Naja Tripudians
Naja · Clarke - Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · John Henry Clarke · 21,753 chars · source ↗
General
Naja.
Naja tripudians. Cobra di Capello. The hooded snake of Hindustan. N. O. Elapidae. Tincture of the fresh virus. Trituration of sugar of milk saturated with fresh virus.
Clinical
Angina pectoris. Asthma. Dysmenia. Hay-fever. Headache. Heart, affections of. Oesophagus, spasmodic stricture of. Ovaries, affections of. Plague. Spinal irritation (of nucha). Throat, sore.
Characteristics
The poison of the deadly cobra has been used from ancient times, says P. C. Majumdar (Ind. Hom.
Rev., vi. 6), by Indian practitioners in many nervous and blood diseases. It was introduced into homoeopathy by Russell and Stokes, who made the first provings along with some forty other provers, including Gillow, Pope, and Drysdale. It is rather remarkable that with so many able provers Naja should not have attained anything approaching the place of importance occupied by Lach. Nash suggests this may be due to the fact that many of the provings of Lach. were made with the 30th potency, whilst those of Naja were with low potencies.
Majumdar had no success with Naja until he obtained fresh virus from the snake charmers (the cobra is the snake they charm) and made attenuations of that. Previously the Naja used by Indian homoeopaths had been re-imported into India from England in the form of attenuations. Deane in his experience in the plague epidemic of 1899-1900 found Naja prepared from the fresh virus more efficacious than Lachesis, and he found its action more prompt if injected under the skin than if given by the mouth.
The affinity of Naja for the medulla oblongata and cerebellum is well shown in an experience of Frank Buckland (Curiosities of Natural History, 2nd edition, 225, quoted C. D. P.) after skinning a rat killed by a cobra bite: "I had not walked a hundred yards before all of a sudden I felt just as if somebody had come behind me and struck me a severe blow on the head and neck, and at the same time I experienced a most acute pain and sense of oppression at the chest, as though a hot iron had been run in and a hundredweight put on the top of it." His face turned green.
He staggered into a chemist's shop and managed to get some ammonia, and was then able to walk to a friend's house, where he drank four large wineglasses of brandy without feeling tipsy. He was then able to start for his own house, and for the first time felt a most acute pain under the nail of left thumb, the pain running up the arm. About an hour before he examined the rat he had cleaned his nail with a penknife, and had slightly separated the skin, and that was how the virus entered.
These symptoms of Buckland's are highly characteristic and valuable. The "hot-iron" symptom and weight on the chest should be especially noted. Majumdar (Ind. H.
R., vi. 8) relates this case: A young woman suffering from a heart affection had oppression of chest amounting almost to suffocation feeble, irregular, almost imperceptible pulse; anaemic appearance inability to speak. One dose of Naja was given, followed in four hours by a second. These sufficed for the cure. The next day, when the doctor called, his patient addressed him in a loud voice: "Doctor, you gave me a poison last night." When asked to explain, she said that after the first dose she "felt awful heat in her system." This must be put beside Buckland's hot iron as a Naja indication.
Majumdar has saved a number of apparently hopeless cases of cholera with Naja, in the collapse stage, with pulselessness and difficulty of breathing. In addition to the above symptoms of heart failure and distress the following will be found to be leading symptoms in heart cases: "Depression and lowness about the heart." "Inability to speak, with choking, nervous, chronic palpitation." "Severe pains in left temple, cardiac and ovarian regions." "Sensation as if heart and ovary were drawn together." "Pains about heart extending to nape of neck, left shoulder and arm, with anxiety and fear of death." Pulse slow, irregular.
Symptoms < at night; on walking; by lying on left side. Ina case cured by Russell there was "dragging and anxiety in the praecordia occurring in great grief." According to Hering, nervous phenomena predominate in Naja over other serpent poisons. It "acts primarily upon nervous system, especially on respiratory nerves, pneumo-gastric, and glosso-pharyngeal." The last gives the characteristic "choking" of Naja and other serpents. Andrew M.
