Mercurius Solubilis

IN order to obtain, by provings of the metal, an exact knowledge of its action on human health — to vitiate and therefore to cure — Hahnemann was at much pains to secure Mercury in, at once, a pure and soluble state.

One of his preparations, " Mercurius vivus ", was quicksilver (purified from lead, etc.) and then made active by trituration and potentization. Because, as he says, " Mercury in its fluid metallic state has little dynamic action on man's health ; it is only its chemical compounds that cause great effects."

He discusses the various salts of mercury. He says that these, when carefully proved, " all display in their action a certain general similarity as mercurials ; whilst, on the other hand, they differ greatly from one another in their peculiarities, and very much in the intensity of their action on human health ".

So " this great analytical chemist " — for Hahnemann was known as such in his day — set to work " to obtain pure mercury in such a condition that it should be able to display its true, pure, peculiar effects on the human organism in a more powerfully curative manner than all other known preparations and saline combinations ".

The result was Mercurius Solubilis Hahnemannii, the black oxide of mercury, which was quickly " preferred in almost all countries to all other mercurials hitherto in use, on account of its much milder, and more efficacious anti-syphilitic properties " ; and which still remains in general use in medicine, the world over, to the present day.

Even this did not wholly content Hahnemann's desire " for the highest degree of purity " and he proceeded to prepare in the grey precipitate a perfectly pure oxide of mercury.

However, its preparation requiring much care and labour,* and its effects being indistinguishable from the black oxide, it was the black oxide, Mercurius solubilis that was so drastically proved by Hahnemann and his band, and which we prescribe as Merc. sol., or simply " Merc." : — it being understood that all the other mercurials which we use will have their special designation attached — Merc. vi., Merc. cor., Merc. cy., Merc. bin-iodide, etc., etc., to identify them.

In Materia Medica Pura, he describes the processes of the various preparations.

Hering (Guiding Symptoms) says that " the symptoms of the solubilis, obtained by regular proving, and the effects of the vivus, gathered from toxicological reports carefully sifted and clinically verified, are sufficiently similar to be placed under one arrangement " ; though where possible, he places an " s " or a " v " to show to which especially the symptom belongs : and Clarke in his Dictionary follows Hering . While Allen's Encyclopedia gives symptoms under each preparation separately.

Mercurius is one of the " drugs of frequent use ", which we could ill do without. It finds its place, accordingly, in every little pocket case of a dozen domestic remedies : and no physician would sally forth on his rounds without "Merc." in his portable armoury. It has its unique position in the treatment of alike the lightest and most serious diseases ; of colds and coughs ; toothaches and earaches ; headaches and eye troubles ; diseases of nose, mouth, gums, tongue, where its action is very marked ; of throat, liver, abdomen and stools — with constipation and diarrhoea ; of urinary organs, sexual organs, lungs, limbs, glands, nerves — with tremor ; skin with eruptions, and ulcerations, and sweat.

But everywhere it has its marked peculiarities. Once fathom its " thus-ness " and it is difficult to miss.

Merc. is notable especially for its foulness and offensiveness — of breath — of its profuse saliva — of its drenching sweats : hut, curiously enough, stool, urine, menses, leucorrhoea are not especially offensive : — excepting the stools in the case of Merc. cor.

Another great feature is " Worse for the heat of the bed."

Another " Worse at night."

Another sliminess of mucous membranes.

Now we will see how Merc. has appealed to, and been useful to, some of our great prescribers, and what tips they have to bestow on us, as regards its uses.

This is Nash's little summary. . . .

" Swollen, flabby tongue, taking imprint of the teeth : gums

also swollen, spongy and bleeding ; breath 'very offensive.

" Sweats day and night without relief — in many complaints. "

Creeping chilliness in the beginning of a cold or threatened suppuration.

" Sliminess of mucous membranes.

" Moist tongue, with intense thirst.

" Glandular swellings, cold, inclined to suppurate. Ulcers with lardaceous base.

" Modalities : worse at night i in warmth of bed : while sweating : lying on the right side.

' Bone diseases ; pains worse at night.

" Dysentery : stools slimy, bloody ; with colic, fainting : with great tenesmus during and after, followed by chilliness, and a ' cannot finish sensation '. (More marked in Merc. cor.)

" The more blood and pain, the better indicated.

" Affects lower lobe of right lung : stitches through to back (Chel., Kali. c.).

" Intense thirst, although the tongue looks moist, and saliva is profuse "

And Nash says, " in low potencies it hastens suppuration ; in high, aborts suppuration, as in quinsy."

