SCILLA


Hahnemann’s proving symptoms of homeopathy remedy Scilla from Materia Medica Pura, which Samuel Hahnemann wrote between 1811 to 1821…


(Squill)

(From vol. iii, 2nd edit., 1825.)

In order to make the solution of squill in alcohol the simplest and best mode is to cut out a fresh piece of 100 grains weight from a very fresh squill-bulb, to pound it in a mortar, gradually adding 100 drops of alcohol, till it becomes a fine uniform pap, then to dilute and thoroughly mix it with 500 drops of alcohol; to allow it to stand for some days, to decant the clear supernatant brownish tincture, and to mix 6 drops of this 94 drops of alcohol by means of ten succussions, so as to form the first dilution (1/100).

The observations recorded below may be much added to; but they already suffice to enable us to estimate and correct the employment that has hitherto been made of this root; this I have partly done in some notes.

In large doses the action of squill lasts fourteen days in small doses its action is proportionally shorter.

MURRAY and TISSOT tell us that camphor is an antidote to squill, and this agrees with my own observations.

{HAHNEMANN’s fellow provers were, BECHER, HARTMANN, HORNBURG, MOSSDORF, STAPF, TEUTHORN, WALTHER, WISLICENUS.]

The following old-school authors are cited:

BERGIUS, Mat. Medorrhinum

CASPARI, Diss. de Scilla.

COHAUSEN, Commerc. lit. Norimb., vol. xii, sect. ii.

CRANZ, Mat. Medorrhinum, ii.

HOME, Clinical Exper.

LANGE, Medicana dom., Brunsvic.

LUDWIG, Adversaria Medorrhinum, vol. ii.

MUZELL, Wahrnehm., ii.

SCHULZE, J. H., et. SCHOETER, Diss. Asthma rad. Scilloe usu sublatum, Halae 1735.

TISSOT, Epist. Medorrhinum Pract. Edit. Bald.

VALENTINI, Hist. Simpl. Reform., lib. ii.

WAGNER, J. G., Observ. Clin., Lub.. 1737.

WEIKARD, Vermischte Schriften, i.

ZWELFER, Pharmac. Regia.

The 1st edit. Has 286 symptoms, this 2nd edit, only two more.]

SCILLA

In the morning on rising from bed, a vertigo as though he would fall sideways (aft. 48 h.).

Sick-vertigo as if he had been turning round in a circle for a long time. [Hbg.]

Weak in the head and dreamy (aft. 6 – 12 h.).

Confusion of the sinciput and occiput, as after intoxication, with an aching in the front and back of the head. [Htn.]

5. Cloudy dizziness in the head (aft. 2 m.).

In the morning after rising dull humming headache. [Bch.]

In the morning after waking heaviness in the whole of the top of the head. [Bch.]

An extraordinary heaviness in the whole head, as if he could not hold it still, only when sitting. [Htn.]

(Aching tearing pain in the head, which does not permit mental work)(aft. 12 h.).

10. Flat pressure all over the head as from a weight (aft. 12 h.). [Bch.]

Transient aching in the occiput. [Bch.]

Pressive pain in the frontal protuberance on a small spot. [Htn.]

Aching drawing pain in the forehead. [Htn.]

A transient pain in the occiput spreading from the left to the right side. [Htn.]

15. Single painful stitches combined with drawing in the forehead from the left to the right side. [Htn.]

A drawing ending in a stitch in the right temple (aft. ½ h.). [Htn.]

Contractive pain in both temples.

Twitching stitch in the right temple to the forehead.

Violent drawing stitches in the right temple; they drew half of the brain together.

20. Squeezing headache in the lateral parts of the head (aft. ½ h.).

A drawing shooting, long continued pain in the occiput, when sitting. [Htn.]

Rather slow stitches into the right side of the forehead. [Htn.]

A painful penetrating blow in the left frontal protuberance (aft. 1 h.). [Htn.]

Tearing pain in the occiput. [Htn.]

25. A digging pain in their occiput. [Htn.]

Painful sensitiveness of the top of the head. [Ws.]

Every morning painful sensitiveness on the top of the head, and stupefaction in the interior of it. [Ws.]

A splashing in the head when shaking it.

(Eroding) itching on the forehead and chin, as if an eruption would break out, going off on scratching, but returning immediately. [Bch.]

30. Stitches in the right frontal protuberance down to the nose. [Htn.]

The appearance of the countenance varies, and is sometimes very much dejected, sometimes animated, without heat or chill feeling. [Stf.]

Distorted, strained features, large wide open eyes and staring look, with redness of the cheeks, without thirst. [Htn.]

Staring look. [Htn.]

The left eye looks smaller than the right; the upper left eyelid is as if swollen, and hangs perceptibly down, making the eye seem smaller. [Stf.]

35. The eyes appeared to swim in cool water for some minutes. [Stf.]

The pupils contract (aft. 5 h.).

Great contraction of the pupils (immediately). [Trn.]

Contraction of the pupils (aft. ½ h.). [Bch.]

Contracted pupils (aft. 1 h.). [Htn.]

40. Great dilatation of the pupils (aft. 2 m.).

(Very dilated pupils.) [Stf.]

Tickling in the outer canthus of the left eye.

Fine burning in the outer canthi. [Hbg.]

Swarming pricking in the outer canthus of the left eye. [Bch.]

45. Itching in the left eye (aft. 24 h.).

A contractive sensation in the right eye.

