Arsenicum album

Ars.

Signs
Arsenic Trioxide. Arsenous acid. Arsenous oxide. White arsenic.
CLASSIFICATION Metallic arsenic belongs to the nitrogen family [group 15
of the periodic table] and is classified as a metalloid. Arsenic has three
allotropes - yellow, black, and grey. The grey metallic form is the stable and
most common ore. Arsenic compounds were described and used in antiquity,
especially as poisons. Albertus Magnus is credited with isolation of arsenic
from the mineral orpiment in 1250 AD The first precise directions for the
preparation of arsenic can be found in Paracelsus' writings.
OCCURRENCE Arsenic probably occurs throughout the universe; meteorites
are reported to contain from 0.0005 to 0.1% arsenic. Its occurrence in the
earth's crust is 1.8 parts per million, placing arsenic as the 52nd out of 103
elements. Native arsenic is rare; native antimony is nearly indistinguishable
from it. Arsenic in its elemental state is found in silver ore veins. Over 150
minerals contain arsenic but the main sources are sulphides and sulphosalts
such as arsenopyrite [iron arsenide sulphide], orpiment [arsenic sulphide],
realgar [arsenic sulphide], lollingite [iron arsenide], stibarsen [antimony
arsenic], and tennantite [copper arsenic sulphide]. Its main natural
occurrences include Europe [Vosges, France; Kongsberg, Norway; Saxony
and Harz Mountains, Germany; England; Italy] and the USA [Santa Cruz
Co., Arizona, New Jersey].
PROPERTIES When heated to burn in air, it will burn with a bluish flame and
give off an odour of garlic and dense white fumes of arsenic trioxide. It is
stable in dry air, but tarnishes on exposure to humid air, forming a black
modification.
USES Metallic arsenic is used in metallurgy for hardening copper [improving
its corrosion resistance and thermal properties], lead [improving the
roundness of lead shot], non-ferrous alloys; in automotive body solder; in
semiconductor materials; in the manufacture of low-melting glass [serving
as a decolourizer]; as growth stimulant for plants and animals [livestock and
poultry]; as wood preservative, herbicide, and pesticide. 1
NAME The name is derived from Gr arsenikon [from Arab az-zernikh,
orpiment], yellow orpiment. The alchemists associated it with Gr arsèn,
male, assuming that arsenic was of a sulphuric nature and thus male,
sulphur being considered the king of metals.
TRIOXIDE Arsenic trioxide, consisting of 75.74% arsenic and 24.26%
oxygen as white or transparent, glassy, amorphous lumps or crystalline
powder, sublimes unchanged when slowly heated. When rapidly heated the
crystals sublime without fusion, while the amorphous form first fuses and
then sublimes. It sparingly and extremely slowly dissolves in cold water, but
dissolves readily in boiling water as well as in diluted hydrochloric acid, in
alkali hydroxide or carbonate solutions. The substance is incompatible with
tannic acid, iron in solution, and infusion cinchona and other vegetable
astringent infusions and decoctions.
HISTORY "A hundred years ago the total world production of arsenic trioxide
was about 10,000 tons. At that time, arsenic compounds were used in the
manufacture of lead shot and glass, as well as in medicine. Copper hydrogen
arsenite, generally known as Scheele's green, was widely used as a pigment
in wallpaper and textile printing and even in confectionery. By the early part
of the 20th century, arsenic compounds were being used in wood
preservatives, sheep dips, fly papers and a variety of agricultural pesticides.
Today the total consumption of arsenic is about 50,000 tons; a further
quantity of at least 10,000 tons is added to the environment each year
through the burning of coal."2
USES Arsenic trioxide is the primary material for all arsenic compounds.
Used in the manufacture of glass, Paris green [insecticide containing arsenic
and copper], enamels, weed killers, metallic arsenic; for preserving hides;
killing rodents and insects; in sheep dips; textile mordant. Formerly used as
parasiticide, also for parasitic skin and blood diseases; in rheumatism,
asthma and heaves, and as an alterative. Arsenic compounds are also used
in certain paints, wallpaper, and ceramics.
