Argentum metallicum [Arg-m]:

– A.W. Cowperthwaite.

Pure Metallic Silver. Preparation. Triturations.

THERAPEUTICS
A valuable remedy in chronic laryngitis and hoarseness, especially in public singers or speakers. Cough from laughing or talking, or from irritation in larynx, with characteristic expectoration. Chronic pharyngeal catarrh with same expectoration, and with much rawness and soreness when coughing, not when swallowing. Arthralgia and arthritic inflammation of the joints. Rheumatic pains in limbs and back, generally worse when sitting, better when lying down. Irritability of the heart. General anaemia with oedematous feet. Diabetes, especially insipidus. Gonorrhoea and gleet, with symptoms already given. Orchitis. Seminal emissions without excitement or loss of sexual power. Bad effects from onanism. Prolapsus and other uterine and ovarian diseases, with symptoms already named. Hectic fever. Ailments from abuse of mercury.

by Pierce W.I.

SILVER.

Introduction
Metallic silver, as a drug, is but little used and seldom thought of, but it has some prominent symptoms, making it an easily remembered remedy. It was first proved by Hahnemann.
Symptoms
Its chief action is on mucous membranes, including most of the digestive tract, the genito-urinary and the respiratory tracts, with special reference to the last two. Sharp pains are mostly lacking in Argentum met. (prevalent in Argentum nit.), but general weakness is common, with tendency to emaciation and pale, sallow complexion. There is a general anaemic condition (16), with oedematous feet, loss of power in the lower extremities, with weakness of the knees (125), and we may have hectic fever coming on every day at 11 A.M. and lasting for one or two hours. There is vertigo in Argentum met. (which amounts to epilepsy in its relative Argentum nit.), attacks of vertigo, with crawling and whirling in head as if intoxicated (207), also vertigo on looking at running water (207), as in a brook. In the eye Argentum met. has proved useful in blepharitis, with itching, and it is especially indicated when the edges of the lids are much thickened. In the mouth there is much sticky, tenacious saliva and from the pharynx and bronchi there is expectorated much gelatinous or jelly-like mucus that is aptly described as looking like boiled starch (70). As a catarrhal remedy Argentum met. is of frequent use, being of value in chronic conditions of the pharynx, larynx and bronchi, with hawking or raising of this gelatinous mucus looking like boiled starch. It is to be thought of in acute or chronic laryngitis of speakers or singers (118), with hoarseness or even aphonia; here we find soreness, or a feeling of rawness (118) either in the larynx or extending down as far as the bifurcation of the bronchi. Rawness and soreness in larynx when coughing and not when swallowing, is quite characteristic of Argentum met. We can think of the remedy for the sensation, noticed especially when eating fruit, as if a piece stuck in the throat when swallowing, with inability to remove it by coughing. The catarrhal cough is easy (soft), is caused by a sensation of mucus in the larynx or trachea, or from laughing (41), and the mucus is often removed by a single cough. Argentum met. is useful for polyuria (199), a diabetes insipidus, with very profuse and turbid urine. It is to be thought of in chronic gleet (83), the discharge thick, but not burning and perhaps associated with pain in the testicle as if it were being crushed (188), and for seminal emission with out excitement (167) or loss of power. In the female sexual organs, we find that Argentum met. has an especial affinity for the l. ovary(147). There is a sensation as if the l. ovary were too large, or there is pain there, extending up the back and down the l. thigh, associated with prolapsus of the uterus (203) and with yellow, excoriating leucorrhoea (126) of offensive odor (126). It has been used with success for ulceration of the cervix, with much swelling and foul discharge, and it may act as a palliative in scirrhus of the uterus (202). I have used Argentum met. 3rd.

-Boericke W.

-Silver.