Violent tearing in both eyes at once, as it were behind the eyeballs. [Bch.]

Drawing stitch from the forehead into the right ear.

(Tearing pains in the interior of both ears.)

50. A tearing pain behind the left ear. [Htn.]

Acrid nasal mucus.

Sore feeling on the borders of the nostrils.

Stiffness in the left cervical muscles. [Hbg.]

A pricking itching in the neck and jaws, as from a flea, which was removed only for an instant by scratching, and returned immediately afterwards. [Htn.]

55. Daily, until the seventh day, increasing pimples on the neck, which are only painful when rubbed (aft. 4 d.). [Ws.]

Drawing and squeezing in the cervical muscles, also when not moving. [Hbg.]

The skin on the neck is outwardly painfully sensitive on being slightly rubbed by the neckcloth, and exhibits red, almost excoriating, spots (aft. 24 h.). [Ws.]

(Pain in the submaxillary glands)(aft. 3 h.).

Above the middle of the upper lip an eruption, which exudes moisture and erodes about it, like am ulcer, with pricking itching.

60. Stickiness and sliminess in the mouth. [Stf.]

Vesicles on the tongue.

Stitches darting upwards in both upper canine teeth, as when a sharp cold air comes into the teeth, when eating and drinking either cold or warm things.

Far back on the palate a rough and scrapy feeling. [Stf.]

Burnt taste in the palate, even when chewing food, which remained also after eating, and is only not felt when swallowing the food. [Bch.]

65. Burning in the palate and throat. [Hbg.]

Scratching burning in the palate, like heartburn (aft. 5, 6 d.). [Ws.]

Ravenous hunger (aft. some h.). [Trn.]

Insatiability in eating food which tastes well; his stomach felt full and yet he had appetite. [Htn.]

Complete anorexia; he cannot eat anything and yet his taste is unimpaired.

70. Complete anorexia. [J. H. SCHULZE et SCHROETER, (Observation, on a case of anasarca. – This symptom not found.) Diss. Asthma rad. Scilloe usu Sublatum, Halae, 1735.]

Anorexia, partly on account of feeling of fulness, partly because the food tasted burnt, partly because some food had not taste a all, e.g. meat and soup, whilst other food tasted disagreeably sweet, such as bread and butter. [Bch.]

Spoils the appetite. [BERGIUS,( Statements. – “Spoils”. Literally, “prostrates.”) Mat. Medorrhinum, p. 278.]

(Everything tastes sour and bitter to him.)

The taste for food is diminished and as if blunted. [Ws.]

75. Weak appetite. [Ws.]

Tastelessness of tobacco when smoked. [Hbg.]

Disagreeable sweetish taste of all food, especially meat and soup (aft. 48 h.). [Bch.]

Empty eructation, for several hours (aft. 1 h.).

Empty eructation. [Stf. – Htn.]

80. Short eructation. [Stf.]

Frequent eructation of a sour taste, up into the mouth.

Eructation of a disagreeable taste. [Stf.]

After dinner, eructation with the taste of the food and nausea. [Bch.]

Nausea with eructation. [Wth.]

85. Irritation to vomit in the gastric region. [Hbg.]

Nausea at the back of the throat and almost constant flow of saliva into the mouth (aft. 48 h.). [Bch.]

Constant alteration of inclination to vomit in the scrobiculus cordis and diarrhoeic feeling in the hypogastrium; when one is present the other is absent, but the diarrhoeic feeling is greatest. [Stf.]

Extremretching to vomit. [TISSOT, (Statements.) Epist. Medorrhinum Pract., edit. Bald., p. 207. – MUZELL, (Observations.) Wahrnem., ii, p. 34. (Observations in patients.) ]

Excessive nausea. [MUZELL,- BERGIUS, l. c. – COHAUSEN, Commerc. lit. Norimb., vol. xii, sect. ii, cap. 34.]

90. Vomiting. [MUZELL, – COHAUSEN, l. c.]

Weakness of stomach. (Literally, “enervates the forces of the stomach.”) [TISSOT, l. c.]

Spoils the digestive power of the stomach. [BERGIUS, l. c.]

Painful squeezing below the chest in the scrobiculus cordis. [Hbg.]

Fine pricks in the left side of the scrobiculus cordis (aft. 32 h.). [Ws.]

95. Cardialgia. [ZWELFER, (Statements.) Pharm. Regia., p. 146.]

Intermittent aching in the scrobiculus cordis (aft. ½ h.). [Bch.]

Pressure like a stone in the stomach. (Not found.) [SCHULZE et SCHROETER, l. c.]

Excessive pain in the stomach. [LANGE, (Effects of a spoonful of powdered squill.)Medicina dom., Brunsvic., p. 167.]

Inflammation of the bowels. [ZWELFER, l. c.]

100. Painless rumbling and grumbling in the abdomen. [Hbg.]

Samuel Hahnemann
Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) was the founder of Homoeopathy. He is called the Father of Experimental Pharmacology because he was the first physician to prepare medicines in a specialized way; proving them on healthy human beings, to determine how the medicines acted to cure diseases.

Hahnemann's three major publications chart the development of homeopathy. In the Organon of Medicine, we see the fundamentals laid out. Materia Medica Pura records the exact symptoms of the remedy provings. In his book, The Chronic Diseases, Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homoeopathic Cure, he showed us how natural diseases become chronic in nature when suppressed by improper treatment.