DUST Arsenic is shapeless and exists merely as a kind of dust, being found
in traces in ores of other elements. Expressing a state of utmost dryness, it
seems not to be able to build crystalline structures of its own. It is in a
permanent state of disintegration and dust-like dissolution. 3 To conceal
their declining beauty, to renew their faded charms, or to obtain "a fresh
complexion, a round form, smooth skin, and shining hairs, many ladies,
including actresses and courtesans" made use of arsenic intentionally and
consciously. 4
PHYSIOLOGY "From arsenic-containing soils arsenic passes into plants and
for this reason it is not surprising that the animal body, likewise the human,
contains light traces. Gautier in particular has found it regularly in the
thyroid, moreover in the thymus, the brain and in traces in the skin and hair
and he ascribed a physiologic role to it. It is said to leave in men through the
hair and in women with the menstrual blood and milk. It remains longest in
the hair. ... The hair of men who live in the English manufacturing cities
regularly contains arsenic in traces while the hair of people in regions where
peat is burned is always free from arsenic. ... Even if arsenic is not a
physiologically necessary constituent of the body, still frequently traces are
found in the normal and it is remarkable that the thyroid seems to be the
depot while the skin and accessory structures are excretory sites with
definite affinity. ... The sensitization for arsenic through hyperthyroidism,
which we also found in phosphorus, has been experimentally confirmed."5
According to recent research, however, most dietary arsenic ends up in the
liver and muscle. Arsenic has a predilection for the skin and is excreted by
desquamation of skin and in sweat, particularly during periods of profuse
sweating. It also concentrates in nails and hair.
EFFECTS High or repeated exposure to arsenic or arsenic compounds can
result in nerve damage, with 'pins and needles sensation', numbness and
weakness of arms and legs, oedema of the face and eyelids, generalized
itching, as well as poor appetite, nausea, stomach cramps, nose ulcers,
hoarseness, damage to the liver, blood vessels or red blood cells. "Peripheral
vascular disease has been observed in persons with chronic exposure to
arsenic in drinking water in Taiwan and Chile; it is manifested by
acrocyanosis and Raynaud's phenomenon and may progress to endarteritis
obliterans and gangrene of the lower extremities [blackfoot disease]. This
specific effect seems to be related to the cumulative dose of arsenic, but the
prevalence is uncertain because of difficulties in separating arsenic-induced
peripheral vascular disease from other causes of gangrene. Recently, Engel
and Smith [1994] found an increase in mortality from vascular disease for
U.S. counties where arsenic in drinking water exceeded 20mg/dl but the
authors recognize that the relationship may be spurious."6 Overexposure
has been associated with an increased risk of skin, liver, bladder, kidney and
lung cancer. Skin contact can cause burning, itching, thickening, rashes, and
darkening or loss of pigment in patchy areas. Some persons develop white
lines on the nails. Organic forms [arsenic combined with carbon and
hydrogen] are less harmful than inorganic forms. The most reliable test for
low level arsenic exposure is measuring arsenic in the urine, which must be
done soon after exposure since arsenic stays in the body only a short time.
The test for high levels of arsenic exposure [over longer periods], is
measuring arsenic in hair or fingernails. Arsenic in nails produces transverse
white bands across fingernail [Mee's lines], which appear about 6 weeks
after the onset of symptoms of toxicity.
