Materia Medica
Formica Rufa (Myrmexine)
Crushed Live Ants
An arthritic medicine. Gout and articular rheuma- tism; pains worse, motion; better, pressure. Right side most affected. Chronic gout and stiffness in joints. Acute outbursts of gouty poisons, especially when assum- ing the neuralgic forms. Tuberculosis, carcinoma, and lupus; chronic nephritis. Complaints from overlifting. Apoplectic diseases. Has a marked deterrent influence on the formation of polypi. 341
Head
Vertigo. Headache with cracking in left ear. Brain feels too heavy and large. Sensation as if a bubble burst in forehead. Forgetful in the evening. Exhilarated. Coryza and stopped-up feeling in nose. Rheumatic iritis. Nasal polypi.
Ears
Ringing and buzzing. C Cracking in left ear with headache. Parts around ear feel swollen. Polypi.
Stomach
Constant pressure at the cardiac end of the stomach, and a burning pain there. Nausea, with headache, and vomiting of yellowish bitter mucus. Pains shift from stomach to vertex. Abdomen and Stool. — In the morning, difficult pas- ages of small quantities of flatus; afterwards diar- rhoea-like urging in the rectum. Pain in bowels before
Stool
Severe pain in the bowels; with shuddering chil- liness. Constriction in the anus. Urine.— Bloody. albuminous, with much urging; quantities of urates.
Respiratory
Hoarseness, with dry, sore throat ; cough worse at night, with aching in forehead and con- strictive pain in chest; pleuritic pains. Sexual. —- Seminal emissiors ; weakness. "Slothful to venery."
Extremities
Rheumatic pains; stiff and contracted joints. Muscles feel strained and torn from their at- tachment. Weakness of lowrr extremities. Paraplegia. Pain in hips. Rheumatism comes on with suddcnness and restlessness. Sweat does not relieve.
Skin
Red, itching and burning. Nettle-rash. Nodes around joints. [Ammon. phos.] Profuse sweat with- out relief.
Modalities
Worse, cold and cold washing, before a snowstorm. Better, warmth, pressure, rubbing. Com- ing hair.
Relationships
Compare: Formic acid. Chronic myalgia Muscular pains and soreness. Gout and ar- ticular rheumatism, which appear suddenly. Pains usu- ally worse on right side, motion and better from pres- sure. Failing vision. (Increases muscular strength and e s ordinary walking. Marked diuretic effect, greater elimination of products of disassimilation, particularly urea). Tremor. Tuberculosis, chronic nephritis and carcinoma, lupus, etc., have been treated successfully with injections of Formic acid of a dilution correspond- ing to the 3d and 4th centesimal. In prescribing it for varicose veins. polypi, catarrh, Dr. J. H. Clarke orders an ounce or two of a solution of Formic acid in the proportion of one part of the acid to eleven of distilled water. Of this one teaspoonful is taken in a table- spoonful of water after food once or twice daily. Pain in aponeurosis and muscles of head. neck and shoulders before a snowstorm. Rhus: (Dulram Urtica and Juni- pcrus contain Formic acid), Calc. fluor.
Dose
Sixth to thirtieth attenuation.