Compendium – Mental diseases and their modern treatment – By Professor Selden Haines Talcott (A.M., M.D., Ph.D) – Dossier Psychiatrie par le Dr Robert Séror

Compendium
Mental diseases and their modern treatment

By Professor Selden Haines Talcott (A.M.,
M.D., Ph.D)
Presented by Dr Robert Séror

Opium

General Action

It produces a general depression, torpor and paralysis of functional
activity.

It befogs the mental faculties, impedes the action of the heart, and
diminishes the secretions of the mucous membranes.

Brain and Spinal Cord

Congestion of the brain; vertigo as if intoxicated.

Pressive pains in the head and cold sweat upon the forehead.

Cold extremities, numbness and trembling of the limbs.

Spasms in the muscles of the back, causing the spine to curve like in
arch.

Mind

Dullness, stupidity, loss of consciousness; the patient acts as if in a
drunken stupor.

Again, the patient becomes delirious, and has hallucinations of sight,
and sees frightful visions.

Vivid imaginations.

Exaltations of mind.

Thinks herself away from home.

Apprehensive and frightened at seeing small animals.

Marked inability to tell the truth.

Opium

eaters are
cunning and inveterate liars.

Sleep

Deep, heavy sleep that is unrefreshing; sleeplessness from extreme
sensitiveness of the special senses.

Sleepless but stupid (also

Gelsemium).

Accompaniments

Chronic constipations from paralytic inactivity of the bowels.

Apoplectic conditions.

Spasmodic griping, pressive pains in abdomen.

Slow respiration.

Slow pulse with sharp pains through the chest.

Special Sphere of Action

This drug is homeopathically applicable in the treatment of those who
have long been dissipated.

Old people who are inclined to apoplexy or paralysis.

Melancholia, when the patient are at one time stupid and depressed, and
again restless, anxious and troubled with vivid hallucinations of sight.

Phosphoric Acidum

General Action

Acts upon the vegetative system, producing waste of tissue, and marked
disturbance of the kidneys and male sexual organs.

Under

Phosphoric Acid the male sexual organs become relaxed, and unable to
perform their natural functions.

Brain and Spinal Cord

Sense of depression, with confusion and dulness of the brain.

Weakness in the back and limbs.

Mind

Absolutely indifferent to surroundings.

Unable to think.

Disinclined to talk.

Loss of memory.

Questions are answered very slowly.

Sleep

Drowsy and apathetic night and day, but sleepless after midnight.

Accompaniments

Profuse urination.

Loss of appetite.

Weakness of sexual organs.

Debilitating emissions.

Exhaustion after coition or masturbation.

Special Sphere of Action

Dementia from masturbation, or from sexual excesses.

Palpitation of the heart in young people.

Melancholia from disappointment in love, from excessive menstruation, and
from physical exhaustion due to over action of the kidneys.

Phosphorus

General Action

It inflames and degenerates the mucous membranes of the entire alimentary
tract.

It produces an active parenchymatous degeneration of the liver.

It destroys bone, especially the inferior maxilla and tibia; it causes
fatty degeneration of all tissues of the body, leads to purpuric extravasations, through
disorganization of the blood.

Produces sanguineous infiltrations of lung tissue, and inflames the
kidneys.

Brain and Spinal Cord

Softening of the brain and spinal cord, with persistent headache.

Acute atrophy of the brain and the medulla oblongata.

Congestion of the brain, with throbbing of the temples.

Heat and burning in the brain and spine.

Weakness and heaviness in the limbs.

Mind

Apathy, stupidity, indifference to everything.

Indisposition to mental or physical exertion (also

Nux Vomica and Sulphur).

Ideas slow in evolution.

Inability to think.

Occasionally nervous, fearful and hysterical.

Sleep

Sleepless before midnight.

Falls asleep, but awakens easily many times during the night.

Accompaniments

Hoarseness.

Hollow, spasmodic cough.

Expectorations streaked with blood.

Short, labored respiration.

Great weakness, prostration and emaciation.

Special Sphere of Action

Insanity from masturbation or excessive sexual indulgence.

Insanity resulting from phthisis.

Cerebral softening.

Spinal softening.

Locomotor ataxia.

Paralysis following wasting diseases.

It tends to delay the processes of cerebral degeneration, and hence it is
of great value not only in relieving the sleeplessness of those suffering with organic brain
disease, but it tends to ward off and hold in check approaching apoplexy and paralysis.

It is sometimes combined with other drugs.

And a useful constitutional remedy, and a nutrition improving remedy is
found in

Calcarea Phosphorica.