SYMPTOMS Acute arsenic poisoning is characterised by the following
symptoms, which occur in about fifteen minutes to an hour: "[1] Burning
pain in oesophagus and stomach. [2] Profuse nausea and vomiting of bile
stained serum containing small flakes of mucous membrane. [3] Severe
abdominal cramps. [4] Profuse diarrhoea, with watery, bloody stools
containing small flakes of mucous membrane [rice water stools]. [5]
Excessive thirst [due to loss of fluids]. [6] Scanty, bloody urine. [7]
Collapse: cold, moist skin, slow and shallow breathing, rapid, thready pulse,
etc. [8] Coma and convulsions may occur before death, which results in from
six hours to two days. In some cases there may not be much nausea,
vomiting or diarrhoea. The patient suddenly goes into collapse, has a few
convulsions and dies. If the patient recovers from the acute symptoms,
paralysis of the muscles of the extremities may result, causing 'drop feet' or
'drop hands', from which he usually recovers, however. ... Since arsenic is
excreted much slower than it is absorbed, cumulative symptoms, or chronic
arsenic poisoning is very common. It usually occurs from the continued
medicinal use of arsenic preparations. It may also result from inhaling fumes
of arsenic, in rooms papered with wall paper containing arsenic dyes, from
wearing clothes dyed with arsenic, or by eating food coloured with arsenic
dyes. The following symptoms, in the order of their onset, are noticed after
prolonged administration. Often the later symptoms appear before the
earlier ones. [1] Itching of the eyelids. [2] Redness of the conjunctiva of the
eyes. [3] Puffiness about the eyes, esp. in the morning. [4] Sneezing,
'running nose' [coryza]. [5] Tightness in the throat. [6] Hoarseness. [7] Loss
of appetite, heaviness in the stomach, nausea and vomiting. [8] Skin
eruptions; red spots, areas of brownish discolouration [very often they look
like freckles] on the face or the abdomen. Dark discolouration on the skin of
the abdomen, which look like pencil marks. In severe cases, the hair and
nails may fall off. [9] Cramplike abdominal pains. [10] Diarrhoea, with 'rice
water' stools; the rice water appearance of the stools is due to small flakes
of the lining membrane of the intestine which they contain. The following
symptoms appear later and only in severe cases: [11] Persistent headache.
[12] Pains around the knee, ankle, foot and hands. [13] Redness and
swelling of the hands and feet. [14] Areas of skin, esp. on the extremities,
which are very sensitive to touch, to pain, to heat and cold. [15] In severe
cases there are paralyses of the extensor muscles of the hands and feet,
resulting in 'drop feet' and 'drop hands'."7
TOXICOLOGY Arsenic enters the environment from its use as a pesticide
and as a wood preservative, and from emissions from smelting industries. It
has a high chronic toxicity to aquatic life, and moderate chronic toxicity to
birds and land animals. Drinking water usually contains a few micrograms of
arsenic per litre or less. Although most major U.S. drinking water supplies
contain levels lowers than 5 mcg per litre, it has been estimated that
350,000 Americans might drink water containing more than 10 times that
amount. Some mineral springs or well waters, e.g. in Japan, Argentina,
Italy, Taiwan, and Chile, contain even higher concentrations. "There is a
cloud of gloom overpowering the otherwise sleepy town of Samta in Jessore,
a northern district of Bangladesh. Almost every home you visit there has a
child or adult suffering from a mysterious disease. Many have died and the
villagers have lost count of the casualties, most of them small children. The
symptoms are frightening: watery eyes, chronic indigestion, colds and
stomach cramps in the early stages and swollen limbs with bleeding
gangrene-like wounds in severe cases. This silent killer is arsenic which has
contaminated the drinking water of many villages in northern Bangladesh. ...
According to the World Health Organization, [WHO], the maximum allowable
arsenic content in water is .01 mg in every 1000CC of water. In the arsenic
hit areas this is as high as 2.7 mg for every 1000CC of water."8 The first
cases of arsenic poisoning on the Indian subcontinent caused by
contaminated groundwater occurred in the neighbouring state of West
Bengal in India, which borders Bangladesh. By the mid-1990s, Indian
doctors had detected 220,000 cases of chronic arsenic poisoniarsenic
poisoning and had dubbed it the 'biggest arsenic calamity in the world' [BMJ
1996; 313:9]. Typical symptoms of arsenic poisoning include keratosis,
melanosis, depigmentation, oedema and nephropathy. In Bangladesh, there
have been cases of squamous cell carcinoma that seem to have been
attributable to arsenic ingestion and that have occurred within 10 years of
exposure.
