Materia Medica
Digitalis
Foxglove
Comes into play in all diseases where the heart is primarily involved, where the pulse is weak, irregular, intcrnittcut, abnormally sloe', and dropsy of external and inte:nal parts. W'cakncss and dilatation of the myocariium. Othier symptoms of organic heart dis- ease, such as great weakness and sinking of strength, faintness, coldness of skin, and irregular respiration; cardiac irritability and ocular troubles after tobacco; jaundice from induration and hypertrophy of the liver, frequently calls for Digitalis. Jaundice with heart dis- ease. Faint, as if dying. Bluish appearance of face. Cardi
Mind
Despondency; fearful: an.rious about the future. Dulliness of sense. Every shock strikes in epigastrium. 295
Head
Vertigo, when walking and on rising. Sharp, shooting frontal pain, extending into nose, after drinking cold water or eating ice-cream. Heaviness of head, with sensation as if it would fall backward. Face bluish. Confusion, fullness and noise in head. Crack- ing sounds during a nap. Blue tongue and lips.
Eyes
Bluencss of eyelids. Dark bodies, like fies, before eyes. Change in acutcness of perception of hades of green. Objects appear green and ye!low. Mydriasis; lid margins red, swollen, agglutinated in morning. Detachment of retma.
Stomach
Sweet taste with constant ptvalisni. Excessive nausea, not relieved by vomiting. Faintness, great zecakncss in stomach. Burning in stomach ex- tending to csophagus. After cold water or ice-cream, sharp pain in forehead, extending to nose. Faintness and vomiting from motion. Discomfort, even after a small quantity of food, or from mere sight or smell. Tenderness of epigastrium. Copious salivation. Neu- ralgic pain in stomach, unconnected with taking food.
Abdomen
Pain in left side apparently in descend- ing colon and under false ribs. S Severe abdominal pains, pulsation in abdominal aorta, and epigastric constric- tion. Enlarged, sore, painful liver.
Stool
White, chalk-like, ash, pasty stools. I Diar- rhoea during jaundice. Urine.— Continued urging, in drops, dark, hot, burning, with sharp cutting or throbbiny pain at neck of bladder, as if a sirazw was being thrust back and forth; worse at night. Suppressed. Ammoniacal, and turbid. Urethritis, phimosis, strangury. Full feeling after urination. Constriction and burning, as if urethra was too small. Brick-dust sediment.
Male
Nighitly emission [Digitalin], with great weakness of genitals after coitus. Hydrocele; scrotum enlarged like a bladder. Gonorrhoea, balanitis [Merc.], with cedema of prepuce. Dropsical swelling of genitals. [Sulph.] Enlarged prostate.
Female
Labor-like pains in abdomen and back before menses. Uterine hemorrhage.
Respiratory
Desire to Take a deep breath. Breathing irregular, difficult; deep sighing. Cough, with raw, sore 'feeling in chest. Expectoration sweetish. Dyspnoea. Senile pneumonia. Great weakness in chest. Cannot bear to talk. Hlemoptysis with weak heart.
Heart
The least movement causes violent palpi- tation, and sensation as if it would cease beating, if he moves. Opposite: Gels.] Frequent stitches in heart. Irregular heart, especially of mitral disease. Very slow puisr. Intcrinits; zucak. Cyanosis. Inequality of pulse; it varies. Sudden scnsotion as if heart stood still. Pulse weak, and quickened by least movement. Peri- carditis, copious serous exudation.
Extremities
Swelling of the feet. Fingers go to sleep easily. Coldness of hands and feet. Rheumatic pain in joints. Shining, white swelling of joints. Mus- cular debility.
Skin
Erythema, deep red, worse on back, like measles. Blue distended veins on lids, ears, lips and tongue. Dropsical. Itching and jaundiced.
Sleep
Starts from sleep in alarm that he is falling from a height. Continuous sleepiness.
Fever
Sudden fushies of heat, followed by great llervous weakness.
Modalities
Worse, when sitting erect, after meals and music. Brtter, when stomach is empty; in open air.
Relationships
Antidotes: Camph.; Serpentaria. In- : compatible: China. Compare: Nerium odorum (re- 297 like Strychnia on spinal cord. Spasms appear more in upper part of body. Palpitation; weak heart will be strengthened by it. Look-jaw). Adonis; Crategus (a true heart tonic) ; Kalmia; Spigel.; Apocym.; Liatris; Stroph. Compare also: Diyitoxinum (Digitalis 6 dis- solved in Chloroform; which has yellow vision very marked, and distressing nausea, aggravated by cham- pagne and aerated waters.) Nitri. spir. dulc. increases action of Digit. Ichthysto.rin. Eel Serum. (Experi- ments show great analogy between the serum and the venom of vipera. Indicated whenever the systole of the heart is insufficient, decompensated valvular dis- ease, irregular pulse due to fihrillation of the auricle. Asytole. iceble, frequent, irregular pulse, dyspnoea and scanty urine. Liver enlarged, dyspncea, albuminuria. No cedema ) Corvallaria 1 (heart disease with vertigo and digestive disturbances).
Dose
The third to thirtieth attenuation will bring about reaction when the drug is homceopathically in- dicated; but for palliative purposes the physiological dosage is required. For this purpose, the tincture made from the fresh plant, in doses of five to fifteen drops, when the cardiac stimulation is desire, or the infusion of 1% per cent. Dose, one-half to one ounce if the diuretic action is wanted. The tincture may he given on sugar or bread, .and nothing liquid be taken for twenty minutes before or after its administration.