Also the brain fag of strong but overtaxed mental workers is relieved by
the use of

Phosphide of Zinc.

But

Phosphorus itself is a wonder working brain remedy if
judiciously applied.

The sleeplessness of

Phosphorus is characterized by short naps, and frequent wakings
during the night.

Platina

General Action

Acts upon the nerve centers, producing depression of the sensorium and
derangement of the entire nervous system.

Brain and Spinal Cord

Sensation of numbness or coldness in the head.

Sensation in the temples as if the head was tightly bound or as if the
various parts were closely screwed together.

Sensation of cold spots on the temples.

Mind

Full of unnecessary pride.

Looks with contempt upon those around her.

Fancies herself great, and that her neighbors are small, insignificant
and weaker than herself in both mind and body.

At times depressed, inclined to weep, feels lonesome, but too proud to
associate with her friends.

Sleep

Indulges much in spasmodic yawnings.

Is very sleepy, but sleep is light and often broken.

Accompaniments

Inflammation of the ovaries, with paroxysms of burning pain.

Sensitiveness of the female genital organs.

Voluptuous inclinations, with anxiety and palpitation of the heart.

Special Sphere of Action

Mania with pride.

Melancholia complicated with hysteria.

Nymphomania due to inflammation of the ovaries.

This drug is especially adapted to the treatment of hysterical females.

It is often given for monomanias of pride and grandeur.

These patients are haughty and dictatorial, overbearing and faultfinding.

Look down disdainfully on others.

Podophyllum

General Action

Its chief action is upon the abdominal viscera, resulting in a profuse,
forcibly ejected diarrhea, and a secondary torpor, and congestion of the liver.

Reflexly symptoms of cerebral irritation follow.

Brain and Spinal Cord

Vertigo, with sensation of falling forward.

Headache.

Rolls the head and moans.

Pain between the shoulders, and along the spine in the morning.

Mind

Depression of spirits.

Imagines that he is going to die.

Has a disgust for life on account of tormenting gastric difficulties.

Sleep

Heavy sleep.

Vertigo on awakening.

Moaning in sleep (also

Belladonna).

Accompaniments

Diarrhea, with frequent, yellow, painless stools.

Stools with a meal-like sediment.

Sour smelling stools, with flatulence.

Bloody stools, with prolapsus ani.

Diarrhea worse in the morning.

On the other hand, there may be constipation, with clay colored or chalky
stools (

Mercury).

General appearance of jaundice.

Dyspepsia.

Yellow coated tongue.

Alternation of diarrhea and constipation (also

Nux Vomica).

Special Sphere of Action

Hypochondriacal melancholia following abdominal disorders, or accompanied
by diseases of the digestive organs.

Pulsatilla

General Action

Pulsatilla

, through
the cerebro-spinal system, works its effects upon the mucous and serous membranes, upon the
veins, upon the generative organs of both sexes, upon the ears and eyes.

Among its general effects are increased catarrhal discharges from all
mucous surfaces.

Brain and Spinal Cord

The brain symptoms seem to rise by reflex action from diseased conditions
of other organs of the body.

There is headache with suppression of the menses.

Headache from over-loaded stomach, especially after eating fat food.

Headache after catarrh of the nasal and bronchial air passages.

Stiffness and rheumatic pains in the nape of the neck.

Pain in the small of the back as from a sprain.

Hip joint painful as if dislocated.

Drawing, tensive pain in the thighs and legs.

Mind

Constant inclination to weep.

Gentle, timid and yielding disposition.

At the same time fretful, morose, and easily put out of sorts.

Fretfulness and fearfulness are the chief characteristics of the

Pulsatilla patient.

Sleep

Sleeplessness from effects of late suppers, or from eating too much.

Sleepless the first half of the night.

Sleeps freely toward morning.

Screaming and whining in sleep on account of vivid or frightful dreams.

Special Sphere of Action

Pulsatilla

is a remedy
of frequent service among insane women who suffer with disordered menstruation.

Pulsatilla

patients
are of a mild, gentle, yielding disposition, disposed to cheerfulness, and yet manifesting a
changeable and fickle disposition, often smiling in the midst or tears.

When the menses are delayed or absent,

Pulsatilla is of great
service in establishing the flow, and among insane women this is frequently followed by
improvement in the mental symptoms.

Religious melancholia, especially in women who are weak in body, and
anxious and apprehensive in mind.

It is especially applicable to those states of hypochondriacal depression
preceded or accompanied by profuse catarrhal discharges, and by inflammatory conditions of
the genital organs in both sexes.

Acute glandular affections, particularly in the breasts and testicles.

Recent gastric disorders.

Inflammatory states of the eye and ear.