Christmas is connected in our minds with music, whether we harken to the Herald Angels singing or hear the church bells ringing at the frosty midnight, or whether the children listen for the Santa Claus sleigh bells or the elders sing hymns by the fireside, or the groups carol in the snow on Christmas eve outside the windows of Beacon Hill at either Craiche or Krippen.
In studying the remedies greatly influenced by music, one must begin somewhere….
KENT
Take Kent’s Repertory sixth edition: Mind, sensitive, music, to, page 78, and you have twenty-one remedies, only three in highest degree : Natrum carb., Nux v., and Sepia
Not satisfied with the extent of this list I combed the entire repertory for allusions to music :
Anxiety from music, page 7: Digitalis, Natrum carb.: while playing a piano: Natrum carb.
Delusions of delightful music, page 29 : Lachesis, Plb., Pulsatilla
Fancies he hears music : Cann. i., Croc., Lachesis, Lycopodium, Plb., Pulsatilla, Acidum salicylicum, Stramonium, Thuja
Excitement from music, page 41: Kreosotum, Sumb., Tarant.
Hysteria better by music, page 52: Tarant.
Indifference to music which he loves, page 55: Carb. v.
Irritability, music, during, page 59: Causticum, Mang.
Restless from music, page 74 : Natrum carb., Tarant.
Sadness from music, page 77 : Aconite, Chamomilla, Digitalis, Graphites, Kreosotum, Lycopodium, Natrum carb., Nat. p., Natrum sulph., Nux. v., Phosphorus, Sabin., Sepia, Tarant., Thuya.
Amelior. By sad music: Mang.
Oversensitive to music, page 78 : Aconite, Ambr., Bufo., Cact., Carb. an., Causticum, Chamomilla, Coffea, Digitalis, Graphites, Kreosotum, Lycopodium, Mercurius, Natrum carb., Natrum mur., Nat. p., Natrum sulph., Nux. v., Phosphorus, Ph. ac., Sabin., Sepia, Stann., Tarant., Thuja, Viol. o., Zincum met.
Thoughts, music, about, in the evening, page 87 : Ignatia
Unconsciousness, music, from, page 90 : Cann. i., Sumb.
Weeping, music, from, page 94 : Digitalis, Graphites, Kreosotum, Kali. n., Natrum carb., Natrum sulph., Nux. v., Thuja
Bells, of: Antim crud. Piano, of : Copaiva, Natrum carb.
Head, congestion, music, from, page 111 : Ambra.
Head, pain, music from : page 144, 297, 321. Aconite, Ambr. Cact., Coffea, Nux. v., Ph. ac. Phosphorus, Podophyllum, Viol. o.
Teeth, pain, drawing, music from, page 442 : Ph. ac.
Ear noises, music he seems to hear, page 297 : Ail., Belladonna, Calcarea c., Cann. i., Kalm., Lycopodium, Mercurius, Natrum carb., Phosphorus, Plb., Pulsatilla, Acidum salicylicum, Sarr., Stramonium, Sulphur
Piping : Borax
Hears music, rest, during : Natrum carb.
Shrill : Coffea
Whimpering tune : Antim crud.
Chest, palpitation, music, when listening to, page 876 : Ambr., Carb. v., Staphysagria, Sulphur
Sleep, dreams, music of : page 1242 : Sarr.
T. F. ALLEN
In T. F. Allen’s Symptom Register of Homeopathic Materia Medica:
Music, agreeable, insensibility to, page 796: Ignatia
Repetition even when out of humour: Croc.
BOERICKE
In Boericke, Wm., Materia Medica, page 698.
Propensity to dance: Agaricus, Belladonna, Cicuta, Croc., Hyoscyamus, Sticta., Stramonium, Tarant H.
Propensity to sing: Spongia, Veratrum a., in addition to the dance list.
Roaring in the ears relieved by music, page 733: Ignatia
BOGER
In Boger, Synoptic Key.
Aggravated from music, page 9 : Calcarea c., Graphites, Lycopodium, Natrum carb., Nux. v., Phosphorus ac., Sepia, Viol. o.
In the supplementary Repertory based on comparisons : Croc., Medorrhinum, Sabin.
Better by music : Tarant.
Music gives trembling of the feet : Thuja
Music induces dancing : Tarant.
Ideas gay and musical : Sulph.
