– BENERJEE.P,
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| The Chronic Miasm Psora |
It has been stated before, that in order to succeed in the treatment of chronic cases, it is not enough if the remedy selected is similar in symptoms only. Besides the similarity in symptoms, there must be a similarity of miasms also. That is to say, the remedy selected must also be miasmatic. If in a given case you prescribe Rhus Tox on the superficial symptom of backache worse on beginning to move but better from continued motion, there may be some relief for one or two times, but there can be no permanent cure unless the medicine happens to be in keeping with the miasm of the patient. You have, therefore, studiously to ascertain the miasmatic basis of the case and to see to it that the remedy selected corresponds to it. But how are we to know definitely what miasm is there in a case, in order that we may be able to make a miasmatic prescription?-The only means of knowing this, is the symptoms and their character. The miasms always make themselves known, by the character of their symptoms. I shall describe the characteristic way of expression of each of the three miasms. Let me describe the characteristic symptoms of Psora first of all:-
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(1) The worm symptoms of children. They have a tendency for this parasitical growth in their intestines causing itching in the anus, irritability of temper and tearfulness.
(2) Unnaturalness of appetite-either a complete want of appetite or canine hunger.
(3) Mental disquietude for no apparent cause-moroseness; want of courage and energy; fearfulness.
(4) Pallor of the face; want of usual lustre in the eyes.
(5) Epistaxis in children and youths and the very tendency for frequent epistaxis.
(6) All kinds of unnaturalness of sweat, e. g.-excessive sweat in particular parts only, like forehead, hands and feet, face and rectum; or complete want of sweat; or, fetid sweat, etc. etc.
(7) Running of the nose on the slightest or no cause; or no running of the nose even from excessive exposure; or there are other kinds of illnesses but no running of the nose.
(8) Stuffy nose, compelling respiration by the mouth.
(9) Crusts in the nose, and a tendency to dislodge them with the finger.
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(17) Unnaturalness of sleep, want of sleep, broken catnaps, startling during sleep, sleep full of dreams-dreams of fear; sweating during sleep; evacuations during sleep; crying, grinding of teeth during sleep; various kinds of sounds in the mouth during sleep; sense of suffocation during sleep; snoring during sleep; restlessness and constant change of sides during sleep; laughing during sleep; salivation during sleep. Excessive sleepiness is also a Psoric symptom.
(18) Various kinds of coating in the tongue; fetid smell; dirty gums; salivation out of proportion.
(19) Vomiting and tendency for vomiting in the morning; waterbrash; dryness of the tongue; varities of tastes in the tongue e. g., sour, bitter, salty etc.
(20) Craving for or aversion to particular things.
(21) Unnatural constipation; constipation and diarrhœa alternately; diarrhœa from the slightest irregularity of diet.
(22) Various kinds of pain in the stomach, which are aggravated or ameliorated by particular kinds of food, or at particular hours.
(23) Various kinds of pain and sensation in the rectum; bloody or other kinds of discharge with stool; Hæmorrhoidal growths.
(24) Ulceration in the feet and between the fingers in particular seasons.
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(25) Corns in the toes; pain in the corns.
(26) Various kinds of sounds like gliding of bones, during eating, during walking, while standing up from a sitting posture or while sitting down; such sounds particularly in the bones of the feet while walking.
(27) Aggravation and amelioration of all kinds of pain in particular seasons; during walking or sitting or lying down.
(28) Tendency for boils and abscesses in various, parts of the body. Itches, ringworm or rhagades in particular seasons.
(29) Harsh, irritable temper; want of affection for any body; tendency to do evil to others.
(30) Excessive sexual appetite.
The above are some of the symptoms of latent Psora; and they are not the expression of any particular diseased condition. But when these symptoms are there, it is only to be understood that Psora is also there, and that it will some day break out in disastrous shapes, and it is then only that its existence will be recognised. There is nothing the matter, but a sudden east wind brings on a cold; it is then followed by a soreness in the body; then a slight fever and a gradual cough, and then there is some spitting of blood; and last of all it is diagnosed as phthisis! This is bow Psora works. It is latent to-day and Nature is ever up to the occasion. Man is fast uprooting the ovaries of the females with the object of controlling birth instead of taking to the natural laws of control, and Nature is rewarding such ingenuity quickly enough with a variety of disease! And there are some again who are growing down. into youths by engrafting monkey glands, but Nature must judge what youths they are growing into! However, these are some of the forms of luxuries that are importing diseases fresh and new into our system to combine with those already existing; and there is no knowing where matters will stop!
However, in order to understand Psora, it is necessary to study man from the most internal part of his being to the external-from the mind to the material body. It is in the mind that Psora originates, and it is the mind that it vitiates most. Let us see what the particular manner of this vitiation is. In the first place, the Psoric mind is restless. He is never at ease; never satisfied with anything. This restlessness of mind is again manifested in his feeling and will. Thus Psora is restless in thought, feeling and will, and this leads to restlessness in action. There is an all round restlessness. He is never satisfied with the existing state of things. He thinks, he is not rich enough and tries to acquire more riches. He is never satisfied with his married wife and therefore seeks gratification in other women, and thus he acquires gonorrhœa and syphilis. There is no calmness, no peacefulness of mind; no quietude. It however necessarily follows that this restless state of the mind has a keenness of intelligence, because, restlessness of mind means sensitivity and sensitivity is power of understanding things easily. But this power of understanding or keenness of intelligence of Psora is of no use to the world, because it is perverse.