Neatby (M. H. R., December, 1899) relates a cure with Naja 6 which had nervous palpitations and faintness; frequent sensation of swelling or "choking" in the throat, with dyspnoea, and occasionally of anaesthesia down right side. Another characteristic is "grasping at throat" with the choking sensations.
Oesophagismus. Diphtheria with impending paralysis of heart indicates Naja, but the characteristic left to right direction of Lach. does not appear in the Naja provings. Naja has, however, < at night; patient awakens gasping; surface blue. Naja has somewhat marked neuralgias and headaches: Neuralgic pain in head, preceded or followed by nausea or vomiting, severe, throbbing in left orbital region drawing from thence back to occiput; from over-eating; from mental or physical exertion.
Headache after cessation of catamenia. Dull, heavy constriction in forehead on waking. Dull shoots up occiput. Among the Sensations of Naja are "screwing-up" sensations and crampy pains: as if head screwed together; as if heart and ovary were drawn up together; crampy pains in left ovary; pains in temple and ovarian regions.
Pain from heart to scapula. Sensation as of a hair in larynx; pain as from needles in tonsil. The left side is predominantly affected. Mahlon Preston (Med.
Adv., xviii. 532) cured himself with Naja 30 of asthma with difficult breathing, < lying down, > sitting up. He cured many cases of hay-fever and autumnal catarrh, the symptoms being—(1) Flow of water from nose for a few minutes; then (2) intense sneezing, which > the breathing. After recurring for a few days there is dryness in the lungs with great difficulty of breathing, < on lying down, Kent cured with Naja 45m a case having these symptoms: "Almost constant heat of head and face.
Pulse slow, sometimes as slow as 45. Cannot endure any mental exertion. Sweating of palms. Appetite voracious.
Stitching pains in heart" (Med. Adv., xxii. 164). "Sweating palms" was a symptom which had been present from childhood and was cured with the others. Flora A.
Waddell (H. R., viii. 445) relates a case in which heart pains were concomitant with left ovarian affection. The pains came on a week before menses, increased till the flow appeared, and then disappeared till next month. Naja entirely relieved.
The following case was cured by Bunn (H. W., xxxi. 501): Miss S., 22, dysmenia since the function was established. Dilatation, galvanism, &c., had been tried in vain. She had shooting frontal headache, pains in eyeballs necessitating rubbing.
Cramp pain in region of left. ovary. Faintness. Hypogastrium extremely sensitive to touch at time of menses. Examination revealed nothing abnormal except sensitiveness of ovarian region.
Extreme restlessness with the pain. During the menses the pains suddenly became very severe. The flow stopped when the pain was at its worst, and returned next day with relief from pain. Naja 30 was given, and the next period passed absolutely free from discomfort.
The symptoms are: < By touch; riding in carriage; at 3 p.m. (headache); at night; after sleep; by eating by alcohol; by exertion; by motion; by walking; lying on side on left side. Great > of pain and breathing by lying on right side. Very sensitive to cold.
> By walking in open air; by smoking.
Relations
Antidoted by: Ammonia, Stimulants (effects of bite); Tabac. (to potencies). Compare: Depression and suicidal tendency, Aur. Ulcer on fraenum linguae, Nat. c., Agar. Headache from before backwards, Anac., Bry., Nux (from behind forwards, Gels., Lac can., Sang., Sil., Spi.). Diphtheria, Ar. t. Heart, Ars., Cact., Iberis, Lach., Spigel., Dig. Collapse, Carb. v., Camph., Tab. Mouth wide open, tongue cold, Camph. Loss of speech, Dulc., Gels., Caust., Hyo., Lauro. Dark red colour of fauces, Ail., Bapt., Phyt.
Causation
Grief.
Mind
Suicidal insanity
Wandering of the mind
Sad and serious; irresolute; melancholia; makes himself wretched brooding over imaginary wrongs and misfortunes
Very forgetful; absent-minded
Insensible; loss of consciousness
Insanity, he suddenly split his own head in two with an axe
Sadness: > evening; with irresolution, with distress about sexual organs; with headache and inability for exertion; as if everything were done wrong and could not be rectified, with increased perception of what I ought to do and uncontrollable inclination not to do it, causing restlessness
Affected easily by wine or alcoholic drinks
Stupid and confused feeling
Consciousness almost or quite lost
Insensible; and speechless
Comatose.