General
Emaciation, a gradual drying up, desire for fresh air, dyspnoea, sensation of expansion and left-sided pains are characteristic. The chief action is centered on the articulations and their component elements, bones, cartilages, and ligaments. Here the small blood vessels become closed up or withered and carious affections result. They come on insidiously, lingering, but progress. The larynx is also a special center for this drug.
Mental.
Hurried feeling; time passes slowly; melancholy.
Head
Dull paroxysmal neuralgia over left side, gradually increasing and ceasing suddenly. Scalp very tender to touch. Vertigo, with intoxicated feeling, on looking at running water. HEAD FEELS EMPTY, HOLLOW. Eyelids red and thick. Exhausting coryza, with sneezing. Pain in facial bones. Pain between left eye and frontal eminence.
Throat
Raw, hawking, gray, JELLY-LIKE MUCUS, and throat sore on coughing. PROFUSE AND EASY morning expectoration.
Respiratory
HOARSENESS Aphonia. Raw, sore feeling when coughing. Total loss of voice of professional singers. Larynx feels sore and raw. EASY EXPECTORATION, LOOKING LIKE BOILED STARCH. FEELING OF RAW SPOT NEAR SUPRA STERNAL FOSSA. WORSE FROM USE OF VOICE. COUGH FROM LAUGHING. Hectic fever at noon. On reading aloud, must hem and hawk. GREAT WEAKNESS OF CHEST; worse at left side. Alteration in timbre of voice. Pain in left lower ribs.
Back
Severe backache; must walk bent, with oppression of chest.
Urine
Diuresis. Urine PROFUSE, TURBID, sweet odor. Frequent urination. Polyuria.
Extremities
Rheumatic affections of joints, especially elbow and knee. Legs weak and trembling, worse descending stairs. Involuntary contractions of fingers, partial paralysis of forearm; writer’s cramp. SWELLING OF ANKLES.
Male
Crushed pain in testicles. SEMINAL EMISSIONS, WITHOUT SEXUAL EXCITEMENT. Frequent micturition with burning.
Female
Ovaries feel too large. Bearing-down pain. Prolapse of womb. ERODED SPONGY CERVIX. LEUCORRHOEA foul, excoriating. Palliative in scirrhus of uterus. Pain in left ovary. CLIMACTERIC HAEMORRHAGE. Sore feeling throughout abdomen; worse by jarring. Uterine disease with pain in joints and limbs.
Modalities
WORSE from touch, toward noon. BETTER in open air; cough at night when lying down (opposite Hyoscy.).
Relationship
Antidotes: Mercur.; Puls. Compare: Selen.; Alum.; Platina; Stannum; Ampelopsis. (Chronic hoarseness in scrofulous patients.).
Dose
Sixth trituration and higher. Not too frequent repetition.

The Metal Pure Silver.

General:
Tall, thin, ir itable persons. Ailments from abuse of Mercury. Constitutional ef -ects of onanism. af ects the cartilages, tarsal, ears, nose, Eustachian; the structures entering into joints. Seminal emissions: after onanism; almost every night; without erection; with atrophy of penis. Crushed pain in the testicles [Rhod. ]. Prolapsus: with pain in left ovary and back, extending forward and downward [right ovary, Pal. ]; climacteric haemor hage. Exhausting, fluent coryza with sneezing. Hoarseness; of professional singers, public speakers [Alum. , Arum t. ]. Total loss of voice with professional singers. Throat and larynx feel raw or sore on swalowing or coughing. Laughing excites cough [Dros. , Phos. , Stan. ] and produces profuse mucus in larynx. When reading aloud has to hem and hawk; cough with easy expectoration of gelatinous, viscid mucus, looking like boiled starch. Great weakness of the chest [Stan. ]; worse left side. Alteration in timbre of voice with singers and public speakers [Arum t. ]. Raw spot over bifurcation of the trachea; worse when using voice, talking or singing.

Relations:
Folows wel: after, Alum. Similar: to, Stan. in cough excited

Aggravation:
Riding in a car iage [Coc. ]; when touched or pressed upon; talking, singing, reading aloud.