The next point about the Psoric mind is fearfulness. He is full of “fear”. He fears every thing. He fears darkness; he fears to be alone; fears an ordinary ailment and thinks that something serious would come of it. He fears undertaking even ordinary physical works; fears what will happen in the future. We therefore see that mentally Psora is restless and fearful.
The appetite of Psora is unnatural-unnatural in every way. It comes on at an unusual hour, it comes on even immediately after a full meal;-his appetite is never satisfied. Again, he sweats while eating, and the abdomen is full of wind immediately after a meal. There is a sleepiness after the meal and he cannot do without an actual sleep. He likes sweet and sour tasting things. He likes those food that will do him harm. Then again in the Psori appetite there is an unnaturalness of craving. He has a craving for chalk, clay, pencil and all these indigestible things. As soon as you find a pregnant female having these peculiar
Ear-In the ear however, Psora is seldom manifested. There is only an unbearableness of noise and sound. This is in keeping with the Psoric mind.
Nose-In the nose also, there is hardly any Psoric symptom except an accentuated power of smell. Unbearableness of the smell of food or of cooking and consequent vomiting is a Psoric indication. This unbearableness of smell often causes vertigo and a dislike for food. It seems, Psora alone, (i. e., uncombined with one or other of the two miasms, Sycosis and Syphilis), cannot work much mischief to the ear and eye, beyond an unusual sensitiveness which is, however, a disorder of function only. And sensitiveness is Psora always.
Mouth-In the mouth, the Psoric patient has a sour, bitter or sweet taste. In the mouth of a healthy man there should be no taste, so that any abnormality of taste in the mouth of a man should at once suggest that he is not healthy and that he is miasmatic. As however, the Psoric taste is either sour, bitter or sweet only, any other taste than these should suggest some other miasm.
Abdomen-The symptoms of Psora in the addomen are:-Wind, rumbling, hunger before midday, hunger in the morning, hunger during sleep, hunger before headache, sour eructation after meal, eructation smelling of the food taken, etc., etc. More details about appetite and craving have already been given while writing about the mental symptoms. I may however, add one thing only, namely that, Psora has often a sense of emptiness in the stomach or in other parts, as if there is nothing there-all vacant. This is a leading symptom of Psora.
Respiratory System-Psora has not much of cold and cough. It may, however, be stated that purely Psoric colds and coughs are never fatal even if they have continued for a long time, but yet the patient is ever anxious for them, and his anxiety always induces him to search for relief in this and that. He is always afraid of his cold and cough, lest they should end fatally. Let us, therefore, remember that when a patient has a slight cold or cough and is yet very anxious for it, we should set it down that he is Psoric only, that is to say that, there is no other miasm in him, or even if there is any, it is not playing a very important part. When however, we find a patient just the reverse of it, that is to say, much of cold and cough and yet no anxiety-a fatal cold and cough and yet no anxiety, but on the contrary, a decided hope of surviving the attack, we should take it that there is Syphilis besides Psora. Syphilis against a Psoric background means a tubercular condition. Such patients get severe, very severe colds and coughs and even phthisis, but unlike the Psoric, they think that there is not much the matter with them-even
down on the left side, can lie down only on the right side, thirst excessive, loose stools, occasional vomiting, etc., etc. From an examination of this patient, you find that there is something wrong in the liver. But if from an examination of the liver, you find that it is neither enlarged nor hardened etc., you may unmistakably take it that it is Psora alone that is at work. If however, on the contrary, you find that the liver is actually enlarged or hardened etc., it is certain that some other miasm, either Sycosis or Syphilis or both are at work. Without Sycosis or Syphilis, there could have been no change in the structure of the liver. Then again, suppose, here is a case of insanity. You collect the symptoms of the patient, and you find that there are certain changes in the features of his face-a frantic or a vacant look stamped on his face. Now, this stamp on the face would signify that there has been some change of structure in the brain matter. This should at once enable you to diagnose that it is not Psora alone that has done this. There is certainly, either Sycosis or Syphilis or both besides Psora, and it is one of these last, that is predominating. If however, from the face of the patient it does not appear that there is any stamp of insanity on his face, then you have at once to take it that there has been no change of structure in the brain matter, and as such, it must be Psora alone that is at work, and that no other miasms have yet come in. It may be that the other two miasms or at least one of them is there, but what is meant is that, they are still in the background and are not yet taking a predominant part in the process. In course of time, however, they way become predominant and then there will be certain structural changes.
Now, we find that structural changes do not come in all in a day, and that they do not come in, unless there is rat at least one of the other two miasms Sycosis and Syphilis. There are two conditions necessary for structural changes; the first is (1) Time and the second is (2) Sycosis or Syphilis, or both, against a Psoric background. It is always functional disorder that announces the first appearance of disease, and if this functional disorder is corrected before it runs on to the structure, there can be no structural disorder, even if Sycosis or Syphilis are there. But as ill luck would have it, functional disorders are never corrected in the beginning. Not only this, but also, they are not even recognised as “Diseases” by our scientific friends. So long as the patient has only a bad sleep, a bad appetite, an uneasy state of mind, etc., he is told straight-“Oh, that is nothing; there is nothing wrong in your system,” and a few doses of purgative are prescribed, or a “Tonic,” to brace up the system. No endeavour is made to arrest the progress of the