Chapter X. Special Remedies for Hands, Arms and Legs.

I am aware of the fact that this method of giving special remedies for different parts of the body is a new departure, but I believe it to be the most practical way of teaching therapeutics along the line of definite medication.

A lady with cold hands, easily frightened, starts at every sound, needs tincture calendula, five drops, night and morning. Gouty deposits in wrists, fingers, and toes—uric acid diatheses—calls for benzoic acid, third decimal dilution, twenty drops in a glass of water. Tablespoonful once in two hours. "Fidgety" hands, can't keep them still, need bromide potassa, five grains, three times a day. Sweating hands call for pilocarpine, second decimal, two grains three times a day. Prickling and numbness of the fingers are the warning symptoms of paralysis. Give kali phos., third decimal, ten grains, in cup of hot water, two teaspoonfuls once in two hours. Edema of the left hand and foot calls for tincture cactus grand, fifteen drops in half glass of water. Teaspoonful once in two hours. Numbness of the left arm calls for the same remedy. Writer's cramp calls for magnesia phos., third decimal, ten grains in a glass of hot water. Two teaspoonfuls once in an hour. Sulphate strychnia, one-thirtieth grain, should be given before each meal and at bedtime. In "wrist drop" from lead poisoning, give five grains of iodide potash three times a day. Crackling of joints calls for natrum phos., third decimal, three tablets four times a day. In caries of bones calcarea flouride, sixth decimal, is the remedy, three tablets three times a day. Wrist joints swollen from rheumatism, red, motion impossible, touch unbearable, calls for tincture actea spicata, five drops in wine-glass of hot water every hour until relieved. Weakness of hands, awkwardness, everything falling from the hands, calls for bovista, third decimal dilution, twenty drops in glass of water. Teaspoonful every half hour. In paresis, when first one hand goes to sleep, then the other, soles of the feet go to sleep while his knees sink down from weakness when walking, seems likely to fall to one side,—in this condition cocculus indicus is the remedy, third decimal trituration, three tablets once in three hours. Women who habitually have damp, cold hands, and feet to the knees, too early and too profuse menstruation, should be given calcarea ost., first decimal trituration, three grains three times a day.

Trembling of the hands in paralysis, sometimes hereditary, calls for lolium temulentum, sixth decimal trituration, five tablets every three hours. Sprains and straining of the muscles of the hand and arms from overlifting calls for tincture rhus tox, third decimal dilution, ten drops in half a glass of water. Teaspoonful every hour.

In periostea inflammation of long bones, swollen, inflamed, pain going from above, worse at night and in damp weather, give tincture mezerum, ten drops in glass of water. Tablespoonful once an hour, if it is complicated with syphilis, tincture stillingea is the remedy, ten drops once in three hours.

Muscular rheumatism, when the parts are hot, swollen, and tender, pains darting, worse on motion, followed by numbness, give tincture kalmia latifolia, ʒss and tincture gelseminum ʒss, aqua ℥iv. Mix. Give one teaspoonful once in half an hour. The above is a "gem," and should not be forgotten. In rheumatism when the pain is in muscular parts, swollen, and painful, whether red or not, with puffiness of nearby tissues, give tincture jaborandi ʒii, aqua ℥iv. Mix and give one teaspoonful every hour.

In muscular rheumatism, with the muscles sore and tender, principally the belly of the muscle, I like tincture cimicifuga, with its side partner, tincture gelsemium, twenty drops of each in six ounces of water, teaspoonful once in an hour. The above has cured more cases of acute rheumatism for me than any other remedies. In chronic rheumatism, no fever, skin soft, pain dull and heavy but continuous, give F. E. manaca ʒii, aqua ℥v. Mix. Teaspoonful three times a day. In articular rheumatism oil gaultheria, ten drops on sugar once in two hours, has helped me cure many cases. I regard it as one of our best remedies for this condition. In stubborn cases it has helped me "many a time." Liniment to "rub out" the rheumatism: Camphor gum, ℥i; oil wormwood, ʒi; alcohol, ℥iii-viii. Mix. Sig. Rub it well into the affected parts three times a day.

