Calcarea carbonica

– VERMEULEN Frans,
Calc.
Other white stones serve to mark happy days,
But mine do mark days full of pain and gloom.
To build a palace, or a temple fair,
Stones should be used; but mine do serve
To wreck the fleshy temple of my soul.
Well do I know that Death doth whet this glaive
Upon these stones, and that the marble white
That grows in me is there to form my tomb.
[Ciri de Pers; old Italian poem on kidney stones]
Signs
Impure Carbonate of Lime.
CLASSIFICATION Calcium is the third member of the alkaline-earth group – group 2 of the periodic table – which further comprises beryllium, magnesium, strontium, barium, and radium. “The designation ‘earth’ for these metals derives from the Middle Ages when alchemists referred to substances that were insoluble in water and unchanged by fire as earths. Those earths, such as lime, that bore a resemblance to the alkalines [e.g., soda ash and potash] were called alkaline earths. By the early 1800s it became apparent that the earths, formerly regarded as elements, were in reality compounds of a metal and oxygen, i.e. oxides. … The alkaline-earth metals are basically greyish white in colour. They all are malleable but vary widely in hardness. Beryllium, for example, is hard enough to cut glass; barium, by contrast, is as soft as lead. Like other metals, the alkaline-earth elements are good conductors of electricity. Their melting points and boiling points, though varying in an irregular fashion, are higher than those of the corresponding alkali metals. The atoms of the alkaline-earth elements have a similar electronic structure, which consists of a pair of electrons in the outermost shell. These electrons are removed from their respective atoms relatively easily, and this ionization is the distinguishing chemical property of the alkaline-earth metals. These elements readily combine with most oxides and many nonmetals and thus never occur as pure metals in nature.”1
OCCURRENCE Calcium compounds are widely distributed, constituting 8% of the moon’s crust and more than 3% of the earth’s crust [where it is the fifth most abundant element]. The element occurs as carbonate [chalk, limestone, marble, calcite], sulphate [anhydrite, gypsum], fluoride [fluorspar], and phosphate [apatite]. It is found in a large number of silicates and aluminosilicates, in salt deposits, and in natural waters, including the sea.
ELEMENT Calcium is a soft and lightweight, greyish-white metallic element present in limestone, chalk and gypsum. Its name derives from L. calx, lime, in allusion to the preparation of lime by the Romans in the first century under the name of calx. Davy isolated the impure metal in 1808. It forms a yellowish coating of oxide in air, reacts rapidly with warm water and more slowly with cold water, and burns with a yellow-red flame. Natural calcium contains six isotopes. Thirteen other radioactive isotopes are known.
USES The metal is used as a reducing agent in preparing other metals such as thorium, uranium, zirconium, etc., and is used as a deoxidizer, desulphurizer, and inclusion modifier for various ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. It is also used as an alloying agent for aluminium, beryllium, copper, lead, and magnesium alloys, and, like barium, serves as a ‘getter’ for residual gases in vacuum tubes, etc. Alloyed with lead [0.04 per cent calcium], it is employed as sheaths for telephone cables and as grids for storage batteries of the stationary type. The oxide – called lime or quicklime – mixed with sand hardens as mortar and plaster by taking up carbon dioxide from the air. Calcium from limestone is an important element in Portland cement. Lime is used extensively as a building material and as a fertilizer.
Calcium carbonate is employed in the manufacture of paint, rubber, plastics, paper, ceramics, putty, polishes, insecticides, inks, shoe dressings; as a filler in the production of adhesives, matches, pencils, crayons, linoleum, insulating compounds, and welding rods. In analytical chemistry it is used for detecting and determining halogens in organic combinations. 2
ROCK Calcite – calcium carbonate – can form rocks of considerable mass and constitutes a significant part of all three major rock classification types – [a] igneous rock, derived directly from molten material; [b] sedimentary rock, formed from solidified deposits; [c] metamorphic rock, transformed by extreme heat and pressure deep within the earth. It is a major component in the igneous rock called carbonatite and forms the major portion of many hydrothermal veins. Limestone, a sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate, has two origins: [1] biogenic precipitation from sea water [autochthonous limestone], the primary agents being lime-secreting organisms and foraminifera; and [2] mechanical transport and deposition of pre-existing limestones [allochthonous limestone], forming clastic deposits. Because of its rich fossil content, much knowledge of the earth’s chronology and development has been derived from the study of fossils embedded in limestone. Most limestones have a granular texture; the grains of many are microscopic fragments of fossil animal shells. 3 Limestone becomes marble from the heat and pressure of metamorphic events. The forms of rock from this mineral that we see today were set down in ancient seas, most of it long before man walked upon the earth. The white cliffs of Dover, England, are perfect examples of billions and billions of calcium carbonate shells from millions of years ago, now seen as chalk.
