Triturations of pure Quicksilver, or of Hahnemann’s black oxide (Mercurius solubilis, Hahnemanni), are used. It is probable that there is no essential difference in the effects of the two preparations. Pure Quicksilver is, however, to be preferred as more stable and perfectly pure.
General Action
Mercury produces in general profound anaemia, with degeneration of the red corpuscles, loss of albumen and fibrin and diminished coagulability of the blood; with this there is a marked tendency to destructive action, as seen in the inability of wounds to heal and in ulcerations of mucous surfaces and of the skin. Sore mouth, salivation, destruction of the teeth and gums, with enlarged glands, are among the earliest manifestations. Inflammation of the liver, and especially of the kidneys, is an almost constant effect. A low type of fever and a condition resembling scurvy frequently ensue. Instead of the ulcerations and inflammations nervous phenomena sometimes occur, paralysis agitans, epilepsy, melancholia, neuralgia and a remarkable chorea. The long bones are attacked rather than the flat ones (opposite of syphilis). The iris is never affected.
Allies – Iodium, nitricum acidum, Hepar, Lycopodium, Natrum mur.; Platina, Aurum, Tellur., Phosphorus
Generalities
Foul smell of whole body and breath. Emaciation (Iodium); then the frame speedily acquired greater bulk than it previously had. Cachectic condition. Child of a woman-worker was badly nourished and when a year old had no teeth. A daughter born during her mercurialismus was very small, only learned to walk when three years old, never was over four feet in height, had kyphoskoliotic curvature of the spine, head was drawn to chest and somewhat to left and there was imperfect development of muscles and bone. Consumption. Scrofula in children; and rachitis. Chlorosis and amenorrhoea, palpitation, weakness, loss of appetite; C., face and mucous membrane pale, eyes watery, pulse small, rapid, great thirst, palpitation, dyspnoea, pains in head and stomach, oedema of lower limbs, weakness, depressed mood, blowing sounds in carotids.
Periostitis, then necrosis. Caries affects bones and joints that are never or rarely affected by syphilis. Exostosis, (<) tibia, seldom on upper arm or head, with swelling and sensitiveness of periosteum, (<) night, warmth of bed, cold, damp weather, thunder- storms, etc. So full of mercury that on putting brass into his mouth or rubbing it in his fingers it immediately became white like silver. She rubs temples and cheeks with both hands and become faint. Fell to the ground on attempting to stand. Cramp in several parts on motion. Hastiness in motions. Involuntary motion of head and hands.
Trembling (Arg-nit., Platina); of hands and tongue; of neck and hands; limbs and head; fingers and arms, then knees, limbs and tongue; (<) limbs, especially thighs, legs and forearms, while dorsal and gluteal muscles and those of pelvis and shoulder were less affected, those of upper arm, anterior chest and face not at all; after long standing or walking, (>) rest; on attempting to move; on muscular exertion, except of neck and face, then they extended to muscles not in motion, so that the outstretched hand trembled, (<) stretching fingers, and on repeated pronation and supination of arm the whole body trembled and the protruded tongue trembled; (<) night; (<) surprise or fear; (<) excitement, preventing speech; beginning in hands, (<) attempting to hold anything, attacking knees and rarely neck; (<) closing eyes, when it is noticed even in feet, (>) walking and standing; of muscles of head and spine, (>) sleep in bed; sudden; alternating with convulsions; usually prevents sleep, or a convulsive shock wakes him as soon as he falls asleep and the T. begins anew; paralytic. Paroxysmal trembling; generally worse in morning than in evening; from excitement or physical exertion, at times resembling the shaking of ague; so that he was liable to break whatever he touched, movement of legs so irregular that in descending stairs he must sometimes jump over two or three steps at once, to avoid this he crawled backward and on his hands, if he drank out of a glass it was crushed by the spasmodic clenching of jaws; and regular vibrations of almost the whole locomotive apparatus, apparently caused by alternate muscular relaxation and contraction, more in upper than lower limbs and on l. side, (<) attempting certain movements, especially if of a tonic character, and these more disordered in proportion as they required precision and voluntary effort. Those who had salivation rarely had tremors.
