Materia Medica

Argentum nitricum – Allen

Argentum nitricum
arg-n

THE SILVER NITRATE

 

ACUTE OR CHRONIC DISEASES FROM UNUSUAL OR LONG-CONTINUED MENTAL EXERTION.

 

Always think of Argentum nit. on seeing withered, dried-up, old-looking patients (thin, scrawny, Sec).

 

Emaciation, progressing every year; most marked in lower extremities (Am. m.); marasmus.

 

Apprehension when ready for church or opera, diarrhoea sets in (Gels).

 

TIME PASSES SLOWLY (Can. I.) ; impulsive, wants to do things in a hurry; must walk fast; is always hurried; anxious, irritable, nervous (Aur., Lil.).

 

Headache: congestive, with fulness and heaviness; with SENSE OF EXPANSION; habitual gastric, of literary men; FROM DANCING; hemicrania, pressive, screwing in frontal eminence or temple; ending in bilious vomiting; < from ANY EXHAUSTIVE METAL LABOR; > BY PRESSURE OR TIGHT BANDAGING (Apis, Puls.).

 

Acute granular conjunctivitis; SCARLET-RED, LIKE RAW BEEF; discharge profuse, muco-purulent.

 

Ophthalmia neonatorum: profuse, purulent discharge; cornea opaque, ulcerated; lids sore, thick, swollen; agglutinated in morning (Apis, Mer. s., Rhus).

 

Eye strain from sewing, < in warm room > in open air (Nat. m. Ruta) ; diseases due to defective accommodation.

 

Craves sugar; child is fond of it, but diarrhoea results from eating (craves salt or smoked meat, Cal. p.).

 

BELCHING ACCOMPANIES MOST GASTRIC AILMENTS.

 

Flatulent dyspepsia: belching after every meal; stomach, as if it would burst with wind; belching difficult, finally air rushes out with great violence.

 

Diarrhoea; green mucus, LIKE CHOPPED SPINACH IN FLAKES; turning green AFTER REMAINING ON DIAPER; AFTER DRINKING; after EATING CANDY OR SUGAR; masses of mucolymph in shreddy strips or lumps (Asar.) ; with much noisy flatus (Aloe).

 

Diarrhoea as soon as he drinks (Are., Crot. t., Throm.).

 

Urine passes unconsciously day and night (Caust.).

 

Impotence: erection fails when coition is attempted (Agnus, Calad., Selen.).

 

Coition: painful in both sexes; followed by bleeding from vagina (Nit. ac).

 

Metrorrhagia: in young widows; in sterility; WITH NERVOUS ERETHISM AT CHANGE OF LIFE (Lach.).

 

Great longing for fresh air (Amyl, Puls., Sulph.).

 

Chronic laryngitis of singers; the high notes cause cough (Alum., Arg. m., Arum).

 

Great weakness of lower extremities, with trembling; cannot walk with the eyes closed (Alum.).

 

Walks and stands unsteadily, especially when he thinks himself unobserved.

 

Convulsions preceded by great restlessness.

 

Sensation OF A SPLINTER in throat when swallowing (Dolich., Hep., Nit. ac, Sil.); in or about uterus when walking or riding.

 

CHILLY WHEN UNCOVERED, YET FEELS SMOTHERED IF WRAPPED UP; craves fresh air.

 

 

Relation

Natrum mur. for the bad effects of cauterizing with nitrate of silver.

Coffea increases nervous headache.

Boys’ complaints after using tobacco (Ars., Ver.).

Similar: to, Nat. m., Nit. ac, Lach., Aur., Cup.

After Ver.; Lyc. follows well in flatulent dyspepsia.

 

 

Aggravation

Cold food; cold air; eating sugar; ice cream; UNUSUAL MENTAL EXERTION.

 

 

Amelioration

Open air; craves the wind blowing in his face; bathing with cold water.

The 200th or 1000th potency in watery solution as a topical application in ophthalmia neonatorum has relieved when the crude Silver nitrate failed.