MINERAL Although a very common mineral, calcite shows its extraordinary diversity by combining the basic crystal forms into a thousand different variations. There is no end to the varieties of calcite, for it produces many twin varieties, as well as colour varieties, pseudomorphs and unique associations. A well known example is Mexican onyx [aragonite], which is used extensively for ornamental purposes. Calcite can be identified by the acid test. Any acid, e.g. dilute hydrochloric acid or vinegar, when brought in contact with calcite will cause effervescence. The carbon dioxide gas is given off as bubbles and the calcium dissolves in the residual water.
LIMING To reduce soil acidity and to supply calcium and magnesium as major plant nutrients, liming is practised extensively in humid areas where rainfall leaches calcium and magnesium from the soil. Regular cultivation of farmland is necessary because calcium migrates slowly downward in most soils.
LIMELIGHT The expression ‘to be in the limelight’ comes from a type of lamp formerly used in theatre stage lighting, which emitted a soft, brilliant white light produced by a blowpipe-flame directed against a block of quicklime.
ADDITIVE As the additive E170, calcium carbonate is used as a white food dye; as an alkali to reduce acidity in wine; as a neutralizer for ice cream, in cream syrups, in confections, and in baking powder; as a firming agent for canned fruits and vegetables; and as a releasing agent in vitamin tablets. Typical products include biscuits, bread, buns and cakes, ice cream, sweets, wine, and canned fruit and vegetables. In toothpastes it is used as a tooth polisher, in deodorants as a filler, and in face powder as a buffer. A gastric antacid and antidiarrhoea medicine, it may cause constipation.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENT Calcium is essential to both plant and animal life. In higher animals it is the most abundant inorganic element. A large number of living organisms concentrate calcium in their shells or skeletons. The human body is 2 per cent calcium. Calcium is of paramount importance in the years from birth to puberty, mainly for bones to reach their maximum density. In the first year after birth 60 g of calcium is deposited, and over the years this amount gradually increases to 90 g per year. During these years the organism has to raise the percentage of calcium in the body from about 0.8 to 2 per cent.
PHYSIOLOGY Alkaline-earth elements, in particular calcium and magnesium, are centred in their activity in the formed structural elements, the tissues themselves, notably, muscles and bones. They affect the permeability of the cell membranes; calcium in particular affects the blood clotting. Thus they are functionally connected with formation, solidification and action of the tissues proper as they delimit themselves against the liquid medium out of which they are formed. They seem to be builders of solid ground in the organism just as in the mineral sphere of the earth, they precipitate and solidify the sedimentary rock formation out of the flowing waters. 4
BONE Calcium is the main supportive element in bones and teeth. Making up about 70 per cent of bone by weight, calcium salts give bone its strength and rigidity. About 99 per cent of the calcium in the human body is held in the bones and teeth; the remaining 1 per cent circulates in the bloodstream. One ‘form’ of calcium is bound tightly within the bone, while the other is easily removed to maintain blood levels. Calcium is removed from the tightly bound part of the bone only when the more mobile stores are exhausted and dietary intake is inadequate. Although most calcium is entirely bound, the 1 per cent of free calcium is of vital importance for many functions in the body.
OTHER FUNCTIONS Calcium helps to contract muscles and to regulate the contractions of the heart. People whose diets are low in calcium are in general more likely to suffer from high blood pressure. It plays a role in the transmission of nerve impulses and in the clotting of blood [by activating vitamin K], as well as in controlling blood cholesterol levels and in the stimulation of contractions of the uterus during childbirth and in the production of milk. It is also essential to the storage and release of body hormones and the utilization of amino acids as the building blocks for all body proteins. Calcium is essential for the production and activities of many enzymes and hormones that are involved in digestion, energy and fat metabolism and the production of saliva. Diabetics often have increased levels of calcium in their cells and the resulting disturbance in metabolism may play a role in some of the complications of diabetes such as heart disease and cataracts.
