Colchicum Autumnale

Colchicum is best known as a remedy in gout and rheumatism, and the

provings show its specific relation thereto. It acts on muscles, bones, and joints. It causes

extreme relaxation of the muscular system—the head falls forward on the chest; or falls back

when the patient is raised from the pillow; arms fall helpless by the side. Stitching, jerking,

drawing pains in muscles; periosteum, and joints. Extreme disinclination to move; < from

motion. Mind befogged; but answers correctly. Absence of apprehension, no fear of death.

Results of getting wet and Letting chilled; changes to damp weather; autumn dysentery, spring

rheumatism. (The flowers of the plant appear in autumn; the leaves not till the following spring.)

It corresponds to the gouty constitution; leuco-phlegmatic and melancholic temperament; venous

constitutions; uric acid diathesis, the sediment being pale yellow and rather like fine flour than

sand. Also, urine black as ink; urine loaded with albumen and casts. There is the irritability and

aversion to touch so common in gout; pain in small joints, and especially the great toes. The

stomach is acutely disordered, nausea and vomiting. "Nausea at thought, sight, or smell of food,

especially of cooking," is a characteristic symptom. (Nash records a striking cure by Colch. 200,

to which he was led by this symptom. The patient was an old lady who was vomiting blood, and

passing as many as sixteen bloody stools in the day. The doors of the room had to be most

carefully kept closed to prevent any smell of cooking reaching her as that immediately provoked

nausea.) Sensation of icy coldness in stomach; or burning. Coldness is a common symptom:

abdomen; stomach; extremities. Profuse cold sweat; marked chills with or without periodicity.

Burning also is not uncommon: in cavities, especially abdomen. The characteristic stool of

Colchicum is jelly-like mucus; membranous shreds being also marked; violent tenesmus

accompanies. Protrusion of rectum. "After evacuation, as in dysentery, there is generally relief

(but in typhus fever, e.g., sometimes a terrific spasmodic pain of the sphincter ani comes on after

stool. This may occur in common diarrhsa)" (Guernsey). The rice-water stool, hippocratic face,

coldness, cramps, prostration, led Salzer to find in it the specific for certain epidemics of Asiatic

cholera. All functions, mental and bodily, are slow; nutrition and digestion are at a stand, and yet

the patient does not emaciate rapidly. There is great prostration; debility from loss of sleep; the

prostration of typhoid fever and typhoid states. On the other hand there are convulsions, cramps,

and sometimes restlessness. The pains of Colchicum are very acute and unendurable. The Colch.

dysentery and rheumatism are exceedingly painful. Very sensitive and irritable. Cannot endure

strong smells. Gouty diabetes, the uric acid reappearing as the sugar disappears. The heart is

• ▸affected as other muscles.
• ▸Oppression and anxiety > by walking.
• ▸Heart-beating.
• ▸Stitches about

heart and loss of consciousness. Heart affected (pericarditis) on disappearance of symptoms from

extremities; rheumatism appears on disappearance of uric acid from urine. Colch. will reverse

• ▸this.
• ▸J.
• ▸R.
• ▸Simson, of Tonawanda, N.
• ▸Y.
• ▸, cured a very bad rase of typhoid presenting among

other symptoms, this: "his left pupil was contracted so as to be almost imperceptible, while the

right was dilated to the full extent." This is peculiar to Colch., and no remedy relieved the patient

• ▸till he received this.
• ▸B.
• ▸Simmons calls attention (H.
• ▸P.
• ▸, August, 1889) to the powerlessness of the

affected parts which accompanies many Colchicum affections, especially when occurring in

leuco-phlegmatic subjects and when there is Sdematous swelling of the parts. He cured a woman,

36, mother of two children, of leuco-phlegmatic temperament, who complained of rheumatism of

the hands, which were swollen; joints stiff and powerless, pain as if bruised; the arms being

affected but in less degree. "She was unable to brush her own hair, not so much from the pain as

• ▸from the extreme weakness and powerlessness of the parts affected.
• ▸" T.
• ▸F.
• ▸Allen gives "Tingling

in finger-nails" as characteristic of Co/ch.; no other remedy has it. As usual with allopathic

specifics, Colchicum has been terribly abused. Here is an instance. I was called suddenly to see

an old gentleman of 72, whom I found in a state of collapse, pallid, surface was cold and

clammy, almost pulseless. He had been taken suddenly ill when in the water-closet, vomiting

