– M.L.Tyler.
Introduction:
FROM water of a mineral spring of Ottawa, proved as to its deleterious effects by Dr. J. G. Gundlach, who, with his family drank it for more than a year, and who was still suffering from its effects five years later. The evaporated, triturated and potentized salt, was proved in the usual way under the auspices of the American doctor, Sherbino. Clarke says, “In Sanicula we have one of the best proved remedies of the Materia Medica; a polycrest and anti-psoric of wide range.” Personally one has used the remedy, in pretty high potency, from time to time with great satisfaction in the case of unflourishing children. It is very like Silica in the kind of children it benefits: many of their queer symptoms being almost identical: such as the sweating head at night, drenching the pillow: the “bashful stool”, very large, and slipping back when almost voided; and the offensive foot-sweat. The appearance of the child it benefits, also suggests Silica. ALLEN’S Keynotes has the most useful presentment of Sanicula: We will extract some of its salient features, re-arranging. Child looks old, dirty, greasy, brownish. Skin about neck wrinkled and hangs in folds. Mentally: obstinate, headstrong. Cries and kicks. Does not want to be touched. (Ant. crud., Cham., etc.) “Constantly changing” is a feature that runs through Sanicula. Cross and irritable, then quickly laughs. Constantly changing occupation. Physical symptoms are also constantly changing. The diarrhoea is changeable in character and odour; like scrambled eggs ; or frothy and green-“like scum on a frog pond” (Mag. carb.). The constipation is a great feature. Stools large, hard, impossible to evacuate. After great straining, the stool, partially expelled, recedes (Op., Sil., LAC. D., NAT. MUR., THUJA, etc.) and must be mechanically removed. Then, a Sulphur symptom, the odour of stool persists, despite bathing. Strong, offensive odour from ear; or leucorrhoea; of foot-sweat. The uterine symptoms remind one of Sepia and Lilium tigr. Bearing down as if contents of pelvis would escape. Worse walking; jar. Must support parts by hand against the vulva. The Silica foot-sweat, as said; not only offensive, but causing soreness between toes (Graph., BAR. C., ZINC., Sil., etc.) Feet as if in cold water (comp. Sepia) or burning: must uncover them, or put them in a cool place (with SULPH., CHAM., MEDORRH., PULS., etc.) And, again, like Sulph., child kicks the clothes off. Sanicula is a remedy of symptoms that appear to be picked out of a dozen other better known remedies, and here assembled bewilderingly. But one sensation is probably peculiar to itself-Bursting:-in perineum-bowels-bladder-vertex-chest. CLARKE (Dictionary) gives some of the rare and peculiar symptoms of Sanicula, and since the complete provings of the drug are not easily come by-not to be found in ALLEN’s Encyclopaedia or HERING’S Guiding Symptoms, we will give a number of them: remembering, always, that a rare symptom may really be common to several drugs, only perhaps not yet brought out in their provings. Yet, the queer experiences of provers may draw attention to a remedy that would not be otherwise considered, and which may be found, on examination, to cover the case. Again, almost more than any other remedy, this drug displays over and over again, exactly opposite conditions. Restless desire to go from place to place (Tub., etc.) Great fear of darkness (Stram., Phos., CANN. IND., etc.). Constant irresistible desire to look behind her (Brom., Lach., MED., etc.). Sensation that head was open and wind went through it. Sensation of a cold cloth round brain Awake with dryness of whole eye, and sensation that eye is sticking to eyelid. Soreness behind ears with discharge of white, gluey, sticky substance. (Comp. Graph). Large scabs on upper lip; picks them till they bleed. (Comp. Arum triph.) On waking, dark brown streak down centre of tongue, which is furred and dry like leather . Sides of tongue turn up. Tongue adheres to roof of mouth. Teeth sensitive to cold air as if they were very thin. Roof of mouth feels raw. Child wants to nurse all the time, yet loses flesh. (Comp. Nat. mur., Abrot.) Child craves meat; fat bacon, which