ABSORPTION – EXCRETION Dietary calcium is absorbed in the small intestine by means of combining with a calcium binding molecule. It competes with zinc, manganese, magnesium, copper and iron for absorption in the intestine. Therefore a high intake of one can reduce absorption of the others. For its proper absorption a number of factors is needed, including stomach acid, vitamins A, C and D, magnesium, lactose, and proteins. Between 20 and 40 per cent of dietary calcium is actually absorbed. Women after menopause may only absorb 7 per cent. Lactation increases the ability of women to absorb calcium after weaning or the resumption of menstrual periods. Exercise also increases absorption. Absorption is inhibited by phytic acid [from intake of uncooked bran], phosphates, saturated fats, and oxalic acid [in rhubarb, spinach, chocolate, etc.]. The free-calcium concentration in soft tissues, extracellular fluid, and blood, is kept within fairly narrow limits. Calcium levels are lowest during the night. Muscle contraction and nerve function are severely impaired if the blood calcium level rises or falls by as little as 30 per cent of normal values. Calcium leaves this pool by way of bone formation and through excretions as urine, faeces, sweat, and lactation. It enters the pool by the mechanism of bone resorption and by absorption from dietary calcium in the upper intestinal tract. The maintenance of proper blood calcium levels is controlled by a system involving vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and the hormone calcitonin [produced in the thyroid]. Vitamin D regulates the absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract by activating the transport system responsible for moving calcium from the intestine into the blood. If blood calcium levels are low, vitamin D causes the kidney to excrete less calcium and stimulates the removal of calcium from bone. Here vitamin D seems to have the same function as boron, which also reduces urinary excretion of calcium. In the absence of vitamin D, boron needs are enhanced. Vitamin D is activated by the parathyroid hormone. Parathyroid hormone also largely controls the balance between calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood; if calcium is very high, phosphorus will be excreted, and vice versa. Large quantities of sucrose may also enhance calcium excretion. The usual daily intake of calcium ranges between 500 and 800 milligrams. Daily urinary excretion of calcium varies from 50 to 200 milligrams, depending on the intake. Faecal excretion of calcium is much larger than urinary, most of the calcium in the faeces being unabsorbed dietary calcium. Losses from the skin and in the sweat range from less than 30 milligrams per day to as high as 200 milligrams per day during active sweating. 5 Urinary losses are higher in the summer and after the menopause.
DEPLETION High intake of sodium, protein, fibres, alcohol, soft drinks, caffeine, nicotine, diuretics, and antacids [due to aluminium content] will cause increased urinary losses and negative calcium balance. Excessive potassium can lower calcium levels, and vice versa. The same is true for magnesium. Low bone mass in women is attributed to heredity, oestrogen deficiency and lack of regular physical activity. Daily exercise is the best method of maintaining bone-growth at any age.
HYPOCALCEMIA Calcium deficiency is due partly to vitamin D deficiency and partly to calcium binding with unabsorbed fatty acids. Hypocalcemia occurs as the result of: [1] deficiency or absence of parathyroid hormone, usually following accidental removal of or damage to several parathyroid glands during thyroidectomy; [2] idiopathic hypoparathyroidism; [3] vitamin D deficiency, due to inadequate dietary intake, decreased exposure to sunlight, hepatobiliary disease, intestinal malabsorption, or prolonged anticonvulsant therapy with barbiturates; [4] renal tubular disease or renal failure; [5] magnesium depletion; [6] acute pancreatitis; [7] septic shock. The clinical manifestations of hypocalcemia are primarily neurologic. Slowly developing, insidious hypocalcemia may produce mild, diffuse encephalopathy and thus should be suspected in any patient with unexplained dementia, depression, or psychosis. Papilledema occasionally may be present, and cataracts may develop after prolonged hypocalcemia. Severe hypocalcemia may cause laryngospasm and generalized convulsions. Neonatal hypocalcemia occurs fairly frequently in the intensive care nursery. High-risk groups include premature newborns, newborns of diabetic mothers, small-for-gestational-age newborns, and newborns who have had perinatal asphyxia. These newborns may present with hypotonia, apnoea, poor feeding, jitteriness, or seizures. 6 Prolonged use of the contraceptive pill or of corticosteroid drugs can also lead to calcium deficiency. Drugs used to treat epilepsy and other seizure disorders speed the inactivation of vitamin D and can, therefore, lead to calcium deficiency.