POISONERS During the Middle Ages, professional poisoners sold their
services to royalty and the common populace. During the French and Italian
Renaissance, political assassination by poisoning was raised to an art by
Pope Alexander VI and Cesare Borgia. "In the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries those 'Olympic' poisoners, the Borgia family, made full use of
arsenic in their cantarella, aqua di Napoli and other subtle poisons that could
kill quickly or by slow degrees, as seemed most expedient. There was no
Marsh Test to detect the presence of arsenic, and the victims appeared, as
far as symptoms went, to have died of natural causes. Such was at any rate
claimed to be the case. A famous vendor of poisons in the seventeenth
century was La Tofania, who distributed her 'Aqua Tofa'na' to 'distressed,
adulterous, neglected or jealous wives over wellnigh all Europe. Apparently
her poison was merely crystallized arsenic compounded, for no apparent
reason, with the herb cymbalaria.' She was executed at the age of 70. 'After
La Tofania's death fewer husbands died suddenly in Italy.' So common was
death by poisoning in the glamorous era of Louis XIV, Le Roi Soleil, that the
period was known as the Age of Arsenic."9 Dubbed 'inheritance drug' or
'succession powder' Arsenic was also the preferred poison of legacy-hunters.
DECAY The ancients had the idea that the bodies of those who have been
poisoned decay rapidly. "Even so lately as 1776 we find Gmelin stating in his
History of Mineral Poisons, that the bodies of those who have died of arsenic
pass rapidly into putrefaction, that the nails and hair often fall off the day
after death, and that almost the whole body quickly liquefies into a pulp. ...
Loebel also asserts he found by experiments on animals, that after death
from arsenic putrefaction took place rapidly, even in very cold weather. ...
But it has been proved in recent times that in general arsenic has rather the
contrary tendency, - that, besides the antiseptic virtues which it has been
long known to exert when directly applied in moderate quantity to animal
substances, it also possesses the singular property of enabling the bodies of
men and animals poisoned with it both to resist decay unusually long, and to
decay in an unusual manner. ... In every instance putrefaction made more
or less progress at first; but in a few days a peculiar garlicky odour arose,
from which time the progress of decay seemed to be arrested; and the
bodies underwent a process of hardening and desiccation which completely
preserved them. ... Arsenic is a good preservative of animal textures when it
is directly applied to them in sufficient quantity. This is well known to
stuffers of birds and beasts. It is now likewise known to be an excellent
substances for preserving bodies, when injected in the form of solution into
the blood vessels. Hence, in a case of poisoning the arsenic be not
discharged by vomiting, and the patient die soon, it will act as an antiseptic
on the stomach at least, perhaps on the intestines also; while the rest of the
body may decay in the usual manner. ... The reasons assigned will not
account for all the apparent cases of the preservative powers of arsenic. And
especially they will not explain how the whole body has sometimes resisted
decay altogether, and become as it were mummified. It is impossible to
ascribe this preservation to the antiseptic power of the arsenic diffused
throughout the body in the blood; the quantity there being extremely small.
Consequently if the preservation of the bodies is not occasioned by some
accidental collateral cause, this property of arsenic must depend on its
causing, by some operation on the living body, a different disposition and
affinity among the ultimate elements of organized matter, and so alternating
the operation of physical laws on it. ... An important consequence of the
preservative tendency of arsenic is, that in many instances the body of this
kind of poisoning may be found long after death in so perfect a state as to
admit of an accurate medico-legal inspection and a successful chemical
analysis."10
ENDURANCE "The term poison is a relative one. The degree of toxicity will
depend on several factors - the size of the dose, the form in which it is
administered, the portal of entry into the body, and of special significance,
the susceptibility or otherwise of the dosee. In his book on poisons, Schenk
attests - 'I have seen and spoken to many arsenic eaters in Styria, Lower
Austria and Carinthia. Woodcutters, hunters and mountain guides in these
districts believe that arsenic makes the breathing easier and the step more
certain. I myself saw a porter in Deutsch-Landsberg at the foot of the Kor
Alp consume a lump of arsenic the size of a pea. I estimated it at almost half
a gram - four times the fatal dose."11 As a tonic, arsenic, in small doses,
was popular with Victorian businessmen. Charles Dickens also resorted to it.