"black bile," and had fallen on the floor when trying to walk along the passage. The history of

the attack was this: He had formerly been "a martyr to gout." Four years previously he began to

take, on lay recommendation, a powder which analysis showed to be composed of equal parts of

Colchicum and Jesuit's bark. He kept this up for six months and had no more gout. But at the end

of the six months he had the first attack of this kind. It came quite suddenly and was, as far as I

could learn, identical with the one in which I saw him. In addition to the symptoms named there

was looseness of the bowels, the stool being black like the vomit. He was compelled to lie

absolutely still, the least attempt to raise the head exciting nausea. Recovery took place in a few

days. This is not exactly a case of what our friends would call "médecine substitutive," but I am

inclined to name it "maladie substitutive," the substituted malady, Colchicism, being

considerably worse than the gout it replaced. These attacks had recurred every few months,

although the powders were discontinued. The < from motion is as marked as that of Bry. The

patient must rest and lie down. Cannot lie on left side. < From any exertion mental or bodily.

Bending forward > oppression and colic. Symptoms are < night and evening. Warmth >

generally; but warm food < toothache; and damp, warm weather = profuse watery stools; warm

stove or warm room = chilliness. Symptoms generally are < from cold or damp; from getting

wet; from bathing, living in damp dwellings; change to damp weather; from change of weather;

also complaints from getting overheated. Pains in gout go from left to right; headaches right to

left. Complaints of old people; asthmatic people.

• ▸Great dejection.
• ▸—Ill-humour.
• ▸—Peevish; dissatisfied with everything.
• ▸—The sufferings

appear insupportable.—The least external impression (bright light, strong smells, bad manners)

drives him to distraction—Weakness of memory.—Great desire for rest and disinclination to

every mental exertion; absence of mind.—Forgetfulness and distraction.

Rheumatic and arthritic tearing in the limbs, and other parts of the body, esp.

in warm weather.—Tingling in many parts of the body, as if frost-bitten, when the weather

changes.—Tearing twitches, like electric shocks, through one side of the body, with sensation of

lameness.—Starting, shootings in the muscles, and in the periosteum of the limbs, esp. in cold

• ▸weather.
• ▸—Frequent starting of the body.
• ▸—Shooting in the joints.
• ▸—Paralytic weakness, of the

muscles.—Pains accompanied by paralytic weakness, and real paralysis.—Great weakness, with

sensation of lameness through all the limbs.—Dropsical swellings.—The sufferings are singularly

aggravated by intellectual fatigue, by touch, by too brilliant a light, and by the smell of

pork.—Aggravation of the symptoms from the commencement of the night till morning.—General

sinking, and consequent painful sensibility of the whole body, so that the patient cannot move

without groaning.—Nervous fatigue and weakness from nocturnal labour.

Headache chiefly frontal and temporal, but also occipital and in nape of neck, worse afternoon and evening.

Giddiness when sitting down after walking.—Pulsations in the head.—The headache is

relieved, after supper, from warmth and lying quiet in bed.—Pressure on the occiput, during

intellectual exertion—Cramp-like pains in the head, esp. above the eyes.—Semilateral tearing in

the head.—Tingling in the forehead and upon the head.

• ▸Pupils unequal; left pupil contracted.
• ▸Variations in visual acuity.
• ▸Lachrymation worse in open air; violent tearing pain in eyes.
• ▸Dim vision after reading.
• ▸Spots before eyes.

Pupils much dilated, only slightly sensitive to light, or immovable or slightly

• ▸dilated.
• ▸—L.
• ▸pupil contracted, while r.
• ▸is dilated (typhoid).
• ▸—Pains in the eyes, like a digging

pulling, deep in the eyeball.—Swelling of the lower lids —Watering of the eyes in the open

air.—(lritis; keratitis; macul¢).—Suppuration of the Meibomian glands (ulceration, left lower lid);

burning and redness of the edges of the eyelids.—Visible traction in the lower lids.

Itching in ears; sharp, shooting pains below right tragus.

Otalgia, with tearing shootings (after measles).—Tingling in the ears, as if they had

been frozen.—Sensation of obstruction in the ears.—Purulent discharge from the ears, with

drawing pains.—Dryness of the ears.

