left upper eyelid, as if from fine sparks; cramp-like painful drawing from the right inner through to the outer ankle (when at rest).

13th. He took 30 drops in the morning. About noon, both when at rest and when moving, he had frequently-recurring, very troublesome, cramp-like drawing in the muscles of the anterior internal surface of the right thigh, followed by sudden aching tension in the left side of the occiput.

14th. In the morning, when walking, aching tension in the whole of the right calf (as if it were too short, and made of wood), lasting half an hour, and then giving place to a short tensive aching in the left side of the occiput. About noon he took 30 drops, soon after which he had a sudden, oft-recurring, dull drawing deep in the left side of the forehead.

During the following eight days, when he ceased taking the medicine, he felt perfectly well.

b. Sulphur 102.

On the 23rd June Huber took 15 drops. No symptoms. 24th. In the morning 24 drops. In the course of the forenoon frequent recurrence of a dull, drawing, penetrating pain, now in the right hip-joint, now in the left forehead, and now in the left occiput. About 4 P.M. an unusually hard stool. 'An hour later dull digging pain in the left side of the forehead, with confusion of the whole head; dimness of vision of both eyes, with great sensitiveness to bright daylight; forgetfulness.

25th. In the morning 25 drops. In the forenoon frequent painful drawing through the metacarpal bone of the left forefinger. In the outer canthus of the right eye, itching, shooting, and sensation as of fine sparks in the skin of the right upper lid.

groin, now in the spermatic

26th. In the morning 25 drops. Towards noon dull drawing frontal headache, which, after a few minutes, alternated with a similar pain in the right wrist. Between 4 and 5 P.M. boring shooting pain, now in the right cord, extending to the testicles, now within the inguinal ring in the abdominal cavity; followed by sharp cutting pain in the right great toe. Between 7 and 8 P.M., when walking, cramp pains in the lower part of the left calf, and dislocation pain in the left ankle-joint.

27th. In the morning 30 drops. After dinner several fine stitches in the right concha, and cramp-like drawing below the right mastoid process. Soon afterwards great flow of saliva into the mouth, and sudden softly digging pain in the right parotid gland; followed by sharp stitches, now in the left great toe, now in the left thumb, and a sensation like sparks in the left upper lid.

28th. In the morning on awaking aching tensive pain in the left side of the small of the back, extending to the neighbourhood of the left great trochanter. After getting out of bed this pain went off. About 9 A.M. a burning place, about a hand's breadth in extent, in the skin of the left elbow-joint; the burning pain extended gradually over the extensor side of this joint, and lasted upwards of ten minutes. About noon nausea,

coming up from the stomach, with heat of the face. In the afternoon confusion of head with rushing out at the left ear, and dull drawing pain on the left side of the forehead, which soon alternated with a penetrating cramp-like pain in the left knee-joint, or the left wrist, or with a shooting pain (like fine needle pricks) in the root of the nail of the right great toe; at the same time, whilst walking, frequent cramp-pain in the left calf. In the evening in bed several very sharp shoots (as from a blunt nail) in rapid succession at the root of the nail of the right great toe.

29th. In the morning after getting up, dislocation pain, on walking, in the left hip. An hour after taking 40 drops: confusion of head with dull aching pain in the forehead, and such great dimness of vision (on reading), as if the cornea had lost its transparency; at the same time feeling of dryness (as from fine sand) between the eyelids. In the afternoon frequent alternation of frontal headache with the pain in the joints described the day previous.

30th. In the evening in bed, on stretching out the legs, very painful cramp in the left calf, causing him to cry out; it lasted from fifteen to twenty seconds. This cramp continued to annoy him long after completing the proving.

B.-EXPERIMENTS WITH TRITURATIONS.

a. Sixth trituration of Sulphur.

On the 4th August, 1846, about 6 A.M., Huber took 25 grains. Thereafter (11 A.M.) frequent attacks of a dull headache, deep in the left side of the forehead, when at rest and when moving, which sometimes increased to a drawing throbbing pain. About 2 P.M. dizzy confusion of the head, heat and redness of the face, with sensible throbbing of all the arteries of the head and neck, followed by breaking out of perspiration in the face (lasting more than a quarter of an hour). About 4 P.M., and all the afternoon, constant pain in the corns as if the boot pressed on them, and frequent alternation of a drawing

* These were made in the proportions of 10 to 90.

penetrating pain, combined with feeling of stiffness, now in the joints of the left great toe, now in the right ankle-joint, now in the ligamentous connexion of the right ankle with the metatarsal bone (at rest and when moving).

At night in bed rush of blood to the head, with heat and confusion of it; noise like boiling water out at both cars, and frequent painful drawing in the right ear. Night very restless. After midnight, cramp-like, penetrating pain, extending from the metatarsal bones to the sole and first joints of the toes of the left foot, which after lasting a short time, was succeeded by a precisely similar pain in the right foot. In the morning he was tired and unrested. The hollows of each concha, and both external meatus were unusually moist from a viscid fluid wax.

5th. At 7 A.M. he took 25 grains. In the forenoon some violent shoots, now in the left, now in the right great toe. In the afternoon, drawing pains (when at rest), now over the left inner ankle, now in the shoulder-joint; now in the right, now in the left wrist; often alternating with sharp shoots in the rectum. In the evening sudden shooting itching in the navicular fossa of the urethra.

b. Fifth trituration of Sulphur.

On the 6th August, about 8 A.M., he took 5 grains. In an hour a series of symptoms in the left foot, namely, first a painful drawing in the proximate joint of the great toe (at rest), afterwards (when moving) a cramp-like penetrating pain, at one time in the inner ankle, then in the lower part of the calf; again in the knee-joint and in the inguinal region. In the afternoon a series of symptoms on the right side of the body; a precisely similar pain, first in the right metatarsal bone, then in the right elbow-joint, then in the wrist, and lastly in the metacarpal bone of the right hand; always lasting a few minutes, whether at rest or in motion.

7th. At 7 A.M. 10 grains. In an hour cramp-like drawing pain (when at rest or in motion) in the right inner ankle, alternating with a dull drawing pain in the right side of forehead. Thereafter feeling of burning in the skin of the whole extensor side of the right upper arm, which lasted above a