HYPERCALCEMIA Prolonged administration of calcium carbonate may result in hypercalcemia, producing confused behaviour, anorexia, abdominal pain and weak muscles, possibly leading to the development of kidney stones and impaired kidney function. When bred after a week on diets supplemented with high amounts of calcium, female mice produced young which were lower in weight and number. Mortality was increased. The highest level of supplemented calcium carbonate caused heart enlargement. In humans, five hundred milligrams per kilogram of body weight was fed to ulcer victims for three weeks – 145 times the normal ingested amount. Apart from hypercalcemia, some patients suffered from nausea, weakness, and dizziness. A rare syndrome occurring in very young children, named idiopathic hypercalcemia, results in osteosclerosis, renal insufficiency, and sometimes hypertension; may also be associated with supravalvular aortic stenosis, mental retardation, and elfin facies. The latter is characterised by a short, upturned nose, wide mouth, widely spaced eyes, and full cheeks. Primary causes of hypercalcemia are: [1] parathyroid hormone excess; [2] malignancy with bone metastases; [3] hyperthyroidism; [4] vitamin D intoxication; vitamin A intoxication; [5] excessive gastrointestinal calcium absorption or intake; [6] sarcoidosis; [7] myxedema, Addison’s disease, postoperative Cushing’s disease; [8] lithium intoxication; [9] aluminium-induced osteomalacie; [10] immobilization, e.g. in young, growing individuals, in elderly patients with osteoporosis, and in paraplegics or quadriplegics. Symptoms of mild hypercalcemia include constipation, anorexia, nausea and vomiting with abdominal pain and ileus. In more severe cases, there is emotional lability, confusion, delirium, psychosis, stupor, and coma. Neuromuscular involvement may cause prominent skeletal muscle weakness. Hypercalciuria with nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis is common. Peptic ulcers and pancreatitis may be associated with hyperparathyroidism. 7
CALCIUM ANTAGONISTS Also known as calcium blockers, calcium antagonists are a class of drugs that have the ability to inhibit movement of calcium ions across the cell membrane, thus preventing or slowing the flow of calcium into muscle cells. “These cells need calcium to activate contraction of heart and artery muscles. The regulation of calcium movement into heart muscle cells is thus critical to heart muscle tone, resistance and blood-pressure. By blocking the flow of calcium by an antagonistic action, these drugs are valuable in treating angina pectoris, heart failure, high blood-pressure, weak heart muscle, fast heartbeat and coronary artery spasm. Adverse effects of calcium antagonists include transient headache, flushing, lethargy, dizziness, allergic reactions, low blood-pressure, palpitations and occasionally precipitation of anginal pain.”8
FOOD SOURCES The best food sources include hard cheeses [1200 mg per 100 g], soft cheeses [725 mg], canned fish [400 mg], nuts [250 mg], pulses [150 mg], fortified white flour [140 mg], cow’s milk [120 mg], root vegetables [80 mg], eggs [60 mg], cereals [60 mg], fruits [60 mg], wholemeal flour [40 mg], fresh fish [32 mg], and human milk [35 mg]. 9
PLANTS Calcium is one of the essential nutrient elements of higher plants, along with hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sulphur. Calcium is abundant in most soils and seldom deficient under natural conditions. It is important to dividing cells for two reasons. “It plays a role in the mitotic spindle during cell division and it forms calcium pectates in the middle lamella of the cell plate that forms between daughter cells. It is also required for the physical integrity and normal functioning of membranes and, more recently, has been implicated as a second messenger in certain hormonal and environmental responses. Because of its role in dividing cells, calcium deficiency symptoms appear in the meristematic regions where cell division is occurring and new cell walls are being laid down. Young leaves are typically deformed and necrotic and, in extreme cases, death of the meristem ensues. In solution cultures, calcium deficiency results in poor root growth. The roots are discoloured and may feel ‘slippery’ to the touch because of the deterioration of the middle lamella. Calcium is relatively immobile and the symptoms typically appear in the youngest tissues first.”10
OYSTER Calcite and other carbonate minerals are very important minerals in the ocean ecosystems of the world. Many important calcium carbonate and phosphate deposits owe their origin to living organisms. Many sea organisms such as corals, molluscs, algae and diatoms make their shells out of calcium carbonate by pulling carbon dioxide out of the sea water. “Chalk consists of deposits of the remains of foraminifera, namely millions and millions of shells, remainders of tiny sea animals, sealife that has come to a standstill and has formed immobile rocks. The oyster shell, from which Calc. is prepared, is the casing by which the flabby gelatinous oyster immobilizes itself and sticks to a rock. The oyster represents a form of animal life which has reduced activity to the barest minimum. Clinging to the rock, its only activity consists in opening and closing its shell. Thus, the calcification process represents standstill, immobilization, shell formation, walling off and firmness; in the human organism in addition to the skeleton, which to us symbolizes both firmness and stability of structure, as well as death, calcification occurs where tissue dies, becomes necrotic and is taken out of the metabolic process.”11