Head
Vertigo, lasting a short time, followed by "stounding" pain in r. side of head
Feeling of hollowness over entire head
Confusion and dulness in head; in morning
Dull frontal headache
Very severe headache with intense depression
Constriction across forehead
Sensation as if brain of forehead was loose
Severe throbbing and aching in temples
Heat and congestion in head
Headache supervening on cessation of menses
Headache: all day; in morning on waking; in evening
Very bad headache and stomach-ache at 9 p.m., caused by eating a pear
Headache at night, slept much but conscious of headache in sleep
Headache with intense depression, pain usually began in temples, < r., deep-seated, involving eyes, occasionally shooting, extending as a dull aching over forehead and vertex, < motion, slightly > open air, > smoking and alcoholic liquors
Throbbing aching at 3 p.m
Bad headache, just like a scald, < over l. eye, after breakfast; oppressive, at 8.30 a.m
Neuralgic headache extending backwards from orbital region
Heaviness
Aching in temples; in morning on waking, with heaviness in eyes; about noon over r. temple and gradually extending to forehead, > afternoon; in evening
Aching in vertex; with cold feet
Shooting up occiput
Feeling as of a blow from behind on head and nape
Scurf on scalp
Sensitiveness of scalp
Hair falls off; esp. crown.
Eyes
Eyes fixed and staring; wide open and insensible to light
Heaviness in eyelids
Loss of the sense of vision
Eyes require constant cleansing with lids, frequent prickling, vision confused on looking at small print, have to rub eyes and look at it closely
Pupils dilated
Pain in balls requiring them to be rubbed frequently; with tired feeling on looking at a book
Hot pain at back of balls
Ptosis and paralysis of iris
Eyes wide open and insensible to light
Lids swollen in morning.
Ears
Whizzing in l., ear with insipid, almost nauseous taste in mouth.—Noise as of a mill, waking him in morning.
Nose
Severe coryza, thin, acrid secretion
Nose sore, hot, and swollen; with thin discharge
Stuffing of nose, beginning in morning, increasing later, < in open air, > by discharge of thin, watery mucus
Soreness of l. wing, with irritation; soreness of r. nostril, with ulcerated feeling
Wing of nose becomes sore, with heat and tenderness; worse next day with swelling and pain, secretion suffused; next day > by an eruption on its edge.
Face
Pale, thin, haggard; greenish-yellow colour; livid
Neuralgic pains in face, sometimes shooting to eye and temple
Lips dry, parched, and cracked, hot and sore
Jaws firmly clenched
Face red on rising, > washing, and covered with knots like erysipelas
Face red in evening and burning
Cheeks red, esp. cheek-bones, patchy
Gnawing in l. upper jaw, soon after midnight, sometimes shooting to eye and temple
Bruised pain in l. condyle of jaw, < moving it
Drawing pain in r. jaw
Sore on under lip opposite canine tooth, and gum swollen and inflamed
Pimple on upper lip
Purple sordes on lips, gum, and tongue
Lips dry, black pores and cracks; dry, painful, excoriated.
Teeth
Gnawing toothache; gums hot, swollen, and painful to touch.—Gnawing and aching in l. teeth and side of jaw.—Pain in stumps of decayed teeth towards evening, with feeling in face and limbs as after catching cold, pain in face < night, and gums hot, swollen, and painful to touch, third day the swelling of gums extended to the other side, afterwards gnawing in l. sound teeth, next day drawing aching in l. teeth, < when stomach is empty.
Mouth
Mouth wide open, tongue cold
Tongue coated thick yellow; white, dry, no thirst
Ulcers on fraenum
Great dryness of the mouth
Foaming at mouth
Taste insipid, bitter, sour, metallic
Loss of speech.
Throat
Much mucus in throat
Pressure and gagging in throat
Roughness and scraping in throat
Grasping at throat, with sense of choking
Dryness and constriction of throat and fauces
Soreness and pricking in l. side of throat
Stricture of the oesophagus; deglutition difficult or impossible
Dark red colour of the fauces
Redness of l. side in morning, with pain on swallowing
Inflammation of l. tonsil at 8 a.m., with pain
Shooting in l. tonsil
Spasm
Starting about his throat (external).
