A comprehensive archive of homœopathic materia medica

Article

Limulus. – A DICTIONARY OF PRACTICAL MATERIA MEDICA By John Henry CLARKE, M.D. Presented by ®

Main


Limulus.

Limulus cyclops. L. polyphemus. Polyphemus occidentalis. King-crab.
Horse-foot. Sauce-pan. (Coast of North America). N. O. Merostomata, or Pścilopoda of the
Crustacea. Triturations of the dried blood.

Clinical.─

Apoplexy. Cholera. Constipation.
Diarrhśa. Fever. Hćmorrhoids. Sea-bathing, effects of. Skin, affection of.

Characteristics.─

Limulus
was proved in the lower triturations by Hering, Lippe, and others. Among the symptoms
recorded the most notable was a rush of blood to the face, with heat of face and over whole
body, recalling a similar symptom of Ast. r., another
sea-animal. The remedy does not appear to have been much used, and Hering has omitted it
from his Guiding Symptoms. The only italicised symptoms
in Allen are these: “Frequent rush of blood to the face, and painful
fulness of the whole right half of the body
, especially here and there, and in
the lower extremities” (a symptom of Hering’s from the first centesimal trituration);
and “heat, burning, and constriction in abdomen” (Blumenthal, a grain of 1st
trit). There was much gastro-intestinal disturbance, and in one prover a choleraic
condition. Headache caused by straining at stool. The flushing of the face was < in afternoon. There was dyspnśa <
by drinking. Coryza < drinking cold water. Heat in
face alternated with confusion in head.

Relations.─

Compare:
Homarus, Ast. r.; Fer. (flushing); Indium. (pains in head from straining at stool); Ars.
(ill-effects of sea-bathing).

SYMPTOMS.

1. Mind.─

Very indifferent mind with constant
confusion of head.─The great disinclination to wash and inability to
accomplish much, which he had experienced since the sea-bath, disappeared completely during
the day and gave place to mental quiet, steadiness, with constancy and perseverance in
performing very irksome duties.─(Very difficult to recollect names.)

2. Head.─

Confusion of whole head attended with
dulness and heat of face; together with dull feeling over whole body, esp. in abdomen, where
it increases to a kind of burning in evening.─Stool followed by
headache.─Pressure in head >
after running from nose.─Feeling of warmth r. side of forehead.─Pressure
on r. side of head, deep internally, extending back and forth several times during the day.

3. Eyes.─

Feeling of warmth above eyes.─Pressure
about eyes deep in bones.─Violent pains drawing back and forth behind l.
eyeball.─Lachrymation; of r. eye.

4. Ears.─

Stopped sensation; bubbling deep in r.
ear; evening.

5. Nose.─

Sneezing and fluent coryza all day.─Running
from nose renewed after a glass of cold water; feeling of heat in face and over whole body
as in fever; after a while prickling as in perspiration with only moist skin.─Snuff
has a greater effect than usual in evening.

6. Face.─

Lines in face as in dying person (in a
kind of cholera).─Rush of blood to face.─Jerking
pain in l. side upper jaw, evening.

8. Mouth.─

Frequent gnawing pain in last upper
back teeth, now r., now l.─Mouth slimy, with small pasty, insufficient
stools, morning.─Taste: metallic, of the drug, and general sensation as
if he had taken medicine; sweetish, coming from both sides as if from the teeth; earthy,
extending back into palate.

9. Throat.─

Much hawking.

11. Stomach.─

Pressure in pit of stomach, and
decided heat of face.─Eructations of water tasting like bad eggs.─Nausea
with general sweat.─Deathly nausea; became as white and cold as marble;
constant vomiting and diarrhśa; lines of face as in a dying person.

12. Abdomen.─

Profuse emission of loud (very
offensive) flatus.─Pain here and there in all places in abdomen.─Warmth
and painful sensation in abdomen.─Heat, burning, and constriction in
abdomen.─Cramp-like pain.─Cutting colic, with
feeling of heat.─Sensation as though he had a dissolving acid in
intestines, and all the pains seemed to be caused thereby; as though a gangrene in stomach,
and then burning in intestines.

13. Stool and Anus.─

A painful swelling, thick as
a finger, and very hard nodes, like peas, l. side of anus; he was obliged to lie with limbs
spread apart.─Piles l. of anus, following a hard, nodular, lumpy stool,
evacuated with pressure, < riding in carriage, very
painful at night on going out.─Burning and constriction in anus.─A
cooling-burning in small spots in anus.─Two diarrhśa-like stools,
greenish grey, without pain (first morning).─Stool very watery towards
the end.─Desire for stool after dinner; only wind, and after much
pressing a few lumps; headache caused by the straining.─Constipation; he
feels the stool in the bowels long before the evacuation, as if he were unable to evacuate
it.─Hard stool.

15. Male Sexual Organs.─

Burning l. side of
scrotum.─Increased sexual desire and power; but more difficult emission
of semen.─Emission wanting during coition.

17. Respiratory Organs.─

Voice husky; must
constantly hawk, though the voice remains weak and hoarse, with difficult respiration,
evening.─Cough during the afternoon sleep repeatedly waking him.─Sudden
violent cough.─Respiratory troubles after drinking water, in afternoon
and repeatedly afterwards.─Dyspnśa after drinking water.─Peculiar
difficulty of breathing in lower chest as if an impediment below diaphragm, cannot take deep
breath even when outstretched, as if it were too full there, in afternoon, < evening.

18. Chest.─

Oppression of chest, weakness and
yawning.─Suffocative swelling up in middle of chest behind sternum,
taking away breath, and, when violent, becoming painful, as from beating of waves in aorta.─Violent
pains below sternum, like transient cutting from above down, and from r. to l., < on stretching out r. arm; in forenoon; then at noon; then at
2 p.m.

20. Back.─

Pain in back; in small of back and
loins, bruised feeling on bending back.

21. Limbs.─

Weakness in limbs.─Cramp-like
sensation in limbs.

22. Upper Limbs.─

Violent pain in l. metacarpal
bone; then shivering and coldness with headache above eyes; again in hands.

23. Lower Limbs.─

Painful sensation of fulness in
lower limbs.─Pain in r. hip-joint, posteriorly, as if dislocated, < by certain motions.─Violent bruised pain
in both hip-joints, < l.─Right
heel feels benumbed on standing on it.─Remarkably sore pain in both
heels, when walking and stepping.

24. Generalities.─

Relaxation of mind and body.─Sudden
great weakness.─Heat of day at noon intolerable.─Inclination
to stretch.─Peculiar feeling as if poisoned.─Frequent
rush of blood to face, and painful fulness of whole r. half of body, esp. here and there and
in lower limbs.

25. Skin.─

Burning itching points here and there
immediately.─Small burning itching spots on face.─Small
brownish spots on backs of both hands as if warts would form.─Itching
and eruptions like small weals on l. shoulder and in hollow of both knees, lasting more than
a week, < r. side.─Eruptions on
hands, small itching vesicles, esp. on backs of fingers.

26. Sleep.─

Much yawning with weakness evening.─Sleep
and sleepiness all day.─Sleep at night bad.

27. Fever.─

Chilliness with constant trickling
from nose.─Cold and white like marble, in cholera.─Feeling
of heat in face and over whole body.─Reflexion causes heat of face in
evening.─Burning in palms.─General sweat with
nausea.

® 2000

Main