In gout there is one remedy that will cure more cases than any other; it is tincture urtica urens, ten drops three times a day; under its influence the pain and swelling go away and large quantities of gravel are passed.

Cramps in the legs of pregnant women may be relieved by tincture viburnum pruni, five drops in hot water once an hour till relieved. Knee jerk, walking difficult and unsteady, as found in transverse myeletis and also in paraplegia, give lathyrus sativus, third decimal trituration, three grains night and morning.

In hip disease tincture cistus canadensis is the remedy. When there is indication of scrofula twenty drops of the tincture in cup of water; give one teaspoonful once an hour. In phlebitis, with limb pale white in color, swollen veins, hard and knotty, painful to the touch, give tincture Pulsatilla, ten drops in half a glass of water. Teaspoonful once an hour. Hamamelis is the "aconite of the veins," and should be given in alternation with the Pulsatilla; tincture hamamelis, first decimal dilution, twenty drops in half a glass of water. A teaspoonful once an hour. Locally apply distilled extract of witch hazel and warm water, equal parts. Bathe the limb frequently with this wash.

In arthritis deformans, with stiffness of the knee, tearing, drawing pains that draw the limb out of shape, causticum, third decimal trituration, is the remedy, three tablets once in two hours. In sciatica, when there are shooting pains, like "lightning shock," extending from the hip down to the popliteal fossa on the posterior portion of the hip, relieved by pressure, colocynth is the remedy, tincture colocynth, third decimal dilution, ten drops in a little water every hour. When there is a bruised, sore feeling in sciatica and the pain shoots down the outer side of the right leg, Phytolacca is the remedy, tincture Phytolacca fifteen drops in half a glass of water. One teaspoonful once an hour. In the sciatica, when there is intense pain along the right sciatic nerve, darting from right hip joint down to foot, give tincture gnaphalium, ten drops in half a glass of water, tablespoonful once an hour.

Varicose veins may appear on the right shoulder as a result of enlargement of the liver. Give tincture chelidonium if the skin is dirty, dingy looking, five drops three times a day. It reduces the enlargement of the liver and removes the cause of the varicosis. If in varicose veins upon the legs we find enlargement of the spleen when there is a sallow countenance, nausea, uneasy feeling in abdomen, inflation of abdomen, give tincture carduus, five drops three times a day. This remedy will cure more cases of varicose veins than any other internal remedy. Locally apply distilled extract witch hazel to the enlarged veins, then bandage the leg from the arch of the foot to a little above the affected part, wear over it an elastic stocking.

For "varicose ulcers" I use the "eclectic wash," made as follows:

Rx Fl. ext. lobelia herb.
Fl. ext. baptisa a. a. fl. ℥j.
Sulphate zinc, ℥i.
Hot water, Oj.

Mix. Put one tablespoonful of this mixture in a douche or fountain syringe, pour it from a height on the sore. Then wet gauze with the "wash," and apply to the sore, cover with rubber tissue; do this three times a day. I have cured cases of fifteen and twenty years' standing with this "wash." It will heal up the ulcer. It is one of the finest things I have ever used in my life.

In recent fractures of bones do not forget tincture symphytum, third decimal dilution, twenty drops in glass of water, teaspoonful once in three hours. It helps the bones to unite; in old fractures that do not unite, silicea, sixth decimal, is the remedy, three tablets three times a day. In paralysis agitans, or the tremors of multiple sclerosis, hydrobromate hyoscyamus, third decimal trituration, is the remedy, one grain tablet every hour.

In hemiplegia I have given sulphate strychnia, combined with xanthoxyllin, one-thirtieth grain of the former to one grain of the latter, given four times a day. It has cured cases where strychnia was used alone and failed. The xanthoxyllin increases the action of the strychnia.

Definite Medication, 1911, was written by Eli G. Jones, M.D.