Now we will let Boger speak from his Therapeutic Key,

" Profuse sweat with nearly every complaint, which does not relieve.

" Catarrh. Nostrils raw, ulcerated (Aur., Sulph.).

" Ptyalism — fetid. Metallic tasting.

" Tongue large, flabby, shows imprint of teeth (Chel., Pod., Rhus.).

" Thirst with a moist tongue and salivation (Puls. dry, and no thirst.) (Also Nux mosch.)

" Dysentery. Stools slimy and bloody, with colic and fainting.

" No relief from stool (Merc. cor.). Never-get-done sensation (Merc. cor.).

" Salivation. Wets the pillow in sleep.

" Trembling hands."

Nash further discusses and amplifies, — he writes :

" The chill of Mercurius is peculiar, as I have observed it. It is not a shaking chill, but is simply a creeping chilliness." (Gels., big chills with heavy limbs : Nux, chills from every movement, from leaving the fire.) " Often when this creeping chilliness is felt it is the first symptom of a cold that has been taken, and, if left alone, the coryza, sore throat, bronchitis or even pneumonia may follow ; but if taken early, a dose of Merc. may prevent all such troubles. The chilliness is felt most generally in the evening

and increases into the night if not removed by Mercury. .

It is often felt in single parts. Then again it is felt in abscesses, and is the harbinger of pus formation."

(One remembers a case, where a surgeon was dressing several sinuses in a shoulder joint. The patient complained of this creeping chilliness in the wounds. Merc. was given, with (so one was told later) great benefit to the condition.

Compare Sil., which has a sensation of coldness in ulcers.

" Now the sweats. They are very profuse and do not relieve like the sweats of inflammatory diseases generally do, but on the contrary the complaints increase with the sweat. (Tilia.) In what diseases is this condition found ? It may be found in almost every disease : in sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, pleuritis, abscesses, rheumatism, etc. . . .

In short, in any disease in which this profuse and persistent sweating without relief is present, Mercurius is the first remedy to be thought of.

" Worse at night, and especially in the warmth of the bed, is another strong characteristic of Mercurius. (Led.) There is a long list of remedies that have aggravations at night, but not so many from warmth of the bed. I have cured Many skin diseases of various names guided by this modality. . . . .

H. C. ALLEN points out that "Merc. is worse by heat of bed but is better for rest in bed : where as Ars. is better for heat of bed, but worse for rest in bed."

It is knowledge of these little points that often makes successful prescribing quickly practicable in acute work : and Allen says, " Worse lying on right side — very few remedies have this."

And now a few quotations from KENT .

" Merc. has stinging pains like Apis.

All routinists will give Apis for stinging pains, and yet it is often Merc. that the patient needs.

" Purulent, offensive otorrhoea . . . furuncles in external canal.

Fungous excrescences and polypi.

" Taste and tongue flabby, mealy surface, often pale.

The imprint of the teeth is observed all round the edge of the tongue. It is swollen and presses in around the teeth, and thus gets the imprint of the teeth.

Old gouty constitutions ; the tongue will swell in the night and he will wake up with a mouthful of tongue (Comp. Crot. h.) . . . copious flow of fetid saliva.

" Milk in the breasts of the non-pregnant woman at the menstrual period.

Milk in the breasts instead of the menstrual flow.

I once had a freak in a sixteen-year-old boy who had milk in his breasts. I cured him with Merc.

" Urine burns and must be washed off. Itching from contact of urine.

" The complaints in general are worse while he sweats, and the more he sweats, the worse he is excoriating wherever two parts come together.

" Merc. especially affects the joints ; inflammatory rheumatism with much swelling, aggravated from the heat of the bed and from uncovering.

It is difficult to get just the right weight of clothing.

Rheumatic affections with sweat, aggravation at night, from the warmth of the bed and while sweating, with sickly countenance.

It especially attacks the upper limbs, but is also found in the lower.

" Men, is one of the best palliatives in cancer of the uterus and mamma. It will restrain and sometimes cure epithelioma. I knew one case cured by the proto-iodide, an ulcerated, indurated lump in the breast, as large as a goose egg, with knots in the axilla, blueness of the part, and no hope. The 100th attenuation, given as often as the pains were very severe, took it away and she remained well.

" The loaded tongue and the bilious fevers fade out after Merc. It is wonderfully useful in hectic fever in the last stages of consumption, and in exhausting diseases with hectics, and in cancer, where there is aching, foul sweat, etc. . . . when the patient is icteric, low, prostrated, tremulous, with quivering muscles, great exhaustion and continued fever."