aggravates. Craves salt. Loss of desire for bread (Nat. mur.). Child gets frantic when it sees a glass of water: drinks large quantities greedily. Or, thirst for small quantities very often , which are vomited almost as soon as they reach stomach. Bloating of stomach on beginning to eat. Feels terribly stuffed after a meal, must loosen clothing (Lyc.) Shortly after nursing, food all comes up with a gush, and child drops into a stupid sleep. (Comp. Aeth). Sudden nausea while eating, vomits all the food taken. (Falls asleep after vomiting is a feature of Sanic.) (Aeth., Ip.) Vomits large tough curds like white of a hard-boiled egg (Aeth.). Vomits after drinking cold water. Food turns sour and rancid, with burning desire for water, which relieves for a short time, then aggravates. (Sanicula is rich in stomach symptoms: in nausea and vomiting; in the vomiting of infants.) (Comp. Aethusa.). Sensation of a lump in stomach (Bry.). Stomach sensitive to pressure and jar; cannot laugh without holding stomach and bowels: worse when stomach is empty. Morning sickness: sea sickness: nausea and sickness from riding in cars or close carriages, with desire for open air (Cocc. Sep., etc.) Rumbling and gurgling “like distant thunder” along course of large intestine: bowels bloated as if they would burst. Pot-bellied children. Rumbling relieved by eating (GRAPH., MOSCH., SUL., etc.). After intense straining, stool which was partly evacuated, recedes. (Sil. THUJA). Even soft stool requires great effort to expel (Alum.), or – Slim yellow stool at least ten inches long (Comp. Phos.), not requiring much effort. Large evacuation of small, dry, grey balls; must be removed by finger, lest it rupture the sphincter. Great pain in perineum while at stool as though it would burst . Perineum sore and burning for hours after stool. (Comp. Nit. ac.) Stool feels full of jagged particles. Stool as often as food is taken: must hurry from table after each meal. Must cross legs to prevent stool from escaping. Stool square as if carved by a knife. No control over sphincter: often soils himself, standing, running even at night. Frequent, profuse, sudden urination. Great effort to retain urine, yet if desire resisted, the urging ceases. Urgent calls to pass urine, as if bladder would burst. Feels as if a hard body like a lead pencil were forced up and back form bladder to kidney. Child cries before urinating. Urine stains diaper red (Comp. Lyc.). Odour like fish brine about genitalia. Child’s parts smell like fish brine even after bathing. Leucorrhoea or watery discharge from vagina with strong odour of fish brine. During pregnancy, swelling and stiffness of hands and feet: sensation that os uteri is opening (Comp. Lach.), or dilating. On swallowing, sensation of a hard substance in trachea, Bursting feeling in vertex on coughing. Asthmatic breathing: wheezing rattling under sternum; worse eating. Tickling under sternum. Sudden terrible sensation of a burden in chest: for a few moments it seems as if she would burst. Neck so weak and emaciated that child cannot hold its head up; (Nat. mur., Abrot.). Muscles back of neck seem too short. Skin of neck wrinkles and hands in folds. Sharp pain from least turning: must hold himself stiff and turn whole body in order to look round. Inclines head forward to ease pain in muscles of back of neck. A dislocated sensation in last lumbar vertebra. Sensation in lower lumbar region that the vertebrae were gliding past each other. Sensation that the back is in two pieces. Region of coccyx sore (Sil., Hyper.). Burning in spine (phos. Zinc. etc.): coldness in spine, worse cold. A feature; boils that do not mature, in various localities. Deep, ragged, angry cracks of hands (Petrol), even exuding blood. Hands as cold as though handling ice: or burning palms (Phos., etc.). On putting hands together they sweat until it drops from them. Knuckles of fingers crack and leak. Feet clammy cold: cramp in feet in bed, they are so cold. Or, burning of feet, especially soles, wants to put them in cool place, in water, or to uncover them (Comp. Sulph., Puls., Cham., Medorrh.). Sweat between toes, making them sore, with foul odour (Baryta c., etc.). Child kicks off clothing in coldest