Chloroformium chlf.

Homœopathic Materia Medica

William Boericke · Homœopathic Materia Medica · 9th edition

Common name

Chloroform (CHLOROFORMUM)

General

General anæsthetic, antispasmodic. Complete muscular relaxation. Weak and quick pulse, shallow or stertorous breathing. Convulsions, nephritic or biliary colic, gastralgia.

Symptoms obtained by Dr. D. Macfarlan with the 6th potency.

Great weakness, especially on right side. Limbs very tired from knees down. Much perspiration all over face and chest; drowsy and dizzy; dry lips and throat; dry tickling cough at night. Flatulence; food regurgitates; sore and bruised feeling in stomach; catching pain around heart. Sharp pain in right chest when he takes long breath; shortness of breath on exertion.

Head

Delirium where excitement and violence predominate. Head drawn down upon the shoulders, eyes opened and closed rapidly, pupils contracted; rapid convulsive movements of face, of muscles, of extremities.

Relationship

Ether Post-operative Bronchitis (Prof. Bier). Spiritus Aetheris Compositus.--(Hoffman's Anodyne)--(Flatulence; angina pectoris. Dose 5m to 1 dram in water).

Dose

Higher attenuations, or sixth. Phosphorus is the remedy to give in narcosis of chloroform.

A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica

John Henry Clarke · A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica · 1st edition (1900-02, three volumes); homeoint.org / Médi-T HTML digitization

General

CHCl3. Solution.

Clinical

Arachnitis. Convulsions. Delirium tremens. Gall-stones. Muscæ volitantes. Paralysis of sphincter vesicæ. Puerperal convulsions. Sick headache. Smell, lost. Taste, lost. Tetanus. Typhus. Vertigo.

Characteristics

Chloroform is the well-known anesthetic, the general effects of which in arresting sensation need no description. Unlike Ether and Nitrous oxide, which require to be administered without air, chloroform vapour must have abundance of air inhaled with it, or asphyxia results. Its most noteworthy effect is complete relaxation of all the voluntary muscles of the body. It may cause death by paralysing the respiration or the heart. Its use is contraindicated where there is brain softening; fatty heart; alcoholism; or albuminuria. Marcy cured with it a case of arachnitis ending in convulsions. It is especially indicated in delirium where excitement and violence predominate; desire to kill. Paralysis of voluntary and involuntary muscles and special senses. Chloroform will dissolve gall-stones, and cases have been treated by the injection of Chloroform into the gall-bladder.

Relations

Compare: Chloralum. Antidoted by: Amyl. nit., Ipec., Brandy; Ice in rectum. It antidotes: Strychnine.

Mind

Wild excitement, followed by complete insensibility. ─ Sang comic songs; could scarcely be persuaded to leave the piano. ─ Obscene language used under its influence, in two provers. ─ Desire to kill.

Head

Vertigo, rising from spine into occiput. ─ Whirling in head as if he would fall forward. ─ As if ground waving on closing eyes. ─ Head drawn down on shoulders. ─ Severe bursting headache in forehead. ─ Headache with dizziness; with roaring in ears; with excessive nausea and vomiting.

Eyes

Conjunctiva insensible. ─ Pupils dilated, insensible to light. ─ Eyes turned up. ─ Sight gradually went out and returned gradually. ─ Dark points and bright streaks. ─ Small black points float before eyes. ─ Large black spots; grey spots; float a few inches before the eye; follow the motion of the eye. ─ Bright and dark points; sparks; flashes of light.

Ears

Roaring in ears, like boiling water.

Nose

Complete loss of smell (lasted two months).

Face

Face as if intoxicated; flushed; livid.

Mouth

Teeth smooth, as after acids (fourth day). ─ Soapy taste. ─ Taste lost.

Throat

Burning in throat; scraping. ─ Violent scraping and coldness in fauces on inspiration.

Stomach

Eructations. ─ Burning in stomach; alternating with chilliness. ─ Nervous hiccough. ─ Nausea and vomiting, sea-sickness, or morning sickness, much acidity and great distension of stomach and bowels with gas; abdomen tense; rumbling.

Urinary Organs

Paralysis of sphincter of bladder (after parturition).

Respiratory Organs

Stertorous breathing.

Heart

Constantly increasing retardation and weakening of action of heart and arteries.

The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica

Constantine Hering · The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica · 1879–91

General

Chloroform. CHCl 3 .
Provings by Lembke, A. H. Z., vol. 39, p. 369, and E. W. Berridge, effects of inhalation, M. H. Rev., vol. 16, p. 38.
CLINICAL AUTHORITIES.
- Arachnitis ending in convulsions , E. E. Marcy, N. A. J. H., vol. 1, p. 337 ; Mania-a-potu , Pearce, Add. to Hom. Mat. Med. ; Sick headache , G. A. Hall, Burt's Mat. Med. ; Biliary calculi , C. Hering ; T. H. Buckler, Hom. Times, vol. 8, p. 48 ; E. M. Hale, Am. Hom. Obs., vol. 7, p. 471 ; Paralysis of sphincter vesicæ , Woodward (10 drop doses), Burt's Mat. Med. ; Puerperal convulsions , Sanford, Browne, and Talbot, Med. Inv., vol. 7, p. 169 ; Puerperal convulsions (per rectum), W. H. Holcombe, Trans. Am. Inst., 1870, p. 446 ; Tetanic spasms in typhus , Watson, Add. to Hom. Mat. Med.