SYMBOLISM “In Ancient China ashes of oyster or mussel shells were often used as a drying agent, especially in graves. Apart from the effectiveness of these ashes in purely material terms, there was an attempt to obtain magical benefits from the bivalve shell, which because of its shape symbolized the female principle. Oysters are also creatures which conceal pearls within their shells. In this respect they symbolize true humility, the source of all spiritual perfection and, consequently, wise men and holy persons as well. They only open their shells to the sunlight, and pile up inner wealth which they carefully cover up so that it may not be profaned.”12
CRYSTAL HEALING “Calcite cannot exist at the great depths of an ocean, and so its main energy potential does not work at great depths within a person. This may be what is required. For example, if there is an unhappiness it may be due to present circumstances; there may not be a deep cause. Calcite can have the ability to reduce the irrationalities of stress and fear, as well as those of the other extreme of over-enthusiasm. Like the sea, calcite can inspire a calm happiness, a peacefulness, a freedom from heaviness, a lightness few may be able to experience. In essence it can balance the extremes to find a very acceptable and very personal midpoint to your satisfaction. This can resolve any internal conflict and lead to a harmonious equilibrium before any chaos reaches the depths to settle in a great confusion. Physically, the energies of calcite may manifest themselves in a benefit to the kidneys or the other internal organs which are affected by emotional extremes.”13
PROVING •• [1] Hahnemann – 9 provers; method: unknown.
The homoeopathic remedy Calcarea carbonica is made from the snow-white portion which exists between the inner and outer surface of the oyster shell. Hahnemann thought it to be the purest carbonate of calcium, yet, since it corresponds to a sea animal product it will contain trace amounts of elements present in sea water, e.g. arsenic and iodine. In any case it is not the calcium carbonate of modern pure chemical manufacture.
[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica. [2] Merck Index. [3] Encyclopaedia Britannica. [4] Whitmont, Psyche and Substance. [5] Encyclopaedia Britannica. [6-7] The Merck Manual. [8-9] Mervyn, Vitamins and Minerals. [10] Hopkins, Introduction to Plant Physiology. [11] Whitmont, ibid. [12] Chevalier and Gheerbrant, Dictionary of Symbols. [13] Stuart, The Colour Guide to Crystal Healing.
Affinity
NUTRITION [GLANDS – cervical, mesenteric; BONES; SKIN]. BLOOD. CHEST; right lung. HEART. CHILDREN. * RIGHT SIDE. Left side.
Modalities
Worse: COLD [RAW AIR; wet; BATHING; cooling off; change of weather]. EXERTION [mental; physical; ascending; eye strain]. DENTITION. Puberty. PRESSURE OF CLOTHES. MILK. Awaking; morning. Anxiety. Before falling asleep. After eating. Lifting weights. Spraining parts. Letting limbs hang down. Dry fruits. Sexual excesses. Stretching the affected part. Suckling the child. Fasting. Full moon.
Better: Dry weather. Lying on painful side. Morning; after rising, after breakfast. Emission of flatus. Rubbing. Drawing the limbs up. Lying on the back. Dark room [headache].
Comparisons
c DIFFERENTIATION OF CALCAREA CARBONICA AND MAGNESIA CARBONICA
“Magnesium represents motion, change, drive impulse, activity and direction, a centrifugal, invigorating, active, driving force; life that is borne out of creation and destruction, a positive outgoing influence.
Calcarea is standstill, passivity, immobility, clinging, restraining, peripherally enclosing, restricting, ingoing, negative on holding in receptive principle.
Next to Iodium, Magnesium is first and foremost to be considered as a remedy in states of hyperthyroidism, toxic goitre, as well as thyroid heart. With this tendency to toxic goitre, we see again a confirmation of the complementary relationship to Calcarea which produces and cures fibrous goitre. Also here, Magnesium represents the overactive driving versus the slowing and arresting tendency of Calcarea.” [Whitmont]
Main symptoms
M Protection and organization
– Calcium carbonate “seems to be the builder of solid ground in the organism out of the flowing waters.” The main theme is protecting the individual physical and mental structure against external and internal influences leading to disorder. The remedy is prepared from the middle layer of the inner, snow-white part of the oyster shell. The oyster is symbolic of the remedy picture: inhabiting two realms: the hard shell of the external world and the softer shell of the inner world.