The habit of eating arsenic was not restricted to Europe. It seems to have
been quite common in 19th-century Canada and America, where "it is
largely consumed by the young ladies. ... One of the benefits said to accrue
from its use is that it gives a plumpness to the figure, softness to the skin,
freshness to the complexion, and brilliancy to the eye. For this purpose,
young men and maidens resort to it, to increase their charms, and render
themselves acceptable and fascinating to each other."12 The Far East knew
the habit as well: Mongolian hunters consumed arsenic to enable them to
endure cold when patiently lying on the snow to entrap martins. In China,
divers took it before plunging in cold water to catch fish.
SOURCES Fish and shellfish build up organic arsenic in their tissues; hence
these, particularly shellfish, are the richest food source of arsenic. Some
meats, esp. poultry and pigs, contain organic arsenic because they have
been given traces of arsenic in their feeds to improve growth and to control
disease. "Arsenic compounds were originally used to treat coccidiosis, a
wasting disease in chickens; the growth-promoting effects was discovered
accidentally. A bottle of wine may contain as much as 50 mcg of arsenic,
from pesticides used in vineyards. Seaweed [or kelp] tablets, sold in health
food shops, contain significant amounts of arsenic. A person who eats fish
every day may take in as much as 250 mcg of arsenic per day - but even
this amount is unlikely to be dangerous."13 Plants with the highest amounts
include Isatis tinctoria [dyer's woad], Fucus vesiculosus [kelp], Rhodymenia
palmata [dulse], Chondrus crispus [Irish moss], Citrus paradisi [grapefruit],
Citrus medica [citron], Cetraria islandica [Iceland moss], and Vicia faba
[broadbean].
MEDICINE The first successful antisyphilitic agent was an arsenic
compound, 'Salvarsan'. Produced in 1909 by the German chemist Ehrlich,
the drug was part of Ehrlich's search for the 'magic bullet', a drug that would
destroy bacteria circulating in the blood without killing or seriously damaging
the patient. Ehrlich believed that organic compounds of arsenic would
provide such a drug and invented them by the hundred. Number 606 was
not successful against the infection for which it was intended, but turned out
to be very effective in the treatment of syphilis. Number 606, afterwards
named salvarsan, was much used for many years to combat syphilis, until
superseded by penicillin. Salvarsan was the first man-made chemical to be
effective against a major disease; its appearance marked the beginning of
modern chemotherapy. 14 At the end of the 1990s the uses of arsenic as a
medicine again came into fashion. "Two years ago, Chinese researchers
reported that low doses of arsenic trioxide induced remission in patients with
acute promyelocytic leukaemia [APL], prompting physicians in the West to
undertake their own pilot study. ... In the pilot study, 12 patients who had
relapsed from conventional therapy were treated with low doses of arsenic
trioxide. Eleven of the 12 patients achieved remission anywhere from 12 to
39 days after treatment started, experiencing only mild side effects. The
single patient who failed to reach remission died from a complication related
to the disease five days after arsenic treatment began and could not be
evaluated in the study. Once remission was achieved, each patient received
a brief treatment break, which was followed with repeated courses of arsenic
trioxide therapy every three to six weeks thereafter. After two cycles of
therapy, the investigators conducted additional tests to determine whether
any molecular evidence of leukaemia remained. Three patients tested
positive for molecular evidence of the disease and later relapsed with APL,
while eight patients tested negative for molecular evidence of APL and
remained in remissions that lasted as long as 10 months. To date, several
patients have received up to six courses of arsenic treatment without
experiencing cumulative side effects."15
PROVINGS •• [1] Hahnemann - 8 provers; method: unknown.
•• [2] Imbert-Gourbeyre - 11 provers [10 males, 1 female], 1863; method:
4th trit., 1-3 times daily for 5-15 days; 8th trit., 3 daily doses for 4 days;
13th trit., 3 daily doses for 9 days.