Appetite
Loss of appetite
Craving for stimulants, which < the sufferings
Thirst.
Stomach
Eructations; heartburn
Nausea, with faint feeling; vomiting
Uneasy, disagreeable feeling in stomach, as from indigestion; pressure as from stones, after a meal
Eructations tasting like barley-water; eructations of hot, foul air
Acidity in stomach.
Abdomen
Cutting, twisting, griping pains
Much flatulence, with rumbling and colicky pains
Swelling, with feeling of tightness and flatulence; swelling with tension and pain, the tightness spreading towards heart
Rumbling in afternoon, with cutting; rumbling in evening after dinner, with aching as before diarrhoea, and often when sitting still a heavy pulsation appeared almost to lift up the bowels; rumbling after dinner with aching
Flatulence; during day; at night, with pain
Intermittent sticking backward in hypochondria during the day
Anguish in l. hypochondrium and l. loin after dinner with flatulence
Frequent griping in umbilical region
Frequent cutting in umbilical region and small of back in afternoon, then profuse and sudden leucorrhoea.
Stool And Anus
Sudden urging to stool
Bilious diarrhoea
Constipation
Feeling of a large stool which when voided was small
Urging always sudden, whether followed by diarrhoea or not
Sudden urging, then small bilious stool
Heat in anal region, with itching smarting at anus
Diarrhoea: with pain in abdomen; profuse; sudden; slimy, white or green (in an infant); bilious, always preceded by sudden urging and griping in abdomen; then stool omitted for two days, then stool partly costive, partly loose, with pain in abdomen.
Urinary Organs
Uneasiness and pressure in bladder
Urine deposits red sediment, mixed with mucus
Urine of deep straw colour
Urine loaded with lithates and mucus.
Male Sexual Organs
Increased sexual desire
Nocturnal emissions
Peculiar distress, great desire, but no physical power, with depression of mind
Stinging, somewhat burning pain along r. side of penis, immediately under skin, at night in bed and in morning after rising
Instinct and power excited
Desire on going to bed, with little physical power, with frequent waking, vivid imaginations, painful state of mind, involuntary emissions, then prostration and distress.
Female Sexual Organs
Crampy pain in l. ovary
Aching in l. ovary with pains in heart; come on a week before menses, grow worse till menses appear, then easier till next month
Thin, whitish leucorrhoea in afternoon
Milk decreased, next day returned freely; afterwards scanty.
Respiratory Organs
Cough with tightness and fulness in larynx
Irritation and tickling in larynx and trachea
Hoarseness; short, hoarse cough
Short, puffing cough, every minute, 4 p.m
Dry, hacking cough; blood-spitting
Expectoration of whitish viscid mucus in morning on waking
Spitting of blood, which had no tendency to coagulate
Respiration very slow; shallow, and scarcely perceptible; laboured and difficult; gasping for breath.
Chest
Uneasiness and dull, heavy pain in chest
Lancinating pains, < on deep inspiration
Asthmatic constriction of chest; cannot expand lungs; followed by mucous expectoration
Pain in l. pectoral muscles in forenoon
Occasional pain top of both mammae
Most acute pain and oppression in chest as if a hot iron had been run in and a hundredweight put on top of it, instantly > by hartshorn and water
Heavy pain over lower half of r. chest, with stabbing on deep inspiration; cannot cough for the stabbing;
< lying l. side, > lying on affected side
Dull pain to r. of sternum
Tenderness over sternum and in throat.
Heart And Pulse
Feeling of depression and uneasiness about heart
Severe pain in region of heart
Fluttering and palpitation of heart
Audible beating of heart
Pulse slow and irregular in rhythm and force; weak and thready, scarcely perceptible
Action only recognised by pushing hand up behind sternum, then felt only a faint thrill resembling the cardiac thrill felt in the same way on a newborn infant
Pulse rapid; and full; 120, some beats tolerably full and strong, afterwards 32, irregular in rhythm and force, some of the beats full and bounding.