By the way : Mercurius and Silica are " inimicals ". One has seen the severe aggravations in abscess cases, when the one is administered after the other. Here Hepar will " straighten things out " and restore order.

Merc. besides its foulness of mouth and salivation, has salt taste ; sweet taste ; metallic taste ; taste of rotten eggs ; " slimy " taste.

" Troubles occurring in or on margin of eyelids ; forehead ; scalp ; bones of the head ; external top of head ; glands about the ears.

" Acrid nasal secretion, nose red and excoriated all the time ; ' dirty-nosed children' (Sulph.).

Bridge of nose may swell up, very large on both sides and the top. . . . Rarely give Merc. if the tongue is dry." ( Guernsey's Keynotes.)

One cannot here discuss Mercurius in the treatment of venereal disease as laid down in Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases (which work seems to be coming into its own at last) : and yet one cannot pass it over without notice. For what we have to say on the subject doctors may like to glance through a little pamphlet, published by the British Homoeopathic Association, entitled Hahnemann's Conception of Chronic Disease as caused by Parasitic Micro-organisms.

One remembers the rapid cure of a bad case of " 'Flu-pneumonia " just after the War, with a few doses of Merc. 30 : given because of the filthy mouth and breath, and profuse offensive sweat.

Black Letter Symptoms .

Hahnemann ; Allen's Encyclopedia ; Hering's Guiding Symptoms.

Hurried and rapid talking.

Memory weak : forgets things.

Itching on the hairy scalp.

The whole Head is painful to touch.

Tearing, drawing pains, in periosteum, head and face : rheumatic headaches.

Congestion to head : feels it will burst : fullness of brain.

As if contracted by a band : as if in a vice.

External head painful to touch.

Black insects seem to be always flying before the sight.

Mist before one or both Eyes .

Dimness of sight.

The light of the fire dazzles the eyes greatly.

The eyes cannot bear the light of the fire, or daylight.

A fog before one or both eyes.

If she attempts to look at anything she cannot distinctly recognize it, and then the eyes are involuntarily drawn together : the more she tries to restrain the contraction, the less able is she to prevent it : she is obliged to lie down and close the eyes.

Lachrymation profuse, burning, excoriating.

Muco purulent discharges, thin and acrid.

Blepharitis : lids red, thick, swollen.

Worse open air : worse cold applications.

Aching in the eyes : itching in the eyeballs.

Roaring in the Ears .

Ear inflamed internally and externally, with cramp-like, sticking pain, and a feeling as if stopped by swelling.

Bloody and offensive matter flows from right ear, with tearing pain.

Epistaxis.

Nose-bleed during sleep.

Offensive odour from the Nose as in violent coryza.

Acrid matter flows from nose.

Green fetid pus.

Nasal bone is painful when taken hold of.

Corners of Mouth ulcerated and painfully sore.

Looseness of teeth, which are very painful when touched by tongue.

A feeling as if all the teeth were loose.

Tongue white, as if covered with fur : great swelling of tongue.

A kind of aphthoe in mouth.

Violent toothache at night, followed by great chilliness over the whole body.

Jerking toothache at night. . . .

Jerking from teeth of lower jaw into ear, and from upper jaw into head, with painfulness of gums.

Gums swollen ; separate from the teeth.

Bleeding of gum from slightest touch.

Gum painful when touched and on chewing.

Tongue coated white, with whitish swollen gums that bleed when touched.

Tongue swollen and so soft on the margin that it showed the imprint of the teeth in scallops, which looked ulcerated.

Corners of mouth ulcerated and sore.

Pain and swelling of salivary glands.

Constant ecptysis.

Sweetish taste in the mouth.

Throat constantly dry : hurts as if too tight posteriorly : a pressure in it if he swallowed, yet constantly obliged to swallow because the mouth was always full of water.

Something hot rises to her throat.

When swallowing, shooting pain in tonsils.

Suppurate n of the tonsils, with sharp, sticking pain in fauces when swallowing.

)Sensation of apple-core sticking in throat.)

Very salt Taste on the lips.

Salt taste on tongue.

Salt expectoration.

Taste of rotten eggs when he moves the tongue, and then involuntary swallowing.

Slimy taste in the mouth.

At night )I a.m.) much water flows into the mouth, at the same time nausea, so that he wakes up from it and must vomit ; something very bitter comes up.

Frequent Hiccough .

Extremely violent Thirst .