weather (Sulph.).Wants to lie on something hard. Child looks old, dirty, greasy, brownish. Progressive emaciation. Wakes her companion to look for a tramp in her room; gets up and looks under the bed for him (Comp. Nat. mur.). On waking, child rubs eyes and nose with its fist (Comp. Cina). Cannot bear anyone to lie close to him or touch him. Begins to sweat as soon as covered. (Uncovered parts Thuja). Sweat on first falling asleep (Comp. Con.), especially occiput and neck, wetting the clothes through. Cold clammy sweat, those parts feel like a wet stone (Verat. a.) Hungry during sweat. Fevers with periodicity. We have come across, in an old copy of The Homoeopathic Physician, 1893, a few of Dr. Gundlach’s cured cases, showing the range of the remedy, remedially. The first is a case of polyuria with pale colourless urine, S.G. I.000, day and night, but worse by day. The man, an attorney, felt tired out and exhausted; small of back weak and aching. Bad taste, not much appetite: very thirsty for very large drinks: “wants to drink all the time. Feet cold and damp: sweat offensive.” He had seen two doctors- an allopath, and “our biochemic friend”, but was no better. Remembering his own case, and also its subsequent provings, Dr. Gundlach gave him Sanicula, and cured him. A year later, the trouble had not returned. A second case, “headache and mental”, in a printer, aged 40. Suffering from over-work, with dull pain in forehead over eyes: eyes felt as if being drawn back into head. All worse in warm or close room: better in open air. Mind wanders trying to apply it. Can’t keep at anything in the office for any length of time. Starts a thing; drops it and picks up another. Was his own master, with work that must be done, yet for the most trifling reason he will drop it and run out. No appetite: tongue coated; mouth dry. In this case, no thirst. The man was in great distress Was sure he would lose his reason if not helped soon. Sanicula 10m cured him at once: and three months later, he was still perfectly well. Puls., first given, “did not help any.” His third case, a woman of 45, chilly with flushes of heat . Chill worse from moving round, or turning in bed: better from external warmth. They come at irregular times. Spread up from below. During chill wants to be covered; when heat comes , wants covers off (rev. of Camphor); feels sore and bruised all over, in flesh and bones. Pains and aching in limbs. Can’t get hand up behind head, or on head, from pains in shoulder. Warmth is good to pains in body, but not to head, which wants to be cold. Can’t stand heat of stove to head. Bad taste: nothing tastes good. Wants sour things. Some thirst with the fever. Urine dark and scanty. The trouble had been going on for some weeks, and the doctor did not seem to hit it, till he gave Sanicula 10m, which cured. N.B.-The people who have themselves experienced the effects of a remedy can always best recognize and apply it. In Germany, recently, students of Homoeopathy had to prove remedies, as part of their training. NASH mentions Sanicula ten times in his LEADERS, comparing it with other drugs of like symptoms. He shows that it has the “no two stools alike” of Pulsatilla-the crying infant, after which sand appears on the diaper, of Lycopodium-the “bashful stool” of Silica and Thuja- the immense stool, long retained, painful and receding when partly expelled of Silica-the thin neck of Natrum mur. and Lycopodium- the emaciation while eating well of Iodum- the terror of downward motion, of Gelsemium and Borax. DR. OSCAR HANSON (Copenhagen) in his text book of The Materia Medica and Therapeutics of Rare Homoeopathic Remedies, notices especially in regard to Sanicula the profuse sweat on occiput and nape of neck during sleep; its great photophobia, and lachrymation from cold air, or cold externally applied; the thick tenacious, ropy mucus from throat, like Kali bichrom; the stools , large and painful enough to rupture the sphincter, with pain in whole perineum. And its therapeutics, for him, concern “Ophthalmia scrofulosa: Sea sickness (good remedy). Enuresis nocturna (many cases cured). Constipation.” The water contains chlorides of sodium, calcium, magnesium, etc. etc., also Silica.