[1] Merck Index. [2] Lenihan, The Crumbs of Creation. [3] Hauschka,
Substanzlehre. [4] Lewin, Phantastica. [5] Leeser, Textbook of Hom. MM,
Inorganic Medicinal Substances. [6] Klaassen, Casarett and Doull's
Toxicology. [7] Blumgarten, Materia Medica for Nurses. [8] People and the
Planet Vol. 6/3, 1997. [9] Gibson, Studies of Homoeopathic Remedies. [10]
Christison, A Treatise on Poisons. [11] Gibson, ibid. [12] Cooke, The Seven
Sisters of Sleep. [13-14] Lenihan, ibid. [15] Arsenic Shown To Induce
Remission Of Promyelocytic Leukaemia, New England Journal of Medicine
Nov. 1998.
Affinity
MUCOUS MEMBRANES. MIND. RESPIRATION. Lungs; right, apex. Blood.
Heart. Nerves. SPLEEN. Lymphatics. Muscles. SKIN. Serous cavities.
Organs.
* RIGHT SIDE. Left side.
Modalities
Worse: COLD [ICE CREAM; COLD DRINKS; COLD FOOD; cold air].
EXERTION. PERIODICALLY [after MIDNIGHT; AFTER 2 a.m.; 14 days;
yearly]. DRINKING. VEGETABLES. Infections. Bad meat. Eruptions
[undeveloped; suppressed]. Quinine. Lying on part. Tobacco.
Better: WARMTH [WARM, dry APPLICATIONS; WARM FOOD; warm drinks;
warm wraps]. Motion. Walking about. ELEVATING HEAD. Sitting erect.
Company. Cold applications and cold air [only > headache].
Main symptoms
Two THEMES:
PRESERVATION
• Forever young [use of arsenic by women]; forever strong [arsenic eaters].
• Preservative for hides; fixative for textile dyestuff; wood preservative.
• Improves corrosion resistance of copper.
• Bodies of persons poisoned with arsenic mummify.
• Arsenicum subjects want things to last - health, property and possessions,
strength, relationships, etc.
• "Arsenicum enjoys making a practical contribution to the community, and
is often active in opposing new developments which threaten the harmony
and environmental integrity of the neighbourhood." [Bailey]
DISINTEGRATION, DECLINE, DECAY, DEATH
• Dust [arsenic is a dust-like substance; dust to dust, ashes to ashes;
allergy to dust; feeling of dust in air passages; cleaning mania].
• Weed killer; parasiticide; insecticide; rodent killer.
• Arsenicum subjects are preoccupied with death.
• Destructive, malignant processes.
• Discharges smell of decay.
• Sensitiveness to food that isn't entirely fresh [mouldy cheese; spoiled
food; bad meat; rancid fat; spoiled fish].
M Insecurity. Afraid to be alone, constant desire for company.
M Many FEARS: disease, cancer, robbers, poverty, death, being alone.
PREOCCUPIED with DEATH.
• "In general, these individuals dress in black and their symptoms are worse
at midnight [the midpoint of the night, the darkest of the dark] or at
midday, the midpoint of the day, when the sun's light begins to decrease. ...
The colour black symbolizes the lack of hope in the face of death [it is not a
colour, but the absence of colour, neither reflecting nor transmitting light],
and the ill person improves greatly once he understands that the death of
the body means only that 'the soul must go on!'" [Grandgeorge]
Or: "Heavenly into white as a colour."1
• "Apt to be full of apprehension and dread, gets all worked up if anything
goes wrong or simply over fear that something will go wrong; esp. liable to
panic at night." [Gibson]
Looks on the dark side of things. Believes that everything is tending to the
worst.
• "Not only fear for themselves but for everyone connected with them. If
relations late, sure they're run over - certain everything going wrong - if
anyone coming to stay, dinner will never turn out properly. ... Distressing
thoughts which distress him - fearful, depressing. At first can put off these
thoughts by talking to someone, so always desires company, but later fear
and depression may be constant."2
M FASTIDIOUS; censorious. Fussy.
IMMACULATE OUTER APPEARANCE.
OBSESSED with ORDER AND TIDINESS.
