Formica Rufa

Formica causes many rheumatic and gouty pains; the pains appear suddenly,

and dart from place to place: left, then right; right, then left. The spinal cord is affected, paralyses

and spasms occurring. Sensation as if brain too heavy and large. Sensation as if a bubble burst in

forehead. It is of use "in all kinds of apoplectic diseases. It strengthens the brain" (Hering).

• ▸Cooper has given the 3x with success in cases of weakness of lower extremities.
• ▸J.
• ▸W.
• ▸Thomson

• ▸(H.
• ▸P.
• ▸, xvi.
• ▸32) reports the case of a gentleman, aged 84, who had severe neuralgic pains between

posterior of right ear and centre of occiput. From this he apparently recovered. Eighteen months

later he returned with a steady, sore, and burning pain in same region; swollen and tender

around, but especially behind, right ear. He could only sleep in one comfortable position, which

he could not describe, but only knew when he found it; and he must be covered up warmly

behind right ear and between that and occiput and neck—all right side. Better from taking right

hand and rubbing gently behind right ear. Sweat afforded no relief; the whole head seemed to

sympathise with the distress; he had dribbling of urine. Formica rufa was given, six doses, one

before each meal. On the second day, towards evening, he felt worse, and on the third day there

were twinges and spasms of severe pain in addition to the sore pain which he had before

experienced. These gradually got better, and on the fourth day even the soreness was much

better. The main thing, however, was that he felt mentally better; said his mind and head felt

stronger, and from feeling depressed he had become cheerful, and life did not seem the burden it

had for some time past. Hering gives as an indication for Formic acid: "Burning pain, burning

from washing; renewed burning from cold washing." Symptoms are > after midnight. Motion <;

• ▸also sitting.
• ▸Hot irons > pain in neck.
• ▸> By rubbing; by combing hair.
• ▸Cold water application <

(headache; burning pains). Great liability to take cold; consequences of cold and wet; cold

bathing; damp weather. Clammy skin; disagreeable sweat during night; sweat without relief.

Want of memory; in evening.—Indisposed, morose, fearful,

apprehensive.—Exhilarated after pain in vertex abated.—Mind unusually excited Remarkable

and unexpected activity of mind during the day, with absence of usual dulness and sleepiness.

• ▸Vertigo.
• ▸Headache with cracking in left ear.
• ▸Brain feels too heavy and large.
• ▸Sensation as if a bubble burst in forehead.
• ▸Forgetful in the evening.
• ▸Exhilarated.
• ▸Coryza and stopped-up feeling in nose.
• ▸Rheumatic iritis.
• ▸Nasal polypi.

Vertigo; all things seem to move to and fro, and reeling of body; pain in 1. supra-

orbital region when going to bed, with dizziness; blackness before eyes, > by sitting

down.—Fulness; stupid feeling, with sensation of stiffness in neck.—Dulness; pressure on both

sides between temples and ears.—Fore part of head aches with the cough.—Sensation like a

bubble bursting in forehead, running around |. side of head—Headache in |. forehead and temple

back to occiput, with cutting extending into ear—Headache with cracking in |. ear, followed by

pain in |. temple, then in vertex with nausea and abatement of pain in forehead.—Pain on top of

head, shifting from epigastrium.—In morning, headache in posterior, upper and inner part of

head; < drinking coffee; each time during and after washing with cold water.—Pain from neck up

to back of head.—Sensation running up into head from body like lightning.—Headache, < sitting

up in bed; > after combing hair.—Itching of scalp —Hair ceases failing out.—Contusions of head.

Pain in |. supra-orbital and |. temporal region, the seat of pain being tender to touch;

pain and aching over |. eye; objects appear as if seen through a mist; blackness before eyes, must

• ▸sit down for a few moments.
• ▸—Pain in eye when awakes, > by washing.
• ▸—Dim sight.
• ▸—Flickering

• ▸before eyes.
• ▸—Nebula; leucoma; pterygium.
• ▸—Macule and ulcers on cornea.
• ▸—Rheumatic

ophthalmia.—Spasmodic twitching of upper eyelid (r).

• ▸Ringing and buzzing.
• ▸Cracking in left ear with headache.
• ▸Parts around ear feel swollen.
• ▸Polypi.

• ▸Ringing buzzing in ears.
• ▸—Cracking in |.
• ▸ear with headache.
• ▸—Deafness.
• ▸—External

sensitiveness of r. ear and temple.