Extraordinarily intense thirst. Burning pain in scorbiculus cordis.

Swelling of inguinal Glands , with circumscribed redness.

Inguinal gland becomes red and inflamed ; is painful when touched and walking.

Ineffectual urging to Stool .

Every moment, with tenesmus in the rectum.

Bloody stools with painful acrid sensation at anus.

Green slimy acrid stools, that excoriate the anus.

Along with soft stools, burning pain in, anus.

Green diarrhoea : diarrhoea of green mucus, with burning and protrusion of anus.

Greenish, painless gonorrhoea, especially at night.

Burning in Urethra .

Constant desire to Urinate ; indeed every ten minutes ; but only a little passed.

Urine immediately after being passed very turbid and depositing a sediment.

He passes much more urine than the liquid he has drunk.

Too frequent and too profuse urination.

Nocturnal seminal emission, mixed with blood.

Catamenia too profuse.

Greenish biting leucorrhoea, with much scratching, especially evening and night, with violent burning after scratching.

Frequent sneezing without coryza.

Stitches in chest with sneezing or coughing.

A stitch in anterior upper chest, extending through to back.

During the cough, inclination to vomit.

Sticking in small of back on breathing.

Weakness and weariness of all limbs.

Trembling of the hands.

Ankle joint as if sprained.

As if bruised in the limbs.

Profuse Perspiration when walking. Perspiration on every movement.

Complaints increase during sweat.

Constant cold hands and feet.

Perspires day and night, though more at night.

Profuse perspiration at night.

Very profuse.

Fatty and oily perspiration at night.

Profuse, offensive perspiration, soaking the bedclothes

Large Ulcers bleed, and when touched there is a pain affecting the whole body.

Their margins everted like raw meat and their bases covered with a caseous coat.

Bleeding of an ulcer that had previously existed.

Dropsical patients )so-called) very rapidly lost the swelling, and got instead fetid, rapidly decomposing ulcers on the legs.

Frequent waking from sleep.

Great weariness.

Very much exhausted after a stool.

As soon as he went to bed in the evening, the pains recommenced and banished sleep.

Among its queer sensations are :

Head in a vice : growing larger.

Sparks from eyes.

A weight hanging from nose.

Feathers coming out of corners of eyes.

A wedge driven into ear.

Ice in ear : cold water running from ear.

Teeth loose, fixed in a mass of pap.

Worm rising in throat : apple core stuck in throat.

And among the mental symptoms, and dementia are :

Excessive fright at a small surprise : Cheek swells : feels bruised all over : cannot compose herself.

Indescribable sensation of internal, intolerable ill.

Imagines he is enduring the torments of hell.

Torment at night, as if he had committed some crime.

Desire to flee, with nightly anxiety and apprehension.

Extreme restlessness at night.

Lies down, rises : nowhere rest.

Thinks, losing reason : about to die : illusions.

Cares for nothing. Extreme indifference.

Cross : irritable : suspicious : quarrelsome : disputatious.

Talks nonsense : acts the buffoon : does stupid, nonsensical things.

Mania : throws off clothes at night : tears and scolds.

Leaps up high.

Talks and scolds much to herself.

Does not know her nearest relations.

Frequently spits, spreads the saliva out with her feet ; licks some of it up again.

Often licks cow-dung and the mud of ponds. (Comp. Verat.)

Takes little stones in her mouth without swallowing them, yet complains they are cutting her bowels.

Does no harm to anyone, but resists when touched : does nothing she is told to do. . . .

When taking a walk he felt a strong inclination to catch passing strangers by the nose.

Mercurius Vivus

Black Letter Symptoms

Slow in answering questions. Memory weak.

Face earthy-coloured, puffy.

Teeth black, loose.

Carious teeth. Decay of teeth, they become loose in succession.. . . blackened, laid bare, loose and carious.

Teeth become denuded of the gum and turn black, with nightly pain in teeth, jaws and head.

Violent toothache, with swelling of gum and salivary glands.

Gums red and bleeding at slightest contact, spontaneously.

Gums have a bright-red margin : small ulcers at intervals.

Gums spongy and bleeding.

Sore.

Tongue black with red edges.

Tongue red, swollen.

Coated tongue, showing impress of teeth upon the margin.

Tongue swollen and its movements difficult.

Bad odour from the mouth fetid odour : sweetish.

Violent stomatitis and salivation.

Speech difficult on account of the trembling of the mouth and tongue.

Speech stammering.

Tremor of hands.

Trembling.

Mercurius Cyanatus

Almost specific for diphtheria.