• "Arsenicum is most liable to become irritated by untidiness, inefficiency
and waste. All of these refer to the material plane of existence, which is
usually Arsenicum's principal focus." [Bailey]
Attention to detail.
Gets security from order.
• "Irritated beyond measure by slackness or idleness on the part of
others." [Gibson]
• "The nickname for Arsenicum is the 'gold-headed cane' patient. Though
so weak that he is almost dying, he will remember to want his flowered
dressing gown, and will really suffer if the pictures are crooked on the wall."
[Wright Hubbard]
M MISERLY [avarice, can be generous, but expects something in return].
CAREFUL [afraid to take any risks].
Collects all kinds of material objects [valuable and old, antiques], likes
comfort and money [security].
Possessive. Economical. SELFISH.
• "Generally they will favour practical security over emotional satisfaction
when an opportunity for the latter may endanger the former." [Bailey]
 M TREMENDOUS RESTLESSNESS.
• "There is a general air of tension, unease and restlessness - the
restlessness of the hard-pressed executive rather than the fidgetiness of the
dilettante, suggesting Phosphorus. The Arsenicum patient makes quick
movements, walks across the floor rapidly and takes a quick look round the
room; on sitting down seems fidgety, does not wait calmly to be questioned
but starts straight in to relate his tale of symptoms." [Gibson]
M ANGUISH [fear of death], < alone.
• "Doesn't wish to be spoken to, but neither that one should leave the
room." [Charette]
• "When alone thinks about disease and similar things, from which it is
difficult to free his mind." [Allen]
M Anxiety when something is expected of him.
ANXIETY ABOUT HEALTH [clinging to a doctor, claiming reassurance [Nit-
ac.], exaggerating symptoms to assure attention]. Fixation on illnesses.
• "Comes in definitely on spot - Tells story punctuated with extreme worry
and anxiety. Thinks they have got something definite and serious or they
may be hopeless and rather despairing. Thinks it's rather hopeless telling
you about it. Impossible for you to do them any good."3
DEPENDENCE ON OTHER PEOPLE.
Needs lots of reassurance.
• "The security-consciousness of Arsenicum women often results in a
reluctance to move far away from the parental home. Like Natrum women,
they find the proximity of their parents reassuring, and also are liable to feel
guilty if they cannot be there for them in times of need. Arsenicum men also
tend to be very diligent in caring for elderly parents, and they are liable to
expect their own offspring to do likewise." [Bailey]
G Ailments and [sudden] prostration, fear and restlessness.
G SUDDEN weakness. Weakness from slight exertion.
Prostration out of proportion to the problem.
G External coldness and internal burning.
G Poor appetite and if depressed gastric upset.
• "Definite desire for sour things, coffee and very often for milk. Also
particularly sensitive to anything that isn't quite fresh. Something that most
people can take will upset Ars. May be upset by watery or juicy fruit -
melons, pears. Causes diarrhoea - not good on vegetarian diet. Digestive
upset from vegetables and iced food in hot weather. Any alcohol <."4
G Burning, UNQUENCHABLE THIRST.
Desire for cold water, but stomach < cold water.
Drinks often and little at a time [small sips to moisten lips and mouth].
G < PHYSICAL exertion.
< Walking fast.
G < NIGHT [after midnight; 1 - 3 a.m.].
G > HEAT, except headache [> cold air].
 G BURNING PAINS [like fire, sparks, hot needles or wires].
> WARMTH or warm applications.
G ACRID, thin discharges [small quantities].
G PUTRID cadaveric odours [of discharges].
G Destructive, malignant processes.
Gangrenous diseases [or tendency to ulceration], burning like fire, but >
warmth.
P Acute gastroenteritis, and simultaneous vomiting and diarrhoea.
And Burning thirst, burning pains and prostration.
Vomiting and diarrhoea, and fear and restlessness, after eating ice cream.
P Asthma.
< After midnight; odours.
And Frothy expectoration, like whipped white of egg.
And Fear and restlessness.
And Burning pain in lungs.
Associated with suppressed eruptions.
