Selenium


James Tyler Kent describes the symptoms of the homeopathic medicine Selenium in great detail and compares it with other homeopathy remedies. …


Marked mental and physical weakness following prolonged fevers, after sexual excesses, from secret vice, from exposure to the heat of the sun in summer.

Generalities: Great fatigue from which he seems unable to recuperate from rest.

Slight exertion brings great fatigue and weakness and especially in hot weather. Sudden weakness in hot weather. Great weakness in the back, almost paralytic after typhoid fever or other temporary diseases. Extremely sensitive to a draft of air, cool, warm or damp. Marked general emaciation, also special emaciation of face, thighs and hands.

The diseased limb withers. The hair falls out all over the body, head, eyebrows, whiskers and genitals. All his nervous symptoms are aggravated after coition. Pulsation in all the limbs and in the abdomen after eating.

Mind: Extreme sadness.

Some complaints are worse from wine, tea and lemonade. It is of great value in drunkards. Irresistible desire for alcoholic stimulants. Symptoms worse after sleep, especially on a hot day. Irritable after emissions. He is indifferent to his surroundings and his mind is dull and in confusion.

He is very forgetful during his waking hours, but in sleep he dreams what he has forgotten. Makes mistakes in syllables and. mispronounces words. Stammering speech. Often fails to understand what he hears or reads. He has become unfit for his business. He is excitable and talkative in the evening. Mental exertion is exhaustive and he dreads company. His mind dwells on lascivious thoughts, yet he is sometimes impotent. All the mental symptoms are worse after coition.

Vertigo on rising from bed or seat, on moving about, with nausea, vomiting and faintness, worse after breakfast and dinner.

Head: Headaches from strong odors, after wine, tea, lemonade and alcoholic stimulants, violent stinging over left eye when walking in the heat of the sun. Increased flow of urine in headaches. Headaches in old drunkards.

The hair falls out from the whole head, leaving the scalp smooth and hairless; also the hair falls from the eyebrows and face, giving a strange appearance. In syphilitics it often checks the falling of the hair. It has cured eczema, tingling and itching of the scalp. The scalp feels as though tightly drawn over the bones of the skull.

Face: Itching vesicles on the edges of the eyelids and spasmodic twitching of left eyeball.

The ear is stopped and ear wax becomes hard, from which he has hardness of hearing.

Dark clotted blood from nose. Nose full of thick, yellow, jelly-like mucus. Itching of nose and he bores into his nose with the fingers. Chronic obstruction of nose. Coryza followed by watery diarrhea.

The face is sickly, looking greasy and shiny. Great emaciation of the face. Twitching of the muscles of the face.

Toothache from drinking tea.

Aversion to food much salted. White tongue and he does not relish his breakfast.

Irresistible longing for strong drink.

After eating pulsation all over the body, especially in the abdomen. Symptoms are worse from sugar, salt food, tea and lemonade.

Soreness in liver from pressure and inspiration, with rash over the right hypochondrium. Searching pain in right hypochondrium, worse on deep breathing. The liver is enlarged. Stitching pains in liver from motion and pressure.

Constipation with inactivity of the rectum.

Most difficult stool, even impaction. Stool large, hard and very dry, requires mechanical aid. Softy pasty stool. Watery diarrhoea.

Involuntary urination while walking, after urination and after stool. Twinge of pain outward along the urethra with a sensation as though drops were pouring out. Sensation as if biting drop was forcing itself out.

The urine is dark, scanty, red in evening. Sediment coarse, red and sandy. It has caused inflammation of the prostate gland. III chronic gonorrhea it is a very useful remedy.

Men: Extreme weakness of the male genitalia.

Though the desire is strong there are no erections, or the act of coition is unsatisfactory and incomplete. Frequent emissions and constant flow of prostatic fluid. Erections in the morning without sexual desire, but on attempting coition the penis becomes relaxed. Itching and formication of genitalia.

Women: Menses copious and dark. Pulsating in the abdomen during pregnancy, worse after eating.

Voice: The weakness and failure of the voice is in keeping with the general weakness.

Hoarseness on beginning to use the voice. Hoarseness from weakness after over-use of the voice for a long time. Much clear, starchy mucus scraped from the larynx. Must frequently clear the larynx. It is a very useful remedy in tubercular laryngitis, glands of neck large and hard.

Cough: Dry, hacking cough in the morning, weak feeling in the chest.

Expectoration of lumps of bloody mucus. Difficult breathing from any exertion and from mucus in the chest and air passages. Pain in right side of chest under lowest ribs extending to kidneys which are tender to pressure.

Back: Weak back and spine as if he would be paralyzed after typhoid fever, and other lingering diseases. Stiffening neck on turning head; lameness in back in the morning.

It has cured syphilitic psoriasis of the palms. Itching palms. Hands withered. Tearing pains in hands at night.

Emaciation of the legs. Great weakness of lower limbs. Itching of the ankle in the evening, blisters on the toes. Flat ulcers on the legs and about the ankles. Cramps in calves and soles.

He is sleepless until midnight. Sleeps in short naps. Awakens early and always at same hour. Symptoms worse after sleep.

Chill alternates with heat. Burning heat in spots. Sweat, profuse on chest, armpits and genitals staining yellow. Sweat from least exertion.

Moist itching spots here and there on the skin and tingling after eruptions have been treated locally. Flat ulcers. Itching about finger joints and between fingers.

It is said to be incompatible with China. It is much like Sulphur in general action, and Phosphorus acid in its action upon the nervous system and genitals.

The chest symptoms and expectoration are like Argentum met., Stannum. Its constipation is much like Alumen and Alumina. It should be carefully compared with these remedies.

James Tyler Kent
James Tyler Kent (1849–1916) was an American physician. Prior to his involvement with homeopathy, Kent had practiced conventional medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He discovered and "converted" to homeopathy as a result of his wife's recovery from a serious ailment using homeopathic methods.
In 1881, Kent accepted a position as professor of anatomy at the Homeopathic College of Missouri, an institution with which he remained affiliated until 1888. In 1890, Kent moved to Pennsylvania to take a position as Dean of Professors at the Post-Graduate Homeopathic Medical School of Philadelphia. In 1897 Kent published his magnum opus, Repertory of the Homœopathic Materia Medica. Kent moved to Chicago in 1903, where he taught at Hahnemann Medical College.