Luna - General symptoms - Clarke

GENERAL

General

Moon's Rays. Sugar of milk is exposed on a glass plate to the moon's rays and stirred with a glass rod meanwhile. The sugar of milk so charged is dynamised in the usual way (Fincke). Higgins made a preparation by exposing pure water to the moon's rays for three or four hours in South America and then dynamising the water so charged.

Goullon of Weimar contributed to Zeit. des Berl. Ver. H. A. (translated in Rev. Hom. Belge, January, 1897), a notable article on "The Influence of the Moon on the Human Organism," in which he mentions, among other interesting facts, that somnambulism is a lunar effect.

that worm affections are most troublesome at the full moon, and that goître diminishes, more or less, during the waning moon. On this fact is based the following Spongia Tosta ^Spongia-Luna treatment, which he calls "infallible" Cut slices of sponge of the size of a finger. Grill them at a candle flame till they are brittle at the centre but still elastic at the borders. Triturate the whole and put 7 or 8 grams into half a litre (rather less than a pint) of rain-water or river-water. The bottling must be done three days before the new moon. Close the bottle and put it in a cellar, taking care to shake it once every day. Three days before the full moon the patient commences to take a tablespoonful night and morning. The greater part of the bottle will be finished during the waning moon. Goullon quotes the following remarkable case of somnambulism from the Cercle Médical "A youth of fifteen, in good health in other respects, had been withdrawn from his apprenticeship, on account of his nightly promenades on roofs, and put in a private asylum. Although his room was oriented so that no actual moon-rays could reach, it, the moon nevertheless exercised a potent influence upon him. As soon as it reaches the horizon he gets out of bed, and carefully, with closed eyes, moves towards a window, so high that he has to jump in order to reach and open it. As it is barricaded with an iron trellis he gets down, and, crossing the corridor, goes to the outer door, above which is a window. With cat-like agility he climbs up to this, when he is seized by three warders, who take him back to his room, where, only after the moon has set, can he lie down and go to sleep. In the morning he remembers nothing. At full moon the symptoms are still more extraordinary." Among other maladies notably influenced by the moon is epilepsy, and epilepsy agg. at full moon generally needs Silica Marina ^Silic. Skin diseases, according to Menuret, are frequently influenced by the moon. He instances a case of eczematous affection which increased with each waning moon, and was at its maximum intensity at the new moon, when it covered the whole face and chest, and was accompanied by unbearable itching. Then there was gradual improvement and the face became smooth, but scarcely had the full moon passed than all began again. Scabies and worm affections are agg. at full moon. Nervous affections, especially in subjects of sycosis, are frequently influenced by the moon. Moritz Hoffmann observed a young girl (daughter of an epileptic mother) whose whole body became swollen at every new moon, the swelling disappearing as the moon waned. Mead tells of a child who was subject to convulsions at each waning moon. Galega Officinalis ^Gale remarked that with weakly persons there are two epochs at which excitability is most pronounced.

the new moon and the full moon. Goullon quotes these words of Arago, which show that he had a proper estimation of the limits of physical analysis "A deeper research is needed, for there is nothing to show that it is the light of the moon which is its only efficient agent. It must further be remarked that the nervous system, according to a large number of reports, constitutes an instrument far more delicate than the most subtle apparatus of actual physics. And, in fact, who does not know that the olfactory nerve detects in the air the existence of odorous particles of which chemical analysis cannot reveal the smallest trace?" The moon-rays have been treated as other "Imponderables" (see under Magnetis Poli, &c.) and attenuations prepared. Swan communicated to H. W., xviii. 469, a proving of Luna 1m. made on a lady physician, Dr. S. J. W. The prover was menstruating at the time the proving was commenced, but was otherwise in good health. Repeated doses were taken for two days. The effects lasted four weeks. The majority of the symptoms were observed in the generative sphere, the head and the lower limbs. The pains were amel. in open air.

amel. by cold-application.

amel. by eructations and by passing flatus from vagina. agg. After sleep.

agg. from milk. Swan appends to his article some clinical observations. These symptoms will be found in the Schema in brackets.

Clinical

Acidity. Epilepsy. Headache. Inter-menstrual flow. OEdema. Physometra. Somnambulism. Worms.