Aching pain in the bones of the nose.—Tingling in the nose.—Pains as from excoriation

in the septum narium, aggravated by touch.—Bleeding of the nose in the evenings.—Excessive

sensibility of smell.—Obstinate coryza, with snuffling of a great quantity of viscid mucus,

proceeding from the nose.

• ▸Pain in facial muscles, moving about.
• ▸Tingling and oedematous swelling; cheeks red, hot, sweaty.
• ▸Very irritable with the pains (Cham).
• ▸Pain behind angle of right lower jaw.

• ▸Features disfigured.
• ▸—Aspect sickly, sad, suffering.
• ▸—Face spotted with yellow.
• ▸—Very

great paleness of the face—Cheeks red and hot (afternoon).—Sdematous swelling of the

face.—Sensation of separation in the bones of the face —Sensation in the masseters, as if they

were distended, with difficulty in opening the mouth.—Drawings and successive pullings in the

muscles and bones of the face —Semi-lateral tearing in the face, extending to the ear and the

• ▸head.
• ▸—Tingling in the skin of the face, as if it had been frozen.
• ▸—Lips cracked.
• ▸—Tearing in the

lower lip.—Cramp-like pain in the maxillary joint.

Heat in the mouth.—Tearing in the palate——Abundant, serous salivation, with dryness

of the throat.—Heaviness, stiffness, and insensibility of the tongue ——Tongue coated

white.—Smarting and sensation of dryness of the tongue and throat.

Odontalgia, with tearing pains.—Sensibility of the teeth, when they touch on closing

the jaws.—Acute pains in the gums.

Sore-throat, as if from swelling of the orifice of the Sssophagus.—Tingling in the

palate —Constriction of the gullet.—Inflammation and redness of the palate, of the

fauces.—Inflammations, tearings and shootings in the palate, and in the throat—Accumulation of

greenish mucus in the throat, and in the mouth.

10. Appetite-—Appetite suddenly ceasing, merely from the sight or smell of food, with loathing,

when merely looking at it, and still more from smelling it; the smell of broth nauseates, and that

• ▸of fish, eggs, or fat meat almost makes him faint.
• ▸—Insipidity of food.
• ▸—Great thirst, esp.
• ▸for

coffee.—Taste bitter; violent thirst.

• ▸Dry mouth, tongue burns, gums and teeth pain.
• ▸Thirst; pain in stomach and flatulence.
• ▸The smell of food causes nausea even to fainting, especially fish.
• ▸Profuse salivary secretion.
• ▸Vomiting of mucus, bile and food; worse, any motion; great coldness in stomach. Craving for various things, but is averse to then when smelling them, seized them with nausea.
• ▸Gouty gastralgia.
• ▸Burning or icy coldness in stomach and abdomen.
• ▸Thirst for effervescent, alcoholic beverages.
• ▸Pain in transverse colon.

Frequent eructations.—Constant hiccough.—Nausea, increased, so as to occasion

loss of consciousness, by the smell of fresh eggs, or fat meat.—Nausea, during a meal.—Nausea,

after swallowing the saliva——Nausea, in an erect position, when moving at table, with inclination

to vomit, with constant flow of saliva—Vomiting of food, or of bile, or mucus, of the ingesta,

with trembling, violent gagging, colic, succeeded by bitterness in the mouth and throat; every

motion excites or renews the vomiting. —Stomach very sensitive to the touch.—Sensation of

excoriation, and tingling in the stomach.—Sensation of cold, or of burning in the stomach, with

heavy pain.—Shooting in the pit of the stomach.—Sensation of gnawing hunger in the stomach.

• ▸Distention of abdomen, with gas, inability to stretch out legs.
• ▸Borborygmi.
• ▸Pain over liver.
• ▸Caecum and ascending colon much distended.
• ▸Fullness and continuous rumbling.
• ▸Ascites.

Inflation and fulness of the abdomen.—Pressure towards the outside in the upper

part of the abdomen.—Colic, with tearing pains —Pain, as of excoriation, in |. side of abdomen,

on its being touched.—Dropsical swelling of the abdomen, with a fold over the pubic

region.—Pain, as of burning and pressure in the abdomen, in the region of the bladder, and in the

internal genital parts —Pulsation in the abdomen.

