Phosphorus

Vertigo

Vertigo so great as to induce falling, occurring under every variety of conditions ; also vertigo when lying down, compelling to assume an upright posture.

Head

General confusion, as from too long watching, with difficulty in collecting one's ideas ; heaviness, sense of exhaustion and bewilderment in the brain ; aversion to mental exertion. Con- fusion and heaviness, more in the vertex and sinciput, along with vertigo and disposition to fall forward. These symptoms are generally better in the cool air and when the head is uncovered.

The pains in the head are of great variety, and affect equally all parts of the head. It may be remarked that they are to a great extent super- ficial, seeming to affect the surface of the brain, or the bones, or the scalp. They extend from the forehead into the eyes, especially the right eye,

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and from the vertex and temples down upon the zygoma, in the form of violent tearing. There is great external sensibility of the head. Great orgasm of blood affecting the head. Shocks and single stitches in the head. The pains are as fol- lows : Tearing, affecting the frontal and temporal regions, especially on the right side, and involving the eye and zygoma.

Sticking, affecting all parts of the head.

Shocks in the occiput and parietal region.

Drawing pain generally, with exaltation of the sensorium, followed by depression.

Pressing pain, chiefly in the frontal and tem- poral region, as if from fullness, and yet a feeling as if it were not actual congestion ; the pressure extends from the forehead into the eyes and to the root of the nose.

Throbbing in the sides of the head and in the root of the nose, extending also to the eyes and nose, recurring periodically. This throbbing is induced and increased by laughing, motion, etc., as if it arose from weakness. Burning.

Weakness. Decided sensation of weakness, so that the noise of a piano is intolerable, and the least motion, or beginning to walk, or stooping, etc., is very distressing.

Conditions

The headache generally occurs in the evening ; sometimes on waking in the morn- ing. It is aggravated by warmth and excitement, and relieved by repose, cold and the open air.

General. Fullness of the head, the ears stopped,

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with singing in them ; orgasm of the blood, heat and buzzing in the head.

The scalp is tender and itches. The hair falls out ; pain when the hair is pulled.

The head symptoms display the characteristics of the action of Phosphorus upon the organism. Exaltation, intermingled with and followed by depression, not merely of the vegetative system, but also and especially of the nervous energy, until finally we have in the tumultuous orgasms the quasi-congestions and yet the apparent anaemia of the cerebral mass, a complete picture of the effect of pari passu exhaustion ; of both organic and nervous exhaustion ; such, for example, as follows too free exercise of the intellectual and sexual functions, or of both combined.

Eyes

The eye symptoms corroborate, to a certain extent, the above view of the head symp- toms. The eyes are dull, glassy, and as if full of sleep ; the vision is impaired ; it is as if a veil were before the eyes ; the axis of vision trembles ; black spots waver and glide before the eyes. There are sparks before the eyes in the dark, and along with these symptoms there is roaring in the head. Moreover, there are attacks of sudden blindness. The eyelids often tremble and quiver, and the eyes fill with tears and are painful when used in read- ing. As regards the organic affections, there is sub-acute conjunctivitis, with lachrymation, aggluti- nation, swelling and suppuration of the lids and meibomian glands, with itching and burning pains.

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The symptoms of obscure vision, better in the twihght and on shading the eye with the hand, point to cataract, in which Phosphorus has been found useful. It must also be good in day-blind- ness, nyctalopia.

Ears

The throbbing, roaring and buzzing in the ears, the loud resonance of all sounds, result probably from the condition of the brain to which we have referred. In addition, there is evidence of an affection of the tissues of the external and middle ears, as follows : Sticking, pressing and tearing in the external ear and in the neighboring parts of the head. Earache. Pressure. Feeling as if the meatus were stopped. Discharge of yel- low fluid from the ear. Deafness, as if the ear were stopped.

Nose

Itching, tickling and soreness of the nose. When rubbed, it bleeds readily. Here we first note a characteristic peculiarity of Phosphorus; haemorrhages are easily produced from mucous surfaces, from wounds or from ulcers, and frequently occur spontaneously. This probably suggested its use in fungus hsematodes. It suggests its appro- priateness, other symptoms corresponding, as we shall see they do, in cases of typhus ; a disease in which haemorrhages so readily occur or are pro- voked. The discharge from the nose is often streaked with blood; the nose is obstructed by clots.

The sense of smell is often exalted in acuteness.

Face

The face is pale, sunken, sallow; the

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eyes are hollow, encircled by blue rings, — a con- dition corresponding to the exhaustion represented by the head, and other symptoms. Again, the orgasm of circulation is manifested in flashes of heat and redness. A definite form of prosopalgia is described as follows : Severe tearing about the lower margin of the orbit on the right side, extend- ing under the right ear, and involving the bones of the face and the temple, as if everything were torn out and away, increasing until eight p. m. Pressure in the facial and parietal bones, and in the teeth on eating warm food, and worse in a warm room. Tearing in the maxillary bones in the evening, when lying down, relieved by moving the jaw. Violent stitch from the middle of the left lower maxilla, coming out deep through the cheeks and eye, extending to the forehead. Pressure, drawing and tearing in the lower maxilla toward the chin. The tendency of Phosphorus to affect the maxillary region, as well as its action on the lungs, is shown in the affections to which those who work in match factories, and are exposed to the vapors of Phosphorus, are subject. Necrosis of the maxillae, beginning with toothache, passing through the stages of swelling and inflammation of the superficial tissues, and of sinuses and caries, and ending in death by pulmonary tuberculosis. (Lorn- iser in "CEstreicher Medikalische Jahrbiicher," 1845, March.)

Teeth

The gums are sensitive and disposed to ulceration. They swell and bleed easily on the

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slightest touch. The teeth seem loose and decay readily. The toothache is jerking, tearing, darting, boring, generally occurring or worse in the even- ing or at night, after washing.

Lips. The lips itch and burn ; are sensitive to touch ; vesicles form on the inner edge of them. The lips and palate are dry, without thirst.

Tongue. Similar sensations upon the tongue, which is covered with a dirty white fur, has burn- ing vesicles near its tip, and ulcers anteriorly on the surface, which bleed readily when touched.

Mouth

Insufferable itching, tickling and sore- ness, as if denuded of skin, in the roof of the mouth.

General dryness of the mouth, generally with- out, sometimes with, thirst. Much saliva of an offensive taste ; bitter, sour, offensive.

Throat and Fauces. The throat affection is definite. The cervical muscles are painful on touch and motion. Stitches in the left side of the throat; also toward the ear and thence to the vertex. The fauces and tonsils are the seat of acute inflam- mation, which, however, is not confined to these organs, but extends into the larynx, and especially into the trachea, extending at least as far as the supra-sternal fossa, and in most cases much farther. It is characterized, therefore, not merely by sore- ness and difficulty in swallowing, and by a sense of constriction in the fauces^ but also by rawness and roughness in the whole affected region when not swallowing ; by dry, hacking cough, which is

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provoked not only by speech and motion of the respiratory organs, but also when the larynx and trachea are moved and impinged upon in the act of deglutition. The inflammation of the tonsils is probably confined to the mucous membrane, and is not parenchymatous. The rough, raw, scraped sensation in the throat is a very marked symptom of Phosphorus, and occurs almost always in con- junction with similar sensations in the trachea and chest. The pharynx is dry, deglutition is difficult. Nux vomica, Hepar, Rumex crispus, Causticum, Belladonna,