ARSENICUM


ARSENICUM symptoms of the homeopathy remedy from Homeopathic Drug Pictures by M.L. Tyler. What are the symptoms of ARSENICUM? Keynote indications and personality traits of ARSENICUM…


Introduction

      Arsenicum is another of the very important Homoeopathic remedies: that is to say, when it is given in homoeopathic potencies for its own striking and characteristic symptoms, previously brought out in provings and in poisonings.

One remembers a man, brought during in to our hospital, poisoned; and one knew from the symptoms that the poison was Arsenic or Phosphorus. Dr. (now Sir) Bernard Spilsbury when a few hours later, he carried away organs for examination, said “probably Arsenic, as more common”, and he proved to be correct.

The man lay there, deeply jaundiced, convulsed from time to time, quite unconscious, and gulping up mouthfuls of dark blood. Arsenic is a terrible poison: it is almost incredible that persons should deal such death to themselves or others: but they do! Poisoner and suicide are not discriminating. In slow Arsenic poisonings the symptoms are also unbelievably cruel: the deadly nausea, vomiting and purging: the appalling anguish, fear and restlessness, combined with weakness and collapse and it is just in terrible cases of similar suffering and prostration, that Arsenic does its most rapid and brilliant curative work. Arsenicum for ptomaine poisoning years ago, gave us a Homoeopathic doctor: and we have watched its absolute magic in other ptomaine poisonings.

These are the ghastly sufferings and symptoms for which we Homoeopaths prescribe ARsenic with confidence and joy. Restlessness-despair-intolerable anguish-fear: a restlessness that will not suffer the patient to stay in one room-in one bed: and withal prostration out of all proportion to the apparent condition. Such cases are of bad prognosis in any disease, unless Arsenic, in Homoeopathic potency, is given.

Of the symptom, “He can find rest in no place, continually changes his position in bed, will get out of one bed into another, and lie now here now there,” Hahnemann says in a footnote, “It scarcely occur so markedly in any other medicine.”

And here one remembers the effect of a Zeppelin raid on one of the patients in the hospital in the early days of the Great War. She was frantic for hours, and could not be appeased. She could not stay here! But, where was she to go? If she went in to the county, they might come there! And so on: till a dose of Arsenicum, and she became quiet and composed, and sank to the level of the other patients-so far as Zeppelins were concerned.

Of the symptoms, “Violent vertigo, complete exhaustion, continual vomiting, haematuria, and rapid extinction of life,” Hahnemann says in a footnote, “Gehlen died thus from inhalation of arseniureted hydrogen.”

And even in regard to its more trivial symptoms, such as “On account of nausea and sickness he must lie down in the forenoon”; “drawing pain between the scapulae, which compels him to lie down,”–“the perspiration exhausts him as he lies in bed, almost to the production of syncope,” etc., Hahnemann gives us a very important footnote. “That symptoms of a not very important character and, otherwise, trivial affections induce a sudden and complete sinking of the strength, is a very important and characteristic peculiarity of Arsenicum.”

Of the symptom, “Nocturnal stuffed catarrh, threatening suffocation,” Hahnemann says in a footnote, “I cured myself rapidly with Arsenic of a similar suffocative catarrh that always came on more severely every evening after lying down, which brought me near to death : the dose I used was of a minuteness that passes all belief. The other symptoms of my malady were certainly also met with among the symptoms of Arsenic.”

Arsenicum is one of our great asthma remedies and asthmatic symptoms are very manifest in the provings. “Constrictive sensation in the chest: painful respiration: oppression of the chest: difficult breathing: piteous lamentation that an intolerable anxiety and a very oppressive sensation in the abdomen hinders respiration: frequently recurring tightness of the chest, etc.” Of these Hahnemann also says, “As the symptoms are not observed in the mass from any other known medicine, it is evident how Arsenic is homoeopathic to inflammation of the chest, and that it can, and does cure it specifically.”

In regard to the symptoms “sadness and restlessness and tossing about in bed, with unquenchable thirst”, he says, “This was from external application (of arsenic) on the head in two children. Death ensued after two days, and revealed inflammation of the lungs and great inflammation in the stomach and small intestines.”

And when he is scourging the malpraxis of his day, he describes the suffering–even to death, of persons who had had Arsenic applied to ulcers.

He says of one patient, “Arsenic worn in a bag on the bare chest for four days, produced anxiety so that he frequently fainted, besides a violent pain in the place, and black and pocks on the spot.”