Painful, scanty, transparent, jelly-like mucus; pain, as if anus were torn open, with prolapse. Autumnal dysentery; stools contain while shreddy particles in large quantities. Ineffectual pressing; feels feces in rectum, but cannot expel them.

Constipation.—Evacuations slow, difficult, scanty, with urging, even of the

soft stool, with pain in the small of the back.—Involuntary evacuation of féces.—Watery

discharges, going off without sensation.—DiarrhSa, consisting of mucus like rice-

water.—Dysenteric diarrhsa, of white, transparent, gelatinous mucus.—Ineffectual pressing to

stool; he feels the féces in the rectum, but cannot expel them.—Discharge of much mucus from

the rectum.—Extremely painful stools.—Sanguineous evacuations, mixed, as it were, with false

membranes.—Prolapsus recti—Tingling itching, burning, and tearing in the anus.—During stool

sensation as if the sphincter ani were torn to pieces.—Cramps in the sphincter ani.

Urgent want to make water, with increased discharge of clear

urine.—Scanty discharge of urine of a deep colour, with tenesmus, and a burning

sensation.—Painful and scanty emission of urine of a bright red colour—Brownish or blackish

urine.—Whitish deposit in the urine.-—Burning sensation and pressure in the urinary organs, and

the bladder, with diminished secretion.—Pullings, tearings, and incisive pains in the

urethra.—Frequent micturition.

Dark, scanty or suppressed; bloody, brown, black, inky; contains clots of putrid decomposed blood, albumin, sugar.

Pruritus of genitals. Cold feeling in thigh after period. Sensation of swelling in vulva and clitoris.

Tingling in the trachea.—Tickling in the pharynx, which excites a

small dry cough.—Frequent short and dry cough.—Nocturnal cough, with involuntary emission of

urine.—Hoarseness in the morning with roughness of the throat.

• ▸Anxiety in region of heart.
• ▸Impulse not felt.
• ▸Pericarditis, with severe pain, oppression and dyspnoea, pulse threadlike.
• ▸Sound of heart become weaker, pulse of low tension.

Difficulty of respiration, and oppression at the chest, with anxiety; relieved by

bending forward.—Tensive, pressive, and periodical oppression of the chest; frequent pressure in

small spots in the chest.—Shootings in the chest, sometimes on breathing.—Tearings in the chest,

with obtuse lancinations.—Pain, as of excoriation in the chest, on being touched and during

movement.—Tingling in the chest.

Violent palpitation of the heart—Pressure and oppression in the region of the heart,

as if an attack of apoplexy threatened; > by walking.—Hydrothorax.

Aching in lumbar and lumbo-sacral region. Dull pain across loins. Backache, better, rest and pressure.

Shooting tension between the shoulder-blades.—Tearings in the

back.—Pain, as from excoriation in the loins, during movement.—Drawing in the small of the

back; worse during motion.—Soreness in the small of the back when touching it.

Stitches in the r. shoulder.—Painful lameness in the arms, which makes it

impossible to hold the lightest thing —Trembling of the r. hand preventing writing —Tearings in

the arms, the hands, and the fingers —Paralytic pain in the arms.—Trembling of the hands.—Heat

of the palms of the hands.—Cramp-like contraction of the fingers —Tingling in the fingers, as if

they had been frozen.—Tingling in the finger-nails—Torpor in the extremity of the fingers.

Tearings in the legs, the feet, and the toes.—Paralytic pullings in the

thighs.—Hot (Sdematous) swelling of the legs, with acute pains during movement.—Tingling of

the toes, as if they had been frozen.

• ▸Sharp pain down left arm.
• ▸Tearing in limbs during warm weather, stinging during cold.
• ▸Pins and needles in hands and wrists, fingertips numb.
• ▸Pain in front of thigh.
• ▸Right plantar reflex abolished.
• ▸Limbs, lame, weak, tingling.
• ▸Pain worse in evening and warm weather.
• ▸Joints stiff and feverish; shifting rheumatism; pains worse at night.
• ▸Inflammation of great toe, gout in heel, cannot bear to have it touched or moved.
• ▸Tingling in the finger nails.
• ▸Knees strike together, can hardly walk.
• ▸OEdematous swelling and coldness of legs and feet.

