Aphis Chenopodii Glauci. (Chenopodii Glauci Aphis.)

Animals have mostly proved valuable additions to our Materia Medica. Animalized plants may be of the same importance. A remedy prepared from a caterpillar existing on belladonna plant acted when the berries and leaves of that plant appeared to be insufficient. The Doryphora decemlineata containing solanine promises much according to the proving.

Aphis may also become an important animalized plant medicine, and is given a place here to enable practitioners to try it. It was proved and introduced by Dr. Meyer, and printed in Stapf's Archives, in 1835. One cure in a very painful case of toothache was made by Dr. Raue.

We quote the words of the great entomologists, Kirby and Spence, from their famous Introduction to Entomology, Vol. I, 1815. In the chapter on the direct benefits derived from insects, they mention how far medical science is indebted to insects; and after enumerating how many, according to Lesser, had been used in olden time, and before mentioning the very few “the sons of Hippocrates and Galen now have recourse to,” the following very wise words are inserted: “I cannot help observing that their prescription of the remainder may have been to indiscriminate. Mankind are apt to run from one extreme to the other. From having ascribed too much efficacy to insect-remedies, we may now ascribe too little. Many insects emit very powerful odors (as the acanthia suaveolens), and some produce extraordinary effects on the human frame; and it is an idea not altogether to be rejected that they may concentrate into a smaller compass the properties and virtues of the plants upon which they feed, and thus afford medicines more powerful in operation than the plants themselves. It is at least worth while to institute a set of experiments with this view.”

The Old School did not regard this advice, but the New School has done it, and has found, if not more power, more intensity of action in them.

Dullness in head as from coryza, with flushes of heat in face.

Violent pressure in forehead and occiput, aggravated by motion, with sensation as if brain was balancing to and fro.

Drawing tearing in scalp; first days and second week.

Burning of eyelids; several evenings.

Transient tearing in ears, now in one, then in other.

Sensation of soreness of nostrils; continues second week.
Violent sneezing, with soreness of larynx.
Coryza, with burning and biting on margins of nostrils, particularly of septum.
Fluent coryza, with secretion of thin mucus and burning of nostrils; with accelerated pulse; coldness of feet up to knees, and a chill over back.
All day running coryza, burning pimples on right nostril and left upper lip.
In evening, running coryza with pulse of 85 beats.
Fluent coryza; continues second week.

Pale or yellowish color of face; all day.
Flushes of heat in face, with dullness of head, like beginning of a coryza (evening).
Great inclination to sweat in face; from early in morning.

Dryness of lips, especially in morning.
Dry lips and warmer breath; his pulse ran up to 68.
Burning pimples on left upper lip.

Towards noon tearing drawing pain in a decayed molar, gradually increasing and extending into other teeth right side, into ear, temples and malar bone; increasing in bed, amel. after several hours by a general warm sweat; during the second week of proving.
Increase of most violent toothache in bed, only relieved if after awhile a general warm sweat breaks out; all other remedies of no avail.

Painful vesicle on tip of tongue; second week.

More saliva in mouth and more phlegm in throat; second week.
Dryness of mouth and throat, sometimes with increased secretion of mucus.
All day much mucus in mouth and throat, tasting unpleasantly flat, with continual disposition to hawk or spit.
Secretion of frothy mucus from mouth and throat.

Scratching on palate.
A cutting burning sensation in throat, most in palate, when inhaling.
Scraping and burning in throat.
Disposed to hawk up phlegm.
The palate is inflamed.
Biting burning in soft palate during afternoon.
Dryness, scraping and burning like from something acrid in throat, and increased phlegm; second week.

No appetite for meat and wheaten bread, with chilliness.
Increased thirst, from sensation of dryness in throat.
Much thirst in evening; second week.

Frequent belching with taste of food.

Frequent cutting pain in abdomen, especially at night or during day, with urging to stool, emission of large quantities of flatus.
Frequent rumbling of flatus in bowels and passing of wind.
Congestion of blood to all organs in pelvis.
(OBS:) The plant is a popular medicine in colic.

Ineffectual urging to stool, with pressure on bladder and rectum.
Evacuations liquid, papescent, with burning in anus and renewed urging, or with pinching in abdomen before and after stool.
In morning soon after rising, urging to stool, followed by a few, thin, mush-like evacuations, repeated several times during day, with increased pinching, burning in anus and urging.
Thin, fluid stools early in morning, several days in succession, mostly thin slime, mixed with spots of dark blood, repeated five or six times during forenoon, with pinching and urging in rectum.
Every hour a stool, with pinching in entrails, painful pressure on rectum, bladder and urethra.
After stools are more consistent, there is then a painful urging in rectum.
Stools towards morning, with pinching and urging in rectum, after sleepless nights.

Pressure on bladder, with ineffectual desire to stool.
Irritation in urethra, as from acridity, compelling him to urinate frequently; urine saturated, yellow, foaming.
During micturition, burning in mouth of urethra.
Frequent and copious emission of saturated, yellow, foaming urine, without burning in urethra; another day with an acrid sensation in urethra.
Urine brownish red, depositing a thick, yellowish sediment, foaming during night.
Passing urine burns in urethra during chill and coryza.

