Common name – Copper. Preparation – Treacherousness of pure precipitated metallic copper.
GENERAL ANALYSIS
Cuprum acts prominently upon the alimentary canal, producing symptoms of gastro-intestinal inflammation, colic, diarrhoea, vomiting, etc. Secondarily it affects profoundly the nerves centers, giving rise to spasmodic affections, cramps, convulsions and paralysis. The chief characteristic of the drug is that its symptoms are disposed to appear periodically and in groups.
CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMS
Mind. Anguish, with restless tossing about (Aconite, Arsenicum). Paroxysms of deathly anxiety. Delirium, with wild look, disconnected talking. Crying like a child. Obliged to think a long time before they can answer.
Head Vertigo on looking up (Calcarea c., Sanguinaria), as if the head would fall forward, with vanishing of vision, as though a veil were before the eyes. Confusion. Heaviness. Bruised pain in the brain (Helleborus), and also in the orbits, on turning the eye. Intermittent lancinations in forehead, vertex, temples or occiput; worse on pressure. Strange tingling in vertex. Crawling sensation in the vertex (Argentum nit., Colchicum). Children cannot hold up the head in brain affections.
Eyes. Light obscured. Pressing pain in the eyes. Pain in orbits, as if bruised, on turning the eyes. Convulsive and restless movements of the eye. Violent itching in the eyes towards evening.
Ears. Distant drumming in the ear upon which he is lying, in the morning, in bed; always disappearing on rising.
Nose. Sensation of great congestion of blood in the nose. Loss of smell.
Face Bluish face, with blue lips (Carb. v.). Face pale; anxious, dejected expression (Arsenicum). Spasmodic distortion of the face (Cicuta).
Mouth. Bitter taste in the mouth. Foam at the mouth (Cicuta, Naja., Laur.). Dryness in the mouth.
Throat Audible gurgling of the drink passing down the oesophagus. Sense of constriction and acute pain in throat.
Stomach Excessive nausea (Ant. tart., Ipecac.). Loss of appetite. Hiccough. constant eructations. Frequent ineffectual attempts to vomit; forcible vomiting; with constriction of oesophagus and across chest in direction of the diaphragm. Vomiting: with burning nausea rising to throat; after drinking (Arsenicum); of yellowish fluid; sudden, violent, of water, with copious greenish diarrhoea and colic (Veratrum alb.). Vomiting is relieved by drinking cold water. Pressure in pit of stomach; aggravated by touch and by movement. Violent pressure at stomach, with contractive pains at intervals. Excessive tormenting pains in the stomach and epigastric region.
Abdomen. Abdomen tense, hot and tender to touch (Aconite, Belladonna, Mercurius) Abdomen drawn in and sore to touch. Spasmodic movements of the abdominal muscles. Violent intermittent colic; cutting drawing pains.
Stool Painful green stools, with violent cutting and tenesmus (Mercurius); profuse, squirting out; much wind passing. Gray stools with flocculent matter in cholera. Violent watery diarrhoea (Arsenicum, Cinchona, Podophyllum). Summer complaint of children, with brain affections.
Urinary Organs. Wetting the bed at night. (Arsenicum, Causticum). Scantiness or entire suppression of urine.
Female Organs. Before or during menses, or after suppression, violent, unbearable cramps in abdomen, extending up into chest, causing nausea, vomiting, and sometimes convulsions of limbs and piercing shrieks. Vaginismus. Clonic spasms during pregnancy; spasms during parturition. Distressing, cramping after-pains, particularly of women who have borne many children; sometimes causing cramps in extremities.
Respiratory Organs. Constant hoarseness; cannot speak a word. cough, with interrupted, almost suppressed respiration. Very fatiguing cough, with discharge of bloody mucus from the nose. Painful contraction of the chest, especially after drinking. Spasmodic attack of dyspnoea; the chest feels constricted, respiration is difficult, even to suffocation (Cicuta).
Limbs Cramps in all the limbs (Sulph); convulsive movements. Weakness of the limbs.