Blotchy papular rash on face. Pink spots on back, chest and abdomen. Urticaria.

Itching, as from nettles.—Tingling in different parts, as after being frozen —Sdematous

swelling and anasarca—Suppressed perspiration.

Drowsiness in the day, with unfitness for exertion.—Irresistible sleepiness,

drowsiness.—Sleeplessness from nervous excitability —Sleeplessness, without entire

unconsciousness.—Sleeplessness, because he cannot lie on the |. side, on which he is accustomed

to sleep.—Frequent waking with fright—Nocturnal heat, with violent thirst.

Chill about noon on first day, followed by violent heat lasting several hours, with

increased thirst, very rapid pulse, confusion of the head, uneasiness and sleeplessness.

Colchicum.

• ▸Colchicum autumnale.
• ▸Meadow Saffron.
• ▸N.
• ▸O.
• ▸Melanthaceé of the Liliace¢.
• ▸Tincture of the

bulb dug in spring.

• ▸Appendicitis.
• ▸Asthma.
• ▸Cataract.
• ▸Cholera.
• ▸Colic.
• ▸Cough.
• ▸Cramp.
• ▸Debility.
• ▸Diabetes.

• ▸Diarrhsa.
• ▸Dropsy.
• ▸Dysentery.
• ▸Eye, affections of.
• ▸Feels, painful.
• ▸Gout.
• ▸Heart affections of.
• ▸Ileus.

• ▸Intermittent fever.
• ▸Intestinal catarrh.
• ▸Lumbago.
• ▸Myalgia.
• ▸Nephritis (rheumatic and gouty).

• ▸Pericarditis.
• ▸Proctalgia.
• ▸Prostatitis.
• ▸Rectum, prolapse of.
• ▸Rheumatism.
• ▸Stiff-neck.
• ▸Tongue,

sensibility lost. Typhlitis. Typhoid fever.

• ▸Antidoted by: Bell.
• ▸, Camph.
• ▸, Coccul.
• ▸, Nux v.
• ▸, Puls.
• ▸, Spigel.
• ▸, honey and sugar.
• ▸In

• ▸poisoning give Ammon.
• ▸caust.
• ▸in sugar water.
• ▸Follows well: Lyc.
• ▸Followed well by: Carb.
• ▸v.

• ▸(ascites).
• ▸Compare: Aco.
• ▸, Arn.
• ▸, Ars.
• ▸(Colch.
• ▸has the prostration of Ars.
• ▸, but without its

• ▸restlessness); Cact.
• ▸and Abrot.
• ▸(metastasis to heart); Bry.
• ▸(gout, rheumatism, serous effusions, <

• ▸by movement); Chi.
• ▸, Coccul.
• ▸, Merc.
• ▸, Nat.
• ▸m.
• ▸, Nux, Op.
• ▸, Pod.
• ▸(painless cholerine); Puls.

(derangement of stomach by eggs; gout; nausea at smell or thought of food, especially if rich or

• ▸fat); Sep.
• ▸, Calc.
• ▸, Ars.
• ▸, and Ambra.
• ▸(icy coldness in stomach); Lach.
• ▸(black urine; < smell of food;

• ▸cholera); Ver.
• ▸(cholera, cold sweat on forehead); Bar.
• ▸c.
• ▸(paralysis of tongue; cold, loss of

sensibility); Nux (debility from loss of sleep; irritability, all external impressions annoy; the

debility of Colch. is more profound and there is dislike of all food, and nausea from smells).

Colch. is botanically allied to the Veratrums, the Alliums, and Iris. Teste includes it in his

Zincum group. /t antidotes: Thuja.

Antidotes: Thuja; Camph; Coccul; Nux; Puls.

Compare: Colchicine (intestinal catarrh with shreddy membranes; convulsive jerkings of right hand; rheumatic fever, gout, endo and pericarditis, pleurisy, arthritis, deformans in early stages; intense pain of rheumatism 3x trit). Also, Carbo; Arnica; Lilium; Arsen; Verat.

Third to thirtieth attenuation.

It is rather singular that traditional medicine used Colchicum so

much for gout. In all the old books it was recommended for this

malady. The provings corroborate the fact that Colchicum fits into

many conditions of gout. Acute rheumatism and uric acid diathesis ;

rheumatic complaints in general, with swelling and without swelling.