At night voluptuous dreams and two seminal emissions, which had not occurred for a long time.
Voluptuous irritation on glans penis.

Frequent roughness and huskiness of voice; amel. by hawking.
Burning scraping in larynx, as from acridity; titillating burning or stinging, particularly in open air during wet and cold weather, with constant irritation in larynx, obliging him to cough or to hawk, and constant expectoration of mucus.
Painful sensitiveness on right side of larynx.
Tickling burning in larynx.
Irritation from very acrid mucus in larynx, or like a burning acridity, sometimes forcing him to cough, oftener to hawk.
Soreness of larynx, with violent sneezing.

Warmer breath with mucus in mouth.

Now and then irritation to cough in region of larynx.
Dry cough from irritation in throat.

Pulse 80, continuing all day; with thirst; dry mouth and throat, and frequent hawking; limbs as if beaten.
Pulse accelerated, with burning in palms of hands in forenoon and dry lips during day; in evening pulse 85.

Pain below left shoulder blade.
Frequent chilliness running up and down back.

Rheumatic pains in shoulders and upper arms; arms as if bruised.

Rheumatic pains on tibia and soles of feet.
Sensation of weariness in legs, most in knees.
Tearing drawing above knee, often mornings or during day.
Cold feet up to knees.
Stinging burning pain in corns or little toes, alternately, right and left.

All the limbs feel bruised.
Frequent drawing rending pains from above knees down to feet, agg. on shin bones and tops of feet.

Motion: pressure in forehead agg.

Tired feeling.

Sleepless night, without much pain, but towards morning twice a thin stool, with pinching and urging in rectum.

From 4 to 6 P. M.: more irritation to cough in larynx.
Afternoon: biting and burning in soft palate.
Evening: burning of eyelids; fluent coryza; flushes of face; thirst; pulse accelerated; tired and weak.
Morning: dry lips, more warmth in mouth and breath warmer, pulse accelerated; face inclined to sweat; after rising, urging to stool, thin mush-like passages with wind; tearing above knee; transpiration all over skin.
Forenoon: burning of palms of hands.
Towards noon: toothache.
All day: much mucus in mouth and throat; dry lips; pale yellowish color of face; cutting in abdomen and urging to stool; pulse increased to 80; tearing above knee.
Night: cutting in abdomen, urging to stool; seminal emissions; sleepless; urging, pinching and stool towards morning.

In bed: increase of toothache.
In open air, when weather is damp and cold: constant irritation in larynx, hawking and expectoration of mucus.

Chills, especially over back.
Burning in palms of hands, with inclination to sweat, in forenoon.
Feet and legs cold up to knees, shudders run down back, fluent coryza continuing.
In morning transpiration all over skin; later in morning before getting up, a warm sweat.
Sweat relieves toothache.

Every evening: very tired and weak.
Several times a day: thin evacuations.
Several days in succession: thin stools.

Right: pimples on nostril; side of larynx painful.
Left: burning pimples on upper lip; pain below scapula.
Right or left: transient tearing in ears.

As if brain was balancing to and fro; as if limbs were beaten; arms as if bruised.
Pain: below left shoulder blade.
Drawing rending: in temples, ears, decayed teeth, shoulders, upper arms, soles of feet, above knees, on tibia.
Drawing tearing: in scalp; in a decayed molar; above knee; in limbs.
Tearing: in ears.
Pinching: in abdomen; in anus; in rectum; in entrails.
Cutting: in abdomen.
Cutting burning: in throat and palate.
Burning: of eyelids; pimples on right nostril and left upper lip; in anus; in urethra; in larynx; in palms of hands.
Burning and biting: on margins of nostrils and of septum.
Stinging burning: in corns or little toes.
Scraping and burning: in throat; in larynx.
Biting burning: in soft palate.
Acrid sensation: in urethra.
Titillating burning or stinging: in larynx.
Scratching: on palate.
Soreness: of nostrils; of larynx.
Pressure: in forehead and occiput; on rectum and bladder.
Dullness in head.
Rheumatic pains: in shoulders and upper arms; in tibia and soles of feet.
Weariness: in legs, most in knees.
Dryness: of lips; of mouth; in throat.
Heat: in face.
Coldness: of feet to knees; running up and down back.

Relatives: the Polygonaceae, Rumex and Rheum.
Similar to: Pulsat., Chamom., Mercur., Antim., etc. (toothache agg. in bed; no other remedy has relief of toothache from sweat, though Chamom. has general relief from sweat); Aethusa (stool after rising, pinching, cutting before, urging after); Natr. sul. (stool after rising, with discharge of wind, etc.); Nux vom. (frequent urging in rectum and bladder); Apis, Argent. nitr., Dulcam., Phosph., etc., (in laryngeal affections); Gelsem. (chills up and down back, cold feet, etc).