– This essential nature of calcium can be expressed as:
[a] PROTECTION [against external influences].
[b] STABILITY AND ORGANIZATION [against influences from the inside].
– On the one hand, therefore, there is the unorganized inner world – the weak oyster without structure – and on the other hand the threat of the disorganizing outer world. Calcium’s task is to build up a stable balance out of a yet unorganized inner world and, at the same time, to protect against external influences which are too strong, without excluding them altogether. This is the fundamental base of every human organism and leads, if undisturbed, to independence, self-realization and self-support. If anything goes wrong the result will be: dependence, withdrawal and loss of social relationships.
– Positioned as it is between the inner and outer world, Calcarea offers the individual support and courage. The importance of this building up manifests itself in the fact that the Calcarea picture is mainly observed in young people, especially in infants, although puberty, adulthood and old age can also be important periods. At the age of 6 or 7 the individual performs his first independent “task”, in shedding his milk teeth and cutting his own teeth. [Hence the problems of Calcarea during DENTITION.] A second “task” is performed in PUBERTY: the setting out on the road to adulthood. The final task is carried out during OLD AGE, where the individual gradually lets go and withdraws from material life into a more spiritual existence.
– Calcarea carb. shows the difficulties that can occur in this stage fundamental to life:
• “Most of the problems stem from their passivity. They may be too open to influences from their surroundings, too easily affected, hypersensitive or too armoured and isolated in order to compensate for their lack of ability to meet a challenge by in thus, becoming stubborn and obstinate. Physiologically that same defencelessness and failure of adaptability and of meeting challenges, we find as hypersensivity to rough weather, coldness, dampness and the lack of stamina and endurance.”1
M Lack of ambition.
Lack of initiative, easily frightened, lachrymose, looking for support, apprehensive.
• “Anxious restlessness and feverish activity; she ever wishes to do many things, and gets to nothing; after this zeal she feels relaxed.” [Hahnemann]
Ambition.
Work is very important, but NOT competitive, not ambitious.
Aversion to being dependent. Fear of losing control [Kali-c.].
Feel too responsible [Aur., Nat-s.].
Hard workers, slow but reliable. Practical and economical.
Adults to whom work is very important; feel over-responsible, carry the burden of the whole world. Fear of losing control. Occupation amel.
HARD workers, want to finish their work, systematic workers. “Slow, conscientious workers who steadily plod along. They are reliable partners, they are satisfied to build patiently and drag stone upon stone in their work. Not too imaginative, they may do best when left alone and allowed to proceed independently.”2
M Security.
• “Whilst most fiery types like Lachesis and Sulphur look for excitement and glory, Calcarea is content to stay at home and watch television, preferably with someone to cuddle, and a good supply of high-calorie nibbles. Each remedy types expresses its need for security in a different way. For Lycopodium security is sought through the approval of others. For Aurum it is wealth and prestige, whilst Pulsatilla simply needs to know that she is loved. For Calcarea, security means the familiar. Change is threatening to her [I find that about three-quarters of the Calcareas I see are female], and is avoided by simply staying put. Hence Calcarea may stay in the same job for twenty years, despite having the ability to take on something more demanding. She may remain in the town of her birth for her whole life, venturing further afield only for holidays [usually to popular, well-catered for resorts on the beaten track], and always to get back home.” [Bailey]
M Many FEARS [some 60 rubrics in the repertory] and ANXIETIES [some 50 rubrics].
Children: ANXIETY on closing the eyes, sees objects, which vanish when opening the eyes; nightmares; easily frightened, leading to lack of initiative [loss of will]; fear of dark.
Adults: Fear of INSANITY, of being OBSERVED, that other people will observe her confusion, anxiety about HEALTH; easily frightened; cannot bear to see CRUELTY; horrible things affect them profoundly; fear of POVERTY; anxiety about after-life.
• “Fear of leaving the shell. Before birth, the infant was safe and sound inside the maternal ‘egg’. Throughout their lives, our Calcarea carbonica subjects will try to rebuild a protective shell, from the cradle cap and umbilical hernia of the infant to the search for stable employment [often as civil servants] in adulthood.” [Grandgeorge]
• “Another feature is an unresponsiveness, the individual shutting up like a clam and assuming an air of indifference, which is in fact an attempt to camouflage the anxiety and agitation within. He may become discouraged, despairing and disgusted with life.” [Gibson]
M Fear of ANIMALS, dogs; small animals, esp. INSECTS and SPIDERS.
M High places