But traditional medicine does not tell us what kind of gout to give it

in or what kind of rheumatism. It was really the medicine of

experience. ‘If it is gout, try Colchicum,’' The question of what

was to be done with the patient when the remedy failed never came up.

It was “Give the prescription and keep at it,” and drugs were administered until the painent, steadily growing worse, passed from one

doctor’s hands to another's. It is true that Colchicum fits into the

gouty state. Spells of cold, wet weather will slack up the flow of

urine, make it scanty, or decrease the quantity of solids in the urine.

This takes place in the provings of Colchicum and has been verified

many times. It is well known that such a condition will bring about

or intensify the gouty state. If the solids in the urine are deficient, if

they are not carried off in the urine, something must happen, and the

gouty state comes on.

Colchicum is aggravated by cold, ^ainp weather; by the cold rains

in the Fall. It is aggravated by anything that will debilitate. It is

aggravated in the extreme heat of summer ; it has a summer rheumatism ; the heat will slack up the flow of urine or the quantity of

solids in the urine,

A striking feature running through the remedy is its tendency to

move from one joint to another, from one side to another, from below

upwards, or from above downwards. Rheumatic conditions with

swelling or without swelling ; first here, next there, changing about

from place to place. Another striking feature is the general dropsical

condition. When the hands and feet swell, and there is pitting on

pressure. Dropsy of the abdominal cavity ; of the pericardium ; of the

pleurae and dropsy of serous sacs. Swellings that are inflammatory

and rheumatic ; swellings that are dropsical, with pale urine. Whether

copious or scanty, still it is pale.

Muscular rheumatism and rheumatism of the white fibrous tissues

of the joints. Rheumatic troubles that have been going on for some

time will end in cardiac troubles. When cardiac troubles with val*

vular defects are present, almost the first thing the busy doctor thinks

of is a history of rheumatism. Let me Say that a part of the study

5^

COLCmCUM

of Materia Medica consists in the observation of sick people. A busy

physician learns without books, though of course he should familial i^c

himself with the literature, so that from reading, as well as observation, he may acquire a knowledge of the general nature of sickness.

When he listens to the patient’s story or makes a physical examination,

be knows how such cases usually conduct themselves. He knows what

to expect. He knows the natural trend of sickness and instantly

recognizes what is strange and unusual. He will not recognize what

is strange and unusual unless he knows what is natural. So your

books on symptomatology and pathology, diagnosis, etc., will tell you

much of this, but as you gain experience in homoeopathic practice

you will get a much finer idea of this because your Materia Medica

teaches you to observe more closely. The Materia Medica man learns

to single out and trace every little thing in order to individualize. So

it may be said that years of observation in studying disease, studying

the sick man along with the Materia Medica, will open to the mind a

much grander knowledge of the sicknesses of humanity than can be

had by practicing traditional medicine. Traditional medicine benumbs

the ability to observe.

All the complaints of this remedy are aggravated from motion. The

painful complaints, the head complaints, the bowel complaints, the

liver complaints, the stomach complaints, are all worse from motion.

Such an aggravation from motion that he dreads to move. About as

marked as we find in Bryonia. Aversion to motion, and aggravation

from motion. Aggravation from becoming cold and in cold, damp

weather. He is a chilly patient, sensitive to cold. Most rheumatic

patients are sensitive to cold, but there are a few exceptions. There

is no greater rheumatic patient than the Ledum patient. He presents

both sides. Though he is cold, his pains arc ameliorated by cpld. In

Colchicumt the pains are ameliorated by heat, by wrapping up, by being

warrn. If he moves, any suffering that he may have will be intensified. Great prostration accompanies the complaints of this remedy.