BONNINGHAUSEN
In Bönninghausen Characteristics and Repertory :
Music, Intolerance of, page 214 : Aconite, Coffea, Ignatia, Chamomilla, Ph. ac., Sabin., Viol. o.
Music, indifference to, page 284 : Ignatia, Viol. o.
Music aggravates, page 755 : Aconite, Ambr., Anacardium, Bryonia, Calcarea c., Carb. an., Chamomilla, Coffea, Croc., DIG., Graphites, Ignatia, Kali. c., Kreosotum, LYC., Natrum carb., Natrum sulph., NUX. V., Phosphorus, Ph. ac., Pulsatilla, Sabin., Sepia, Stann., Staphysagria, VIOLA O., Zincum met.
Worse from organ music: LYC.
GENTRY
In Gentry, W. D., Concordance Repertory. New York, 1890 Vol. 1:
Apprehensive, depressed by music, page 97: Digitalis, Sabad.
Can’t bear music during menses : Natrum carb.
Can’t tolerate noise, talk, music, odors or light : Belladonna, Colchicum, Nux. v., Stram
Music, repugnant : Aconite, Nux. v., Sabin.
Sad from music : Natrum carb., Natrum mur., Sabin.
Weeps from music : Graphites, Kreosotum, Natrum sulph., Thuja
KNERR
In Knerr, Calvin B., Repertory o f the Guiding Symptoms, vol. 1, page 67.
Averse to joyous music but affected by saddest : Mang.
Weeps at violin : Viol. o.
Weeps from music : Graphites
Palpitation from music : Staphysagria
PHATAK
In Phatak, Concise Repertory, Bombay, 1964, page 185.
Ameliorated by music : Aurum, Tarant.
Music aggravates : Ambr., Calcarea, Croc., Digitalis, Graphites, Lycopodium, Medorrhinum, Natrum carb., Nux. v., Phosphorus, Ph. ac., Sabin, Sepia, Viol. o.
ROBERTS
In Roberts, H. A., Symptoms As If, page 22 :
As if under the influence of pleasant, quick music : Zincum met. p.
Now that we have listed the homeopathic remedies relating to music it remains for us to make a connection between these remedies and the historical account of the influence of music given by Reed, in the first part of our Triptych, and in the possible help to Autistic children into whose self-immolation Nordoff has admitted us as the Pied-Piper into the mountain.
The homeopathic Chronic Constitutional Remedy is inevitably both soothing and releasing.
What Lycopodium, Phosphorus, Sulphur, and Thuja, can do for night terrors !
How Zinc speeds up the lagging nerves, the power of Tarantula over trembling, of Mygale over the writhings of chorea !
Nux vomica can introduce rhythm into the functions.
Sepia which so loves to dance, can bring feelings to the most indifferent.
The melancholic are reached by the sodiums whose very life is music : the failing memory is jogged by Lycopodium and Mercury.
Crocus steadies the hysteric, and Ambra soothes the tremulous.
Aurum finds salvation from its unspoken and dangerous despair in the language of music.
Cicuta’s twitching becomes more rhythmic and tolerable.
The lump of only partly incarnated flesh which is Medorrhinum, that great remedy for impermeable moronics, develops toward normalcy.
There is a whole vast field in which different musical instruments could be studied in relation to the types of mental and emotional illness.
May a fruitful collaboration between Mr. Nordoff’s music and the homeopathic remedies accord!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Allen, T. F.: Symptom Register of Homeopathic Materia Medica: Boericke & Tafel, Philadelphia.
Boericke, Wm.: Materia Medica with Repertory: Ninth Ed. Boericke & Tafel, Philadelphia.
Boger, Cyrus M.: Synoptic Key: Fourth Ed. Parkersburg, W. Va.
Bönninghausen, C. von: Characteristics and Repertory: Parkersburg, W. Va.
Gentry, W. D.: Concordance Repertory: Vol. 1. Chatterton & Co., New York City.
Kent, James Tyler: Repertory: Sixth Ed. Erhart & Karl, Chicago.
Knerr, Calvin B.: Repertory of Hering’s Guiding Symptoms: Vol. 1. Bhattacharyya & Co., Calcutta.
Phatak, S. R.: Concise Repertory of Homeopathic Medicines: Sunanda Publications, Bombay.
Roberts, H. A.: Sensations As If: Boericke & Tafel, Philadelphia.
@The article was published in: Journal of American Institute of Homeopathy. Nr. 11-12, 1964
Interesting Article.