Arsenic is not only acrid to mentality, eating into rest– hope–security: but all its secretions and discharges are acrid and corrosive. Acrid tears and eye-discharges:–acrid nasal discharges: acrid leucorrhoea:–acrid, burning, corrosive discharges from ulcers, which constantly extend in circumference rather than in depth.

Then its characteristic BURNING pains-relieved by heat. Burning pains in head–in eyes–in nostrils–in mouth–in throat –in stomach–in bowels–in haemorrhoids–in bladder–in urethra-in ovaries–in genitalia generally–in breasts–in chest–about the heart–in spine–in back–in veins–in ulcers–in skin–in cancer–in anthrax–carbuncle, etc. Veins burn like fire, especially at night.

Arsenic has very marked time-aggravations. Periodicity. Different symptoms and sufferings at different hours or seasons. But its special time of suffering is midnight and after midnight: –all night, but after midnight: and 1 a.m. especially.

Arsenic has a very wide range of action, from more or less trivial and ordinary complaints, up to, as we have seen, the most terrible. It has its place in the nursery medicine chest, as well as in the treatment of the most serious diseases, and in assuaging the pain and suffering, mental and physical, of hopeless diseases. It is one of our great remedies for shingles: it has produced and is valuable in the treatment of oedema and ascites, earning the name of “the homoeopathic trocar” Only, always, the cardinal symptoms of Arsenic must be present: the anguish–restlessness–prostration:-the burning pains relieved by heat.

Hahnemann says, “A sensible homoeopathic physician will not give this remedy even in such a minute dose, unless he is convinced that its peculiar symptoms have the greatest possible resemblance to those of the disease to be cured. When this is the case it is certain to be efficacious.

“Such employment of Arsenic has shown its curative power in countless diseased states; among the rest, in several kinds of quotidian fevers and agues of a peculiar kind; in varicose veins; in stitches in the sternum; vomiting after almost every kind of food; excessive loss of blood at the menstrual period, and other disorders in connection with that function; in constipation; in acrid leucorrhoea and excoriation caused thereby; in indurations of the liver; oppression of the chest when going up hill; fetid smell from the mouth; bleeding of the gums; haemoptysis; aching in the sternum; gastralgia; drawing, shooting here and there in the face; drowsiness in the evening; shivering in the evening and stretching of limbs, with timorous restlessness; difficulty of falling asleep, and waking up at night; weariness in the feet; bruised pain in the knee joint; itching tetters on the knee; pain in the ball of the big toe; tearing shooting in the hip, groin and thigh: nocturnal drawing tearing from the elbow to the shoulder; painful swelling of the inguinal glands, etc.” (Mat. Medorrhinum Pura.)

One can personally recall striking cases where, with typical Arsenic symptoms, Arsenic has cured constantly recurring ague– vomiting after every kind of food–ptomaine poisonings–asthmatic conditions–gastralgia–facial neuritis, following herpes: and such neuritis elsewhere: and so on. Arsenic, in homoeopathic preparation acts rapidly and curatively in all sorts of diseases and conditions where the symptoms point to Arsenic: even assuaging pain, and prolonging life, indefinitely and astonishingly, in some in operable cases of carcinoma.

GUERNSEY says, of Arsenicum. “We find a great amount of anguish in the patient, and the greater the suffering the greater the anguish. Very great restlessness, which is exhibited in an anxious tossing and jerking about, every movement being followed by exhaustion. Exhaustion is not felt by the patient when lying still but as soon as he moves, he is surprised to find himself so weak. Intense burning sensations, as if from coals of fire– usually found in the abdominal cavity. Fear of death. This is not the Aconite fear, but it is an anxiety, and a feeling that it is useless to take any medicine, as they are surely going to die.”

It will be observed that homoeopathy treats disease-conditions rather than named diseases. There is no disease, mild or urgent, in which Arsenicum may not be curative, provided drug symptoms and disease symptoms agree.

Margaret Lucy Tyler
Margaret Lucy Tyler, 1875 – 1943, was an English homeopath who was a student of James Tyler Kent. She qualified in medicine in 1903 at the age of 44 and served on the staff of the London Homeopathic Hospital until her death forty years later. Margaret Tyler became one of the most influential homeopaths of all time. Margaret Tyler wrote - How Not to Practice Homeopathy, Homeopathic Drug Pictures, Repertorising with Sir John Weir, Pointers to some Hayfever remedies, Pointers to Common Remedies.