Weakness of the limbs, great exhaustion, nervous exhaustion of a

typhoid character. He gradually growls weaker like one going into

Bright’s disease. He has grown weak for some time, and he is pallid

and waxy. His hands and feet pit upon pressure. Examine the urine

and you will find albumen in it. The urine becomes black like ink with

albumen. There is an unusual degree of irritability of the tissues,

soreness, sensitiveness to touch, sensitiveness to motion ; bruised feeling of the joints and of the whole body. Touch and motion bring on a

painful sensation in the body as of electric vibrations. Great weakness and exhaustion. He cannot exert himself in the least without

causing dyspnoea. Must lie down ; does not want to move ; sinking of

strength; seems as if his life will flow out of him from motion and

COLCmcUM

from exertion ; so tired and exhausted. This naturally occurs when

going towards Bright’s disease, when going towards a continued

fever. Kidney affections and liver affections. Lassitude, prostration,

anxiety. The muscles twitch and electric shocks pass through the

body. A paralytic weakness was observed in the poisonous effects

and too prolonged provings. The jaw hangs down, the muscles are

flabby, relaxed. He lies on the back as if sinking ; slides down in bed

like one in typhoid, in low forms of rheumatic and in continued fevers,

so great is the exhaustion. Paralysis of the limbs or of one limb, or

of any part.

The Colchicum patient is almost constantly sweating, even with

fever, and sometimes the sweat is cold. A draft blows upon him, suppresses that sweat and the paralytic condition of the limbs comes on ;

• ▸suppression of urine and retention of urine.
• ▸This describes the profound character and type of sickness.
• ▸Low forms of sickness ; prostrating sickness ; sickness with nervous trembling ; with great exhaustion.
• ▸After acute disease has passed away, great weakness and dropsy

follows. Dropsy after scarlet fever.

With all these troubles, the stomach and the bowel symptoms are

very decided. This is like Cocculus, Absolutely unable to touch

food. Nausea, gagging, retching at the bare mention of food in his

presence. The thought and smell of food bring on nausea and vomiting. With all these low forms of disease, these states described, we

can see that this kind of weakness is little different from the Cocculus

weakness. Colchicum has delirium, prostration, depression of mind,

great sensitiveness to pain, which he seems to feel in his mind, and it

brings out mental symptoms. Very senvsitive to pain ; confusion of

the mind ; disorders of comprehension. Cannot understand what he

reads. The headaches are all of a rheumatic character. Very often

the whole skull, the pericranium, is sore as if bruised. The scalp is

sensitive. Pressure in the head — constriction ; pressing, bursting

• ▸headaches.
• ▸Heat in the head.
• ▸Tearing in the scalp.
• ▸Headaches are

all aggravated by motion.

The eye symptoms are of a rheumatic character, arc connected with

rheumatism, rheumatic fever. It is not very uncommon to have iritis

in connection with rheumatic fever and it is a strong feature of Colchicum. Ulcers of the lids, styes, much lachrymation in the open air.

The tears excoriate and cause redness of the lids.

• ▸He takes cold easily.
• ▸Sneezing, stuffing up of the nostrils.
• ▸Nosebleed in rheumatic and gouty constitutions.
• ▸But there is one feature

that is more marked in Colchicum than all others. He is so sensitive

to odors that he smells things which others do not smell. He smells

odors from which he is nauseated. ‘^Strong odors make him quite

beside himself.’^ You say ‘‘soup" or “broth," or something to eat^

COLCHlCUM

and he gets sick. He can smell the things in the kitchen, in spite of

much precaution, and this runs through the remedy. In typhoid

fever, prostrated beyond the usual — and typhoid is always prostrated

enough — he is unusually prostrated. He cannot take milk, cannot

take raw eggs, cannot take soup, because he gags at the mere thought

of them. He has gone on for days, and his family are afraid that he

is going to starve to death. That aggravation from odors is so strong

with him that it seems to take possession of him. It involves his

appetite, his weakness, his stomach. So it does seem that it is a

strong feature. Notice that this is one of his loves ; it is a perverted

love, and the loves are general whether they are manifested through

the eyes, nose or touch. It enters into his very life because it involves

hatred to odor, and when it stands out in low forms of disease like the

continued fevers, the exhaustive fevers and rheumatic complaints it

becomes a general. It would be a particular if it were something that

applied to the things alone, but you see it enters into the very innermost.

Involves a hatred, becomes mental, becomes a part of the man. He

himself may be said to hate odors, hate the smell of food and the

thought of it. Do not say “food*’ in the presence of a Colchicum

patient, but give him Colchicum first, and pretty soon he will want

something to eat. It removes that hatred for food. What a vital

thing it must be when a man hates that which will keep him alive.

The teeth are very sensitive. “Rheumatic teeth.’' The gums settle

away ; after a while the teeth become loose. Pain in the teeth ; rheumatic condition of the jaws and the teeth. “Grinding of the teeth,

teeth sensitive when pressed together.”

“Aversion to food ; loathing the sight and smell,” more the smell of

it. “The smell of fish, eggs, fat meats or broths causes nausea even

unto faintness.” The Colchicum patient may have much thirst or no

thirst, or these may alternate. Nausea and vomiting are very strong

features. “Nausea and inclination to vomit, caused by swallowing

saliva. Nausea, eructations and copious vomiting of mucus and bile.

Violent retching followed by copious and forcible vomiting of food,

and then of bile.”

In the stomach there is sometimes coldness and sometimes burning.

Now it may be that the Colchicum patient has both coldness and burning. They are both recorded in the Repertory and in the provings,

but it is sometimes difficult to tell which is which, more difficult than

you will imagine unless you try a piece of ice somewhere and .something very hot.

“Burning in the pit of the stomach.” Coldness in the stomach.

Now the abdomen furnishes us still more to observe. The abdomen is

• ▸distended with flatus, tympanitic.
• ▸Great soreness in the whole abdomen.
• ▸Just such ^ tympanitic condition as we have in typhoid.
• ▸If you

COLCmCfJM

ever happen to be in the country practicing medicine, and the farmer’s

cows get into a fresh clover patch and eat themselves full and become

distended so that you are afraid they arc going to explode offer your

services and give each one of those cows a few pellets of Colchicum.

It will be but a few minutes before the wind will get out of there to

your surprise and the farmer s, too ; and you may convert him to

Homoeopathy. Farmers have been known to put a butcher knife into

the pouch of the cow between the last short ribs to let the wind out.

The cow will get well, but Colchicum is better than the butcher’s

knife. The same is true of the horse ; in fact, of man or beast.

When the abdomen is violently distended and tympanitic, Colchicum

is often a suitable remedy.

Spasmodic pains, colic, tearing pains, burning, griping pains, forcing the patient to bend double. Aggravated from motion. Great

tenderness and soreness with the colic. Aggravated from eating ;

ameliorated from bending double. And then comes the diarrhoea. It

has just such a diarrhoea as is found in low forms of fever. Dysenteric or diarrhoeic stools that are jelly like. They form in the pan a

solid mass of jelly like, coagulated mucus. Very painful, extremely

painful is the Colchicum stool. Great soreness in the abdomen.

Great relaxation of the parts. Protrusion of the rectum. Putrid,

dark, bloody mucus. **Bloody discharges from the bowels with

deathly nausea.” Fall dysentery, with discharges of white mucus and

violent tenesmus. Putrid, dark, clotted blood and mucus pass from

the bowels. Diarrhoea with violent, colicky pains. Bloody stools

with scrapings from the intestines and protrusion of anus. Profuse,

watery stools in hot, damp weather or in the Autumn. Watery, jellylike mucus passes from anus with violent spasm in sphincter. It

passes as a thin, watery flow ; but as soon as it cools, it forms a jelly.

The urine burns when it passes. It is attended with much pain.

Inflammation of the kidneys, inflammation of the bladder ; tenesmus ;

retention of urine. The kidneys manufacture no urine ; scanty urine

with dropsy. The urine is inky, that is, very dark brown and sometimes almost black, loaded with albumen. This remedy conforms

principally to the acute form of Bright’s disease.

Great dyspnoea, rapid, short breathing ; the heart’s impulse strong.

Respiration accelerated. The heart’s impulse can be heard all over

the room. Palpitation ; oppression of the chest. Feels as if he had

a great weight on the chest ; cannot breathe. Hydrothorax ; the

pleural cavities distended with serum, causing the dyspnoea. "Heart’s

action muffled, indistinct, very weak.” Stinging, tearing pains in the

muscles of the chest.

Paralytic pains in the arms ; enlarged finger joints. This also tells

what a low form of sickness, what a feeble circulation the medicine

4o6

CQLOCYNTH

brings about, ‘'Weakness so that he strikes the knees together when

walking ; pain all over as if bruised. Swelling of the joints.'' The

joints are most affected. Muscular rheumatism. Numbness, oedema,

swelling of the limbs.