Upper Limbs. Jerking in the arms and hands (Cicuta). Peculiar sensation of right hand and forearm, as if constricted and larger in size and not under control of the will.
Lower Limbs. Weakness of the knees, with painful drawing when walking and standing, which is very difficult; knees will give way. Spasms and cramps in the calves (Sulphur, Veratrum alb.). Painful heaviness in the ankles.
Generalities. Nervous trembling, with great acuteness and sensitiveness of the senses (Chamomilla, Cinchona, Coff). Contraction of muscles and tendons (Stramonium, Zincum met.). Clonic spasms; accompanying brain affections (Belladonna, Helleborus, Hyoscyamus, Stramonium). General convulsions with stiffness of limbs and boy; jaws clenched. Epileptiform convulsions; trembling, tottering, and falling unconscious without a scream; frothing from the mouth; followed by headache. Eclampsia of children during dentition (Calcareac.). Restless tossing about and constant uneasiness. Paralysis. Coldness, with cramps in the limbs. Cold legs, hands and feet.
Compare Arsenicum, Belladonna, Calcareac., Cinchona, Coccul., Hepar s., Ipecac., Nux v., Plumb., PUls., Secale c., Stramonium, Sulphur, Veratrum alb.
Antidote. Aurum, Belladonna, Camph., Cinchona, Coni., Coccul., Dulcamara, Hepar s., Ipecac., Nux v., Mercurius To large doses: Sugar, white of an egg, Ferrum, Sulphur, Hepar s.
Cuprum Antidotes. Aurum, Opium
THERAPEUTICS.
The chief therapeutic value of Cuprum is in the treatment of convulsions, and spasmodic conditions in general. The convulsions are usually epileptiform in character. A valuable remedy in epilepsy. Convulsions from worms; from brain affections; during dentition; from repercussed eruptions or preceding development of eruptions; from fright; during cholera; during pregnancy; during parturition. Uraemic convulsions, especially following cholera. A valuable remedy in chorea, when the attacks are violent, with spasmodic vomiting, etc.; from fright; from ovario-uterine irritation; during pregnancy. Spasms of the oesophagus. Spasmodic contractions of flexor muscles paralysis of flexors (extensors, Plumb.). General paralysis. Paralysis of the tongue. Stuttering. Occasionally useful in neuralgia, especially of the face Spinal irritation, paroxysmal pain, sensitiveness of the whole spine. A valuable remedy in meningitis, occurring during dentition or from suppressed eruptions; with convulsions. Extremely violent headaches, chronic from nervous causes, gastric derangements, or in frontal region from nasal catarrh. Cuprum is a valuable remedy in cholera and choleraic conditions; body cold; skin blue; cramps of the muscles, muscles of calves and thighs drawn up into knots; violent cramps in stomach, abdomen and extremities, especially of flexors; violent convulsive vomiting; hiccough; collapse; the stools may be watery, or gray stools with flocculent matter. Useful in spasmodic respiratory affections, especially whooping cough; laryngismus stridulus; asthma; very difficult respiration from contractive spasms of the chest, almost suffocates, face becomes purple; violent vomiting. Chronic aortitis. Intermittent fever with choleraic symptoms. Enuresis, especially nocturnal, in children.
ALLEN CORSON COWPERTHWAITE was born at Cape May, New Jersey, May 3, 1848, son of Joseph C. and Deborah (Godfrey) Cowperthwaite. He attended medical lectures at the University of Iowa in 1867-1868, and was graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia in 1869. He practiced his profession first in Illinois, and then in Nebraska. In 1877 he became Dean and Professor of Materia Medica in the recently organized Homeopathic Department of the State University of Iowa, holding the position till 1892. In 1884 he accepted the chair of Materia Medica, Pharmacology, and Clinical Medicine in the Homeopathic Medical College of the University of Michigan. He removed to Chicago in 1892, and became Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics in the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College. From 1901 he also served as president of that College. He is the author of various works, notably "Insanity in its Medico-Legal Relations" (1876), "A Textbook of Materia Medica and Therapeutics" (1880), of "Gynecology" (1888), and of "The Practice of Medicine " (1901).