Cuprum Metallicum

[METALLIC copper.]

This metal was first discovered on the island of Cyprus, hence the name of cuprum.

A boy of three years swallowed a copper-penny on the 20th of February, 1820. He vomited all night, and for the next eight clays complained of constant pain in the throat and down the oesophagus, had an aversion to food, and occasional vomiting of phlegm which filled the throat and caused a rattling breathing. The patient lived principally on water and sugar, and gum arabic, which he preferred to any other kind of nourishment, At a later period he took broth, vermicelli, and ate a little cake.

His voice was feeble, pulse rather frequent, face pale and downcast; he complained of pain in the stomach, in the umbilical region and in the throat ; he had frequent attacks of violent cough, nightly sweats, and a good deal of mucus flowed out of his mouth during sleep. The urine at times looked milky, the stools were hard and rather scanty.

All at once a croupy cough set in ; the cough and dyspnoea ren- dered the pulse more frequent and irregular. A simple emetic changed the cough to a catarrhal cough.

Twelve days afterward, the little patient was attacked with nose- bleed during the night. He lost about four ounces of blood. Cold applications to the forehead arrested the haemorrhage. The cough again became very dry, and the breathing so difficult, that the child had to hold his head down in order to breathe with some ease. The child vomited at times, without sweat, stool or any sign of relief.

These symptoms continued during the first month. In the second month, the anorexia, the frequent vomiting of food and mucus, the pains in the stomach and abdomen, the night-sweats, troubled the little patient almost continually. The throat was constantly lined with phlegm, the chest likewise was full of it. This caused a rat- tling respiration, cough.

The vomiting ceased at times for a few days, but returned again with the same intensity, at times with, at other times without, any pain. The food, of which he partook in small quantities, was kept more readily on the stomach. The boy was otherwise playful.

For the first three months his food was frequently changed with- out any favorable result. Liquid food was swallowed quite readily : water and sugar were kept down quite easily, meat was rejected almost constantly ; dry chocolate likewise agreed with him.

In the meanwhile the boy became feeble and grew thin ; his faco which was habitually animated and expressive, looked downcast, sad and distressed. About this time the boy was fed on cow's milk ; perceiving that it was not rejected, he drank several quarts of it in the course of a day. The vomiting and the nightly sweats disap-

CUPRUM METALLICUM. 4<

peared, the phlegm diminished in quantity, his strength and spirits improved, and he retained solid food more easily.

About the beginning of June, the boy felt pretty well, and went to school. On the 5th, after eating an egg and some fried liver, he all at once commenced to weep, called for drink, and vomited np the penny with his beverage. The coin looked quite black; it was completely oxydized. The boy's health has been perfect ever since.

This case reveals important therapeutic uses which an homoeopathic physician can make available in the treatment of corresponding affections. In chronic gastritis, and chronic degenerations of the stomach, characterized by vomiting of mucus, anorexia, inability to retain food, cuprum may be of great service. In

DYSPHAGIA, when the difficulty arises from stricture of the oesophagus, and this stricture is the result of a chronic inflammatory irritation of the mucous lining, with abnormal secretion of phlegm, cuprum may likewise prove useful. So it may in

CROUPOUS IRRITATION of the laryngeal and tracheal mucous lining, with suffocative paroxysms of a dry, barking cough, especially when the attack comes on suddenly, in the night, without any other premonitory symptoms thau a feeling of constriction across the chest. Cuprum may likewise prove useful if a loose catarrhal cough suddenly assumes the above-described character; the voice begins to fail aud the violent sanguineous engorgement of the throat and head, which accompanies this condition, may give rise to profuse nasal haemorrhage.

Here is another similar case of poisoning which affords a good deal of therapeutic instruction to us.

A little boy of three years swallowed a small copper coin. Three days after this occurrence he became restless, and had a pale-yellow, copper-colored appearance.

When the doctor first saw him, he found the epigastric region distended, painful to pressure, the abdomen distended and hard, blue margins around the eyes, a dingy copper-colored complexion, skin dry and husky, bovvels constipated, appetite inconsiderable, pulse small, hard, spasmodic, expression of the countenance that of great suffering. The little patient was fed on milk, and a mixture of eggs, water and sugar (four eggs beaten up with a quart and a half of water, sweetened with sugar), slimy soups, and sweet, fresh vege- tables without much spice or salt. The medicinal antidotal treat- ment consisted in powders composed of jalep five grains, sulphuret of potash three grains, and starch five grains, the whole divided into eight powders, one to be taken every three hours. After taking four powders the boy was quite well again.

48 CUPKTTM METALLICUM.

Here we have again all the signs of a most violent irritation of the stomach and bowels, in which the nervous life of these viscera has received a most violent shock. We may look upon this group of symptoms as a case of inflammatory

GASTRO-ENTERALGIA, where the progress of the disease would develop a typhoid condition to which metallic copper or its oxyde might be eminently adapted.

MENINGITIS. — Metallic copper is of value in cases of menin- gitis ; and of

HYDROCEPHALUS ACUTUS when the disease is due to the retrocession of a rash or occurs during the progress of a tedious catarrhal fever.

The following cases, given by Dr. Woodward, of Chicago, in the Am. Homoeopath, February, 1878, will illustrate its use in those diseases.

Meningitis On January 13th I was called to a lady in convulsions; she was not an epileptic. Apparently in health on the previous day, she had risen, complaining of coldness and an intense headache for which she found no relief. ' This pain had increased until about 11 o'clock, when she was seized with an epileptiform convul- sion, beginning at the hand. These convulsions were repeated with varying severity every ten to fifteen minutes, and continued for several hours, during which she was in a prolonged chill, and was most of the time unconscious.

