Pulse and Temperature.

  • Full pulse shows strong life in a state of excitation. Sthenic condition often.
  • Hardness added to fullness, we have added, special lesion of innervation, of excitation steadily maintained.
  • Small, hard pulse, impairment of life from activity, still maintained.
  • Small and soft, easily compressed, deficient innervation.
  • Small pulse and vibratile, expression of impaired life with great excitation of nerve centers.
  • Empty pulse interwave currents hardly perceptible, impaired life with enfeebled innervation from the sympathetic nervous system.

The Pulse Indication for Certain Remedies:

  • Full, with strength or bounding, veratrum v.
  • Full, doughy, lacking the marked vibration, lobelia.
  • Full, doughy, lacking the marked vibration, with fullness of mucous membrane and purplish discoloration, baptisia. If accompanied with muscular pain, apocynum.
  • Full, open, quinine in full doses, if indicated.
  • Large, empty, alkaline sulphites, if indicated.
  • Full, vibratile, gelsemium associated with veratrum v.
  • Full, oppressed, belladonna, veratrum v. If sepsis: baptisia, echinacea.
  • Small, frequent, usually means aconite.
  • Small, vibratile, gelsemium associated with aconite.
  • Small, oppressed, belladonna associated with aconite.
  • Small, frequent, easily compressed, aconite and small stimulant doses of quinine.
  • Small, frequent, easily compressed, wave of blood giving sense of squareness as it passes under finger indicates opium.
  • Small and feeble pulse, oppressed, belladonna.
  • Want of power in the impulse, means crataegus, convallaria majalis, capsicum.
  • Sharp stroke, with tremulous waves between strokes, means rhus tox.
  • Sharp stroke with even vibratile current between strokes, means bryonia.
  • Dull stroke, with tremulous or vibratile waves, phytolacca.
  • Open, tremulous pulse, arsenicum.
  • Small and open waves of blood, drop suddenly when finger is passed, means cactus, pulsatilla.
  • Irregularity, soft or open, with distinct wrong of stroke, cactus.
  • Steady, vibratile, without marked waves, means macrotys.

The Average of the Pulse at Various Ages:

In the fetus in utero, 150 to 140.
In the new born infant, 140 to 130.
During first year, 130 to 115.
During second year, 115 to 100.
During third year, 105 to 95.
From seventh to 14th year, 90 to 80.
From 14th to 21st year, 85 to 75.
From 21st to 60th year, 75 to 70.
In old age, 75 to 80.

Respiration at Various Ages:

First year about 35 per minute.
At puberty about 20 per minute.
Adults about 18 per minute.

Respiration: Normal proportion is inhalation 2, to exhalation 1.

Temperature, Average Normal of the Body:

Of adults is about 98.6 degrees.
Of children, 99 degrees.
Of the aged, 98.8 degrees.

Daily variation is from 1 degree to 1-5 degree.
The highest being reached between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Temperature, Sub-Normal:

We find this as a result of bile in the blood, anemia, cancer, or pernicious malarial infections. Any profound nervous shock, cholera morbus, asiatic cholera. In the early cold stage of intermittent fever or after the fever has fallen. In diseases terminating by crisis, diabetes, some heart diseases and myxedema. Severe injury to the dorsal region. In some cases of hysteria. In some cases of insanity. In influenza after the acute stage has passed. Heat strokes, some forms. If the temperature goes down to 93 it becomes rapidly fatal. Ninety-five degrees is a general collapse. Ninety-six degrees is a medium collapse. Sub-normal temperature also follows shock, severe form of diseases, and may also be caused by certain poisons in the blood.

The Materia Medica and Clinical Therapeutics, 1905, was written by Fred J. Petersen, M.D.