Cenchris Contortrix cench.

Copperhead Snake (ANCISTRODON)

Like the other snake poisons, it affects the system profoundly. Like arsenic, it has dyspnœa, mental and physical restlessness, thirst for small quantities of water, necessity for having clothing loose, like Laches. Marked alternation of moods; vivid dreams. Is a wonderful restorative and deep acting remedy. Increased sexual desire in both sexes. Ineffectual attempts to recline. Right ovarian region painful.

Forgetful, absent-minded, alternating moods. Aching pain in left frontal eminence and left side of teeth. Swelling around eyes, aching and itching in eyes.

Feels distended, fills whole chest, as if it fell down in abdomen; sharp stitches, fluttering under left scapula.

Dreams horrible and vivid; lascivious.

Worse, pressure; lying down; afternoon and night.

Compare: Ars; Laches. Clotho Arictans--Puff Adder.--Should have a great sphere of usefulness in many conditions where excessive swelling is a leading feature (John H. Clarke, M. D).

Sixth potency.

Ancistrodon contortrix. Copperhead snake of North America. N. O. Ophidians. Solution of venom.

Amaurosis. Catarrh. Diarrhœa. Eyes, swelling over. Headache. Heart, affections of. Leucorrhœa. Menorrhagia. Nightmare. Ovary, pain in. Throat, affections of. Vulva, throbbing in; eruption on.

Cenchris has the main features of all the serpent poisons: Coma; semi-consciousness; insensibility of cornea; swelling of upper lip; general swelling; paralysis; cold, clammy sweat. Distinctive symptoms are: a marked alternation of moods; and dreamy absent-mindedness. The dreams of Cenchris are very vivid and horrible, cannot be shaken off during waking hours; often lascivious. Swelling above eyes, below brow, like an over-hanging bag of waters. Diarrhœa has been cured having the following characters: "Pain before stool; stool papescent cold but not chilly." Yellow Leucorrhœa; pain in right ovary herpetic eruption on labia. Hard, dry tickling cough, < 3 p.m. Restlessness and sense of suffocation; palpitation; sensation of dying. Must lie with head drawn back, she chokes so. Tight clothing unbearable. Chill or fever beginning in afternoon. Feeling as if whole body were enlarged to bursting; < in region of heart. "Awoke with throbbing in vulva and anus, followed by a dull aching in the sacral region, > by walking about." Symptoms < lying down; < afternoon; < evening and all night; < on waking.

Laches . is nearest, but affects left ovary more than right; Cench . has difficult empty swallowing with easy swallowing of solids and liquids; Lach . can swallow solids but not liquids; Crotal . (lost sense of position and direction); Crocus (alternating moods); Kali c. (swelling of upper lids). Antidoted by: Cham. (internal hæmorrhage); Am. c. (general symptoms). Antidote to: Puls.

Memory lost. — Lethargy. — Anxiety, feels she will die suddenly. — Alternating moods. — Dreamy, absent-minded. — Took the wrong car without realising where she was going. — When riding in the car rode past the place she intended to get off at. — Suspicious, thinks her husband is going to put her in an insane asylum; every day, 3 to 8 p.m., for ten days, yet she knew it was a delusion.

Hard aching pain, commencing l. frontal eminence, spreading down l. side to teeth, thence to r. frontal eminence, then to teeth r. side.

Swelling like bags over eyes and under brows. — Aching and itching in eyes; dim vision, redness of margins and twitching. — L. eye waters; from concussive cough.

Catarrh; scabs; obstruction.

Expression bloated, besotted. — Face sallow. — Burning face. — Blue circles round eyes.

Accumulation of mucus; glossy, thick, tough. — Difficult empty swallowing, but easy swallowing of solids and liquids. — Warm drinks grateful.

Nausea > by ice; < by water which = vomiting.

Intolerance of tight clothing.

Diarrhœa early in morning, on, waking. — Stool, gushing, frequent, watery, at first without pain; after several hours, great pain before the motions.

Violent sexual desire.

Increased desire. — Yellow leucorrhœa. — Pain in r. ovary. — Herpetic eruption on labia. — Menstrual flow very profuse; light with dark clots.

Feels as if heart were distended, or swelled to fill the whole chest. — Strongly conscious of heart. — Hard aching and sudden sharp stitching in heart. — Throbbing or fluttering under l. scapula. — At 3 p.m. sensation of fluttering followed by feeling that heart fell down into abdomen; then pulse became feeble, with heat lasting until after midnight.

Hard, dry, tickling cough, < 3 p.m., even causing escape of urine.

Chill or fever beginning in afternoon.

(Copperhead)

Bulletin N° 24 of National Museum gives check list of North American reptilia Ancistrodon Contortrix.

Dr. Albert Günther who furnished the article for The Encyclopedia Britannica, calls the "Copperhead" Cenchris-Contortrix, and considers it very similar to the Trigonocephalus family, but smaller in size, generally found near the water-courses, closely related to the Cenchris Piscivarus, which is the water-snake or crater-moccasin.

The Cenchris family belongs to the temperate parts of North America, and its venom is of a deadly nature.

No. 1. Mrs. K, 6th potency, one dose only. No. 2. Dr. Mary S., 6th potency, one dose only. No. 3. Dr. Eliza M., 6th potency, one dose only. No. 4. J. A. T., 6th potency, one dose only. No. 5. Dr. Mary S., 2nd proving, 10m. No. 6. Dr. Eliza M., 2d proving, 10m, one dose. No. 7. Geo. W. S., 6th and 30th potencies.

LOSS of memory.

Feeling of intoxication.

Anxiety, with a feeling that she will die suddenly (8th day, lasting many days).

The horrors of the dreams of the previous night seemed to follow her (8th day).

She could not banish the horrors of her dreams (9th day).

Instantly after lying down at night she was seized with a horrible, sickening anxiety, all over the body, but most at the heart and through the chest, exclaiming, "I shall die! I shall die!"

This soon passed into profound sleep, which was not interrupted until morning, but full of horrible dreams.

Afternoon and evening thinks her family plotting to place her in an insane asylum (this lasted four afternoons and ended fourteenth day of proving).

Suspicious of everybody.

Melancholy (old symptoms worse).

No inclination to attend to her usual duties, which are pleasant.

Angry When disturbed.

Not able to rest in bed, must walk the floor to case mind .

Wants to be alone (4th day).

Nervous and irritable (14th day).

Catch myself staring into space and forget what people are saying to me, or that there is any one in the room.(4th day).

Inability to concentrate mind (4th day, 6th and 10m.).

Absent minded (two provers, 5th, 6th and 10m.).

Dreamy, absent minded, took wrong car without realising where was going.

Misdirected letters (13th day, 6th and 10m.).

Very gloomy and discouraged (7th day).

So absent minded and stupid that I tremble and shiver, and my teeth chatter for some time before I begin to realise that I feel cold (3rd day).

Foreboding, gloomy without cause, frequent sighing (21st day, 6th and 10m.).

Crying and very frequent sighing, as if very sad (many days, 6th and 10m.).

Lack of determination and snap, have to use all my reserve mental force to make myself get up and go out (many days).

Painful procrastination, indecision.

Time passes too slowly seems to drag, along.

I am longing to go, yet I cannot tear myself out of my chair and move along.

When at last I do pick up enough determination to go, I go very suddenly.

Feel hard and uncharitable 5 (8th day).

Selfish, envious, easily slighted.

Transient attacks of anger 6 P.m. (9th day, 6 P. M. and 8:30 P. m. 14th day, and 6:30 P. m. 17th).

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