At 2 o'clock cuprum met.30 was given, and within an hour it was observed that the intervals between the paroxysms were lengthening ; by 6 o'clock the convulsions had ceased and conscious- ness was restored. The headache, however, was intense and the temperature raised to 104 degrees. The fever and pain continued until toward morning, when frequent syncope and jactitations indicated returning spasms; they were, however, avoided without a change ot medicine and have not returned since.

The headache and fever gradually decreased in violence, but as the patient improved, partial paralysis and anaesthesia of the left side was manifest. These symptoms did not increase, and under the continued iise ot cuprum30 the patient is making a very satisfactory recovery.

Acute Hydrocephalus On January 9th I was called to an overgrown child, four years of age. The case appeared to be catarrhal fever with remittent symptoms. The peculiarities were: Extreme petulence and restlessness; sudden starting from sleep; blood-shot eyes; insatiable thirst; cold hands and feet; no cephalic cry, but, in its- stead, a moan ; constant motion of the eyes, even in sleep ; obstinate constipation had existed for a week preceding ; abdomen retracted ; urine normal in quantity, but dark and saturated.

The fever continued, and the nervous symptoms increased, until on the fourth day convulsions were imminent. An unfavorable prognosis of acute hydrocephalus was then given, and cuprum30 administered. On the seventh clay the fever was conquered and the nervous symptoms abated, and eleven days after com- mencing treatment, having wasted four, the child was convalescent.

In certain derangements of the nervous system you will find cup- rum an excellent remedy. Among them permit me to mention

EPILEPSY, preceded by a well-marked aura; after the suppres- sion or retrocession of an eruption ; with anxiety, fear, apprehension ; great sensitiveness to pressure on the abdomen ; numbness in the arms;

CUPEUM METALLICUM. 4:9

CHOREA, often produced by fright; inability to articulate; extraordinary contortions of all the muscles of the body, com- mencing in the extremities, usually the arm ; after the suppression of a rash.

M. L., fourteen years of age. In March, 1872, had intermittent fever, which was cured by quinine. In May he was troubled with lameness and dragging of the left leg, and twitchings of the left arm.

In June he had imperfect speech, trembling of the tongue, and inability to grasp and hold anything in the left hand, and also twitching of the left side of the body. On June 7th I prescribed mix vomica, which was continued up to the 16th. The patient complained of great restlessness at night. Prescribed gelsemium, which was continued for fifteen days without any marked im- provement.

On July 7th, the patient having been without medicine for seven days, I prescribed cuprum met.4000, a dose to be taken every six hours until improvement set in. Ten doses in all were taken. The patient was entirely cured and has remained well up to the present time, February I, 1873. (Dr.

W. R. Childs in Baku. Monthly, August, 1873.)

CONVULSIONS. — During scarlatina, we may have to combat convulsions, which are caused by a retrocession of the eruption. We will find metallic copper an excellent remedy in such cases.

CROUP. — Its use in croup and coughs has been mentioned. In

TUSSIS CONVULSIVA it is a most excellent remedy, when the paroxysm is long-continued, characterized by a constriction bordering on actual suffocation and followed at last by expectoration of gelatin- ous mucus. There is much rattling in the chest, and at times spasms occur. The cough is somewhat relieved )>y drinking cold water.

LARYNGISMUS STRIDULUS A constriction in the chest

and throat, causing very difficult breathing, threatening suffocation, is quite characteristic of this agent and has caused its use, and, it is claimed, with excellent success, in laryngismus stridulus, and in

ASTHMA of a very severe, congestive type, accompanied by great anxiety, cold extremities and dark-blue, purplish-looking counte- nance.

COLIC. — Tne action of copper upon the stomach and bowels is well marked. To the derangements of these organs, already speci- fied, allow me to add colic, so painful that the patient, even though usually brave, loses all self-control and becomes absolutely unman- ageable. The pain is cutting, as if a knife were cutting into the bowels.

CHOLERA finds one of its most vaiuaoie therapeutic agents in cuprum. Hahnemann recommends the remedy very highly. It is indicated when the cramps and pains in the abdomen are excessive, while the evacuations are not very numerous. Great thirst, with

50 CUPRUM SULPHURICUM.

seeming relief of the symptoms from drinking water ; coldness of the face and body ; bine lips ; constriction of the chest ; anxiety.

DYSMENORRHEA.— The intensity of pain and peculiarly dis- tressing constriction in the chest, already described, are sometimes found in dysmenorrhea and in

AMENORRHGBA. When these conditions exist cuprum may relieve, especially if there is a tendency to spasms. The menstrual flow itself is generally too late and too protracted and is often pre- ceded by violent palpitation of the heart and rushes of blood to the head. There may be suppression of urine.

The following is considered a key-note to cuprum : When drink- ing, the water desends with a gurgling noise.

CYSTITIS. — Dr. Woodward has cured with cuprum a case of cystitis, of three weeks duration, following confinement, and present- ing : urination every hour or less, with forcing pains as severe as labor itself, before and after urination. The urine was saturated, excessive, and at times glutinous ; the hypogastrium was very sensi- tive to pressure and hot to the touch ; the hands and feet were cold ; there was fever, with inordinate thirst, every afternoon, and con- tinued sleeplessness.

ADMINISTRATION.— We make of the metallic copper the usual decimal or centesimal triturations with sugar of milk, which tritura- tions, in turn, furnish the basis for the higher dilutions.