Jerking (Plumb.); in tendons of fingers, toes and tendo-achillis in evening, with shaking chill that tossed him into the air; of head, arms and fingers, (<) l., angles of mouth retracted, brows twitching, head constantly thrown back, but the agitation scarcely raised the arms, nostrils spasmodically dilated, short, rapid and painful contractions of sterno-mastoid, trapezius, scaleni, diaphragm and abdominal muscles, hiccough, speech interrupted and indistinct from jerking of tongue, attacks caused by a sudden cold blast, application of cold hand to the skin or abrupt entrance of any person into the ward, when he transmitted volition to any part it was instantly affected, when he tried to raise his root from the ground it quivered and fell useless, when he attempted to put a vessel to his lips he carried it towards his ear, nose or forehead and spilled the contents on his face or neck. Motions as in chorea before the desired motion is affected, or convulsive motions involving neighboring groups of muscles, better able to hold heavy objects than light ones, hands and arms affected first, then lower limbs, then head in violent cases, the general trembling alternates with stammering, sometimes they can ascend and descend steps with difficulty, as in tabes dorsalis, but cannot eat or drink, while in others these conditions are reversed, some cannot drink without assistance, because the water is spilled before it reaches the mouth, but they can carry food to the mouth by supporting the arm, one has to be held by several person while he drinks. In its first attack it may be taken for St. Vitus’s dance, in its later stages for delirium tremens.
Convulsions; (<) l. hand; of whole frame if he attempted to move or was asked a question, could not walk, hardly speak; during which he rarely lost consciousness, (>) tightly binding body and limbs; (<) evening, with loud screams, consciousness not wholly lost; whole body tossed to and fro, every muscle in activity, head rolled about, jerked backward and forward and from side to side, eyelids opened and closed; eyeballs rolled from side to side, wings of nose and corners of mouth twitched, face distorted, jaw moved backward and forward, limbs jerked as a whole and each muscle by itself, it tossed him to and fro and threw him out of bed; clonic, in r. half of body, affecting one or several groups of muscles and certain fibres.
Sticking in last r. rib and in groin when walking in open air, with tightness of breath on inspiration; in sacrum and lower limbs on touch, with no steadiness or power in sacrum or from knees to soles; in chest, knee, zygomatic process and external condyle of elbow, (<) forenoon and when walking; in various parts, with formication; in several parts, as if in bones. Tearing in various parts; in face, head and neck, sometimes with stomatitis; in hands, back, sides of chest, with internal headache.
Pains returned in evening on going to bed and banished sleep (Iodium, nitricum acidum, Colchicum, Plumb.); pains in bones; periosteal P. down l. forearm, then down r. forearm, then in r. elbow, then down spine; in affected parts; all over, (<) night; (<) just after falling asleep, and he woke; wandering; jerking, in affected parts; bruised, in whole body, (<) thighs; drawing, in head and limbs nightly. Drawing, in bones (Colchicum). Drawing in whole body before diarrhoea, with anxiety and trembling, after the stool bitter scraping eructations and heartburn. Rheumatic troubles; R. pains, (<) shoulders and arms. Internal sickness, and he was taciturn and would not leave the bed. Distressed by evening air. Clothes and bed-covers seem too heavy.
Restlessness towards evening, he could not remain sitting and he could not lie on account of jerking in lower limbs, they became heavy, at night he rose constantly, with jerking even of head and throwing about of arms in sleep; R. from 8 P.M. till morning, no rest when lying, then he lay down because walking was intolerable; all night; and anxiety; so that he could not remain a moment in one posture; and could neither stand nor lie, was delirious as if he had committed a crime; and noisy
Weakness; every day about 5 or 6 P.M. (Phyto.); in evening (Natrum mur.); after midnight in bed, with tearing-drawing pain in thighs, and on stepping after rising from bed pain from groin to knee as if flesh on anterior part of thigh had been beaten loose; after stool, with griping; when washing his feet, with trembling and vertigo; after slight effort, with trembling and heat; on slightest walking; on walking, so that lower limbs ached as if he had walked far, (>) sitting; less when walking than when standing; (<) sitting, with feeling as if lead were in veins; with depression of spirits; with inexpressible sick feeling of body and mind, obliging him to lie down; (<) sitting, as if all his limbs would fall from him; of lower limbs, then of arms and hands, then general, then tremor; general, first affecting l., then r. arm, with general tremors, then pains and cramps in r. arm, then paralysis, delirium, aphonia, almost complete blindness and loss of hair, her mind returned slowly, r. arm was emaciated, never strong, and at times trembled; of a child born during the mercurial disease, it had to be fed because the mother had no milk and died after seven weeks, the woman afterwards had eleven confinements, but only five living children; in sudden attacks, with trembling; paroxysmal, of body and mind; approaching palsy.
Born in 1837in Westminster, Vermont. . He was an orthodox doctor who converted to homeopathy
Dr. Allen compiled the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica over the course of 10 years.
In 1881 Allen published A Critical Revision of the Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica.