Mercurius Vivus - General symptoms - Nash

GENERAL

General

Swollen, flabby tongue, taking imprint of the teeth; gums also swollen, spongy or bleeding; breath very offensive.

Sweats day and night without relief in many complaints.

Creeping chilliness in the beginning of a cold, or threatened suppuration.

Sliminess of mucous membranes.

Moist tongue, with intense thirst.

Glandular swellings, cold, inclined to suppurate; ulcers with lardaceous base.

Modalities worse at night in warmth of bed, while sweating, lying on right side.

Bone diseases; pains worse at night.

Dysentery stools slimy, bloody, colic, fainting; great tenesmus during and after, followed by chilliness, and a "cannot finish sensation." The more blood and pain the better indicated.

Affects lower lobe of right lung; stitches through to back (Chelidonium Majus ^Chel., Kali Carb ^{Kali c}.).

Intense thirst, although the tongue looks moist and the saliva is profuse.

In low potencies, hastens suppuration; in high, aborts suppuration, as in quinsy.

As in Antimonium Crudum ^{Antimonium crudum}, so in Mercurius, the leading characteristic is found in the mouth, or, I might rather say, characteristics, for the gums are swollen, spongy, sometimes bleeding; the tongue is also swollen, flabby, taking the imprint of the teeth (Arsenicum Album ^Arsenicum, Chelidonium Majus ^Chelidonium, Podophyllum Peltatum ^Podophyllum, Rhus Tox ^{Rhus tox}. and Stramonium ^Stramonium), generally moist, yet with intense thirst.

The fever symptoms of Mercurius are notable, especially in the sweats. The chill also is peculiar as I have observed it. It is not a shaking chill, but is simply creeping chilliness. Often when this creeping chilliness is felt it is the first symptom of a cold that has been taken, and, if left alone, the coryza, sore throat, bronchitis of even pneumonia may follow; but, if taken early, a dose of Mercurius may prevent all such troubles. The chilliness is felt most generally in the evening and increases into the night if not removed by Mercury. It also alternates with flashes of heat.

Now the sweats. They are very profuse and do not relieve like the sweats of inflammatory diseases generally do, but no the contrary the complaints increase with the sweat. (Tilia Europoea ^Tilia.). In what diseases is this condition found? It may be found in almost every disease In sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, pleuritis, peritonitis, abscesses, rheumatism, etc., to the end of a long list. In short in any disease in which this profuse and persistent sweating without relief is present Mercurius is the first remedy to be thought of. Worse at night, and especially in the warmth of the bed, is another strong characteristic of Mercurius. (Ledum Palustre ^Ledum pal.) There is a long list of remedies that have aggravations at night, but not so many from warmth of the bed. I have cured many skin diseases of various names guided by this modality.

The glands and bones also come strongly under the influence of Mercurius Vivus. The glandular swellings are cold, inclined to suppurate, having these chilly creepings aforementioned. These with the bone-pains in the exostoses and caries are all aggravated at night in the warmth of the bed.

The mucous membranes are everywhere affected; the discharges from them are at first thin and excoriating, even from the catarrh of the nose to the diarrhoeic, or dysenteric, discharges. Afterwards they become thicker or more bland, like the Pulsatilla ^Pulsatilla discharges. Where are worse at night also, even the leucorrhoea.