Neck And Back
Cutting in nape
Aching in nape
Shooting from inner and upper angle of l. scapula to front of chest
Tired feeling in dorsal vertebrae all day, with the peculiar burning often attendant on exhaustion
Rheumatic pains in neck and back
Pain between the shoulders as if in spine, afterwards involving scapulae; in morning on waking;
< moving arms
Dragging sensation in spine between shoulders
Aching in loins
Acute pain in small of back; gnawing pain.
Limbs
Sudden prostration of strength in limbs
Rheumatic pains in limbs
Drawing, lacerating in various parts of r limbs, < motion
Aching: in ankles, lower part of thighs, wrists, and shoulder-joints; in all parts on waking; bruised, on waking
In afternoon occasional rheumatic pains in thighs and arms, < shoulder-joints; shifting rheumatism (drawing aching), pain in arms, shoulders, and legs, < l.
Upper Limbs
Rheumatic pains in shoulders; rheumatic drawing in l. shoulder in morning
Burning pain in wrist, and he hung down his arm, from which a few drops of blood fell (from the bite)
Swelling: of hand and thumb; of hand and arm, with spots; of bitten hand, and of arm and breast of same side, with livid spots
Numbness (crampy) and shifting rheumatic pains, < in shoulder-joints, and numbness of hands as if asleep
Numb pain and feeling as if ether had been allowed to evaporate
Aching in r. fourth and little fingers, then sensation of digging in middle of l. triceps, acute pain under l. thumb-nail (where virus had entered) running up arm.—(Sweating palms.)
Lower Limbs
Sudden weakness when walking in evening
Staggering when walking
Dragging when walking, with weariness
Pressive and drawing sensations on points in lower limbs and feet
Pain anteriorly in r. thigh; posteriorly in thighs in afternoon
Shooting down leg and tingling in feet
Drawing pain in lower part of tendo Achillis, < motion, afterwards increased to lameness, > evening
Pain in the bitten toe, ascending to top of thigh, then pain in belly, which was tense and swollen, then the pain descended in the same track in which it had risen.
Generalities
Languor; fatigue; torpor Organs seem to be drawn together, esp. ovary and heart Depression of both mental and physical powers Symptoms < from stimulants;
> when walking in open air Swelling of body Local inflammation Appearance as if intoxicated
Convulsive movement of mouth and limbs Rolling about as if weak and faint Moaned, grasped his throat, tossed his head from side to side and moved his arms and legs uneasily Unnatural quiet, with groans and complaints of slight pains in the bitten arm
Sensation of wasting away Restlessness in afternoon Inclination to lie in bed in morning Inability to support himself in a sitting posture
Swooning fits Loss of sense of feeling.
Skin
Creeping, itching, and tingling sensation in skin
Skin swelled, mottled, and of dark purple, livid colour
Large pimples on inflamed base
Small white blisters on inflamed base, with much itching
Gangrene
Boil-like swelling on back of middle phalanx of r. little finger
Painful chilblains on feet
Pimple: on upper lip; on l. ala nasi; on inflamed base, on tip of nose, nose sore in consequence; painful on brow
White itching blisters on inflamed base, on neck and body in afternoon.
Sleep
Yawning; great sleepiness
Restless, disturbed sleep
Vivid dreams
Little inclination for sleep, brain irritable
Sleepiness in evening, and weakness, went to bed at 9 p.m. and fell asleep immediately;
< after tea, > hard walking and profuse sweat
Dozing and moaning
Long and vivid dreams, little recollection of the subjects
A vivid dreamy night; affairs of the day recalled, with additions, and new plans for the morrow
Dreams of murders, suicides, fires, &c.
Fever
Body cold and collapsed
Extremities very cold; icy coldness of feet
Burning heat in face
Feels very uncomfortable, hot, and feverish
Free perspiration
Heat, but he refused water; heat with prostration; with discomfort, dry lips, and tender, hot mouth
Head hot; and full of blood
Burning of ear
Flushes of heat in face at different times of day; flushes in face, < l. side
Hands hot, and much sweat in palms
General sweat; cold, clammy.