P Urticaria after eating [shell]fish.
[1] Wallace, Remedy Notes. [2-5] Blackie, BHJ, April 1961.
Rubrics
Mind
Anguish, as if everything became constricted [2/1], driving from place to
place [3], with palpitation [3]. Anxiety after midnight, 3 a.m. [3], driving
out of bed [3], as if he had not done his duty [1], when anything is expected
of him [2/1]. Desires to be carried fast [3]. Confusion on waking at night
from an anxious dream [1*]. Delusions, body will putrefy [2; Bell.],
contaminates everything she touches [1/1], everyone is looking at her [3],
has offended people [3], his family will starve [1], she is being watched [3].
Desires more than she needs [2]. Fear of being alone lest he die [3], of
death when alone [3], of being disabled [3]. Irresolution about trifles [1].
Joy at the misfortune of others [1/1]. Laughing, never [3]. Cannot rest when
things are not in proper place [2]. Restlessness, wants to go from one bed to
another [3]. Revealing secrets in sleep [2].
Vertigo
When walking across an open place [1/1].
Head
Itching of scalp when becoming cold [1; Sulph.].
Eye
Unable to open eyes at night [1]. Photophobia from snow [3].
Vision
Colours, blue sparks [1/1], white points [1]. Objects seem to be moving up
and down [1]. Sparks, during headache [1], during vertigo [1].
Ear
Noises, fluttering sounds when swallowing [1/1].
Nose
 Epistaxis from anger [2/1], from wine [1/1].
Face
Coldness of face during headache [1]. Perspiration during palpitation [1/1].
MOUTH: Dryness, cannot moisten food [1; Merl.].
Stomach
Anxiety rising high up at night [3/1]. Coldness after cold drinks [2], after
fruit [2]. Flushes of heat extending over body [1]. Sensation of a lump after
cold drinks [2].
Rectum
Diarrhoea after anxiety [2], after ice cream [3], at seashore [2].
Kidneys
Pain < sneezing [1]; stitching on deep inspiration [2].
Female
Pain in ovaries > moving feet [2/1].
Larynx
Sensation of smoke in larynx before sleep [2/1].
Respiration
Asthmatic, after midnight, 2 a.m. [3]. Difficult, from dust [3].
Chest
Angina pectoris < drinking water [1/1], > standing [1/1].
Sleep
Sleepiness from mental exertion [3].
Dreams
Darkness [1]. Physical exertion [3]. Storms [2]. Threats [1].
Skin
Sensation as if skin would burst when moving about [1/1]. Coldness during
pain [1/1].
* Repertory addition.
Food
Aversion: [2]: Cold drinks; fats and rich foods; food, smell of; meat;
sausages; sweets. [1]: Alcohol; beans and peas; butter; cereals; cooked
food; farinaceous; flour; fruit; gruel; meat, boiled; meat, smell of; milk;
olive oil; pastry; pudding; soup; watery fruit.
Desire: [3]: Cold drinks; olives, olive oil; warm drinks, during chill; warm
food. [2] Brandy; bread; bread, rye; coffee; meat; milk; refreshing; sour
fruit; sweets; whiskey; wine. [1]: Bacon; beer; fat food; fat + sweet; fruit;
hot food; ice; lard; lemons; mustard; pickles; pungent; sausages; sour;
vegetables; vinegar.
Worse: [3]: Cold food; fruit; meat, bad; sausages, spoiled; wine. [2]:
Brandy; butter; cheese, old; cold drinks; fat; food, smell of; frozen food; ice
cream; milk; sour; vinegar; watery fruit. [1]: Beans and peas; beer;
cabbage; cheese, mouldy; coffee; fish; fish, spoiled; flatulent food; high
game; honey; hot food; meat, fresh; meat, odour of cooking; pastry;
pepper; pickles; pork; pungent; rancid fat; raw food; salads; salt;
sauerkraut; sweets; tea; veal; vegetables; water.
Better: [3]: Hot food; warm drinks. [2]: Coffee; brandy; cold drinks, during
heat; milk; vinegar. [1]: Water; wine.