Mind

Difficult comprehension.
Excitement quickly subsiding into stupefaction, in which, however, the will of the individual is evidently active.
Great weakness of brain, with loss of memory, retarded power of comprehension and thinking, with frequent occurrence of confusion of intellect.
Weeping.
Low moaning.
Mania from intoxication (olfaction).
Delirium, sometimes quiet, sometimes violent.
Delirium tremens where excitement and violence predominate.

Sensorium

Giddiness.
Seasickness.

Inner head

Pressure in brain and roaring in ears.
Headache with dizziness.
Sick headache with excessive nausea and vomiting.

Outer head

A desire to lay head upon one side, to stretch lower limbs and to let the arms hang down.
Head drawn down upon shoulders. θ Arachnitis.

Sight and eyes

Inclination to close the eyes.
Floating images before eyes.
Photophobia (greatly relieved by fumes of chloroform).
First contraction, then dilatation of pupils.
Eyes open and close with incredible rapidity, eyeballs rolled downward, pupils contracted. θ Arachnitis.
Exophthalmic goitre, morbus Basedowii.

Hearing and ears

Ringing in ears, buzzing and rumbling in ears like the noise of railroad cars or the striking of clocks.
Singing in ears, with pressure in head, as after use of tea.
Indistinct hearing.
Earache.

Upper face

Blueness of face.
Rapid convulsive movements of muscles of face ; whole face frightfully distorted. θ Arachnitis.

Lower face

A slight stinging and burning in lips.
Foaming at mouth ; jaws locked, lips tightly compressed. θ Arachnitis.

Taste, speech, tongue

Sweetish taste in mouth.

Inner mouth

Coolness in mouth.

Hiccough, belching, nausea and vomiting

Hiccough of nervous form.
Nausea and vomiting, seasickness or morning sickness, with much acidity of stomach, and great distension of stomach and bowels with gas.

Scrobiculum and stomach

Pain in region of cardiac orifice of stomach.

Hypochondria

Cholestric gall stones and biliary colic.

Abdomen and loins

Enteralgia, or colic, with intense suffering, and tympanitis ; especially if accompanied by great restlessness from intense pain.
Gastralgia, enteralgia, hepatic and renal colic.

Stools and rectum

Involuntary stools.
Involuntary stools of mucus and blood, with great tenesmus.

Urinary organs

Bladder irritable.
Paralysis of sphincter vesicæ. θ After parturition.
Renal colic during passage of calculi.

Male sexual organs

Great weakness and relaxation of sexual organs.

Female sexual organs

Hysterical conditions dependent on irritability and spasm of the cervix.
Neurosis of sexual organs.

Pregnancy. parturition. lactation

Prevents the shock engendered by labor, in very nervous patients.
No freedom from suffering between the pains ; she complains much of her back, or of extreme pain and perhaps tenderness over whole abdominal region ; she is very restless, can find rest in no position, tosses about and is very nervous.
Protracted and severe labors ; rigidity of os uteri.
Women subject to convulsions during labor.
Complete paralysis of sphincter vesicæ following labor.

Voice and larynx. trachea and bronchia

Aphonia.
Pain in larynx.

Respiration

Sighing or snoring breathing.
Stertorous breathing. θ Arachnitis.
Want of breath.
Respiration deeper and slower, constantly increasing retardation and weakness of action of heart and arteries ; trembling of hands and feet, total cessation of motion and sensibility.
Respirations almost stopped, so few and feeble ; unconsciousness ; motionless features ; livid lips ; feeble pulse, as if dying. θ Shock of injury.
Neurosis of respiratory organs, as laryngismus stridulus, asthma, and pertussis.

Cough

Dry, hard, spasmodic, irritable cough.

Heart, pulse and circulation

Constantly increasing retardation and weakening of action of heart and arteries.
Fluttering of heart.

Neck and back

Pain in region of left kidney.

Upper limbs

Desire to let the arms hang down.
Pain in dorsum of hand and joint of thumb.

Lower limbs

Desire to stretch the lower limbs.
Pain in region of right sciatic nerve.

Limbs in general

A sensation of fingers and toes being asleep.
Trembling of hands and feet.
Convulsive twitching of extremities.
Rapid convulsive movements of muscles of arms and legs, blue color under the nails. θ Arachnitis.
Rheumatic pain about the joints.

Rest. position. motion

Can find rest in no position.
A desire to lay head upon one side, to stretch lower limbs and to let the arms hang down.
Total cessation of motion.

Nerves

Insomnia, deafness, apathy, and tremulousness of hands.
Sudden jerking and trembling of every muscle of body, which continues for about one minute and then passes off, without waking him from sleep. θ Arachnitis.
Spasms resembling hysteria, especially in females.
Tonic and clonic spasms.
Tetanic spasms. θ Typhus fever.
Trismus.
Convulsions.
Puerperal convulsions from uræmia or reflex irritation.
Entire inactivity of all the external sensibilities, so that even considerable injury to the nerves produces no reflex motion in the periphery.
Total cessation of motion and sensibility.

Sleep

Great sleepiness, yawning, and invincible lassitude.
Sleep commonly dreamless.
Comatose sleep.

Fever

A general feeling of warmth flowing through whole body.
Typhus fever, with tetanic spasms.
Typhus fever, with great prostration, delirium, subsultus, irregular respiration and nervous restlessness.

Sensations

As if fingers and toes were asleep ; as of warmth flowing through whole body.
Pain : in region of cardiac orifice of stomach ; in abdomen ; in back ; in larynx ; in region of left kidney ; in dorsum of hand and joint of thumb ; in region of right sciatic nerve.
Stinging : in lips.
Burning : in lips.
Colic : biliary ; abdominal ; renal.
Rheumatic pain : about joints