• ▸Constant pressure at the cardiac end of the stomach, and a burning pain there.
• ▸Nausea, with headache, and vomiting of yellowish bitter mucus.
• ▸Pain shift from stomach to vertex.
• ▸Gas cannot be passed.

Pain in neck when hawking and gargling; when eating and drinking, esp. when

closing jaws.—After drinking tea copious sweat.—Nausea and vomiting; with diarrhoea; in

evening; with cough.—Burning pain in stomach, with oppression and weight.—Constant pressure

at cardiac end of stomach, and a burning pain there.

• ▸In the morning, difficult passages of small quantities of flatus; afterwards diarrhoea-like urging in the rectum.
• ▸Pain in bowels before stool, with shuddering chilliness.
• ▸Constriction in the anus.
• ▸Drawing pain around navel before stool.

Dull pain in region of spleen.—Sensation across abdomen as if bruised below

navel, also tired feeling in back.—Flatulence —Hardening of mesenteric glands.

Diarrheea after meals, or only during day, not at night; or day and night, or

before midnight.—Diarrhcea with tenesmus; pain in bowels before stool.—Loose diarrheeic stool,

with feeling as if more was to pass.—White stools—Constipation and sensation of constriction in

sphincter.—Pressure in rectum, < evening and in bed.—Painful desire in anus and rectum for

stool, which, however, will not pass.—Tape-worm.

Paralysis of bladder—Double the quantity of urine, even at night;

increased for two or three days.—Urine like saffron; bright yellow; no sediment; passed

frequently.

Bloody, albuminous, with much urging; quantities of urates.

Menses scanty and pale, with bearing-down pains in back third

day; fourth day darker; crampy pain through hip-joint and pelvis —Menses appear eight days too

soon.—Lack of milk with nursing women.

Long-lasting erections after urinating in morning.—Seminal

emissions.—Scanty ejaculation with incomplete erection.

Hoarseness, with dry, sore throat; cough worse at night, with aching in forehead and constrictive pain in chest; pleuritic pains.

Hoarseness with sore throat.——Small piece of phlegm in throat, which

cannot be brought up by coughing.—Cough tedious and long lasting; < at night and from motion;

with an aching in forehead and a constrictive pain in chest.—Violent attacks of cough, with

vomiting, day and night.

• ▸18, 19.
• ▸Chest and Heart.
• ▸—Pleuritic pains —Uneasy pain in region of heart.
• ▸—Fluttering

• ▸palpitation.
• ▸—Violent penetrating pain in region of r.
• ▸nipple.
• ▸—Violent prickling pressing stitches

in region of |. nipple, later on |. side of back, but more violent; still later the same sensation on

other parts of the body.

Soreness in neck and up into head.—Severe, pain |. side of neck while

• ▸chewing.
• ▸—Stiffness |.
• ▸side of neck extending down 1.
• ▸arm; < by least motion; turn, or twist; > by

application of a hot iron.—Severe pain across sacrum and dorsum of each hand.—Affection of

spinal cord.

• ▸Itching in armpits in morning.
• ▸—Pain from neck down |.
• ▸arm; in evening to r.
• ▸;

could scarcely move her arm.—Severe pain above r. elbow.

Severe pain through pelvis as if from one acetabulum to the other.—Bruised

pain in hips at night, causing him to change from side to side.-—Chronic gout.—Checked foot-

sweat (chorea from).

• ▸Rheumatic pains; stiff and contracted joints.
• ▸Muscles feel strained and torn from their attachment.
• ▸Weakness of lower extremities.
• ▸Paraplegia.
• ▸Pain in hips.
• ▸Rheumatism comes on with suddenness and restlessness. Sweat does not relieve.
• ▸Relief after midnight and from rubbing.

• ▸Red, itching and burning.
• ▸Nettle-rash.
• ▸Nodes around joints (Ammon phos).
• ▸Profuse sweat without relief.

All night dry throat, woke her out of sleep —Disagreeable sweat during night, awoke

with clammy skin.—Could get to sleep if she could get the right position.—Wakes early, and feels

she has had sufficient sleep —On awaking: headache; vomiting with headache; pain in eyes;

stitches in ears.

• ▸Apoplexy.
• ▸Brain, affections of.
• ▸Bruises.
• ▸Chorea.
• ▸Cough.
• ▸Diarrhoea.
• ▸Dislocations.

• ▸Dropsies.
• ▸Eyes, affections of.
• ▸Facial paralysis.
• ▸Foot-sweat, checked, consequence of.
• ▸Gout.
• ▸Hair,

• ▸falling out.
• ▸Headaches.
• ▸Nodes.
• ▸Overlifting, complaints from.
• ▸Paralysis.
• ▸Rheumatism.
• ▸Sight,

• ▸affections of.
• ▸Spine, affections of.
• ▸Spleen, pain in.
• ▸Throat, sore.

• ▸Compatible: After Cham.
• ▸Compare: Ars.
• ▸, Bry.
• ▸, Dulc.
• ▸(rheumatism); Urt.
• ▸u.
• ▸(nettle-

• ▸rash; gout; rheumatism.
• ▸Nettles contain Formic acid); Frag.
• ▸v.
• ▸(lack of mammary secretion);

Tromb. (diarrhoea); Caps. (burning pains < by cold water).

Compare: Formic acid (Chronic myalgia. Muscular pains and soreness. Gout and articular rheumatism, which appear suddenly. Pains usually worse on right side, motion and better from pressure. Failing vision. Increases muscular strength and resistance to fatigue. Feels stronger and more "fit" in ordinary walking. Marked diuretic effect, greater elimination of products of disassimilation, particularly urea. Tremor. Tuberculosis, chronic nephritis and carcinoma, lupus, etc, have been treated successfully with injections of Formic acid of a dilution corresponding to the 3d and 4th centesimal. In prescribing it for varicose veins, polypi, catarrh, Dr. J. H. Clarke orders an ounce or two of a solution of Formic acid in the proportion of one part of the acid to eleven of distilled water. Of this one teaspoonful is taken in a tablespoonful of water after food once or twice daily. Pain in aponeurosis and muscles of head, neck and shoulders before a snowstorm). Rhus; (Dulcam, Urtica and Juniperus contain Formic acid), Wood alcohol, when taken as a constituent of a beverage so common in these prohibition days, is not eliminated easily and is slowly converted into Formic acid, attacking the brain and causes death or blindness.

Dr. Sylwestrowicz of the Hering Research Laboratory of Hahnemann College, Philadelphia contributes his experience with Formic Acid, as follows:

"The best field for the formic acid treatment are cases of atypical gout. Under this classification are to be mentioned disturbances in the muscles such as myositis, periostitic processes of the bones in form of doughy swellings, changes of the fascias such as Dupyutren's contraction, skin troubles such as chronic eczema, psoriasis and loss of hair, kidney disturbances such as subacute and chronic nephritis. In these cases formic acid in 12x and 30x, hypodermically 1 cc is indicated at intervals of 2-4 weeks. Eight till twelve days after the first injection an aggravation is often noticed.

In acute rheumatic fever and acute gonorrhoeic arthritis formic acid 6x, every six days 1 cc, sometimes 12x in sensitive patients shows often splendid results abolishing the pains and preventing reoccurrence.

Chronic arthritis needs a special discussion. Clinical experiments of the Hering research Laboratory of the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia on a great number of cases of arthritis with formic acid showed that it preferably acts on the ligaments, capsula and bursa of the joints. Such kind of cases respond very readily to treatment.

• ▸The prognosis depends to a large extent upon the etiology of the case.
• ▸The most satisfactory cases are chronic arthritis in connection with gouty diathesis.
• ▸Chronic arthritis following an attack of acute rheumatic fever shows also remarkable results although often pains of a neuralgic character persisting in certain spots are very stubborn.
• ▸Finally chronic arthritis of traumatic nature can be cured by formic acid.
• ▸In the latter case formic acid 6x showed quicker and better results than 12x or 30x which are indicated in the previous cases.
• ▸In general the disappearance of the stiffness of the joint is the first sign of improvement.
• ▸Then the pain and swelling cease gradually in 1-6 months time.

The prognosis of the formic acid treatment is not so favorably in chronic arthritis in which deformans processes have already taken place on the articular surfaces. Such processes in the beginning can be checked completely, advanced cases frequently show an improvement. But there is always the possibility that this improvement is only temporary. This is particularly to be expected in the cases of the so-called arthritis deformans in which even the inflammations on the ligaments and capsula are of a very progressive character".

Sixth to thirtieth attenuation.

Seminal emissions; weakness. "Slothful to venery".

Sensation as if muscles were strained and being torn from attachment.—Rheumatism

appearing suddenly, mostly in joints, with restlessness; patients desire motion, although it <

pains; > by pressure; sweat without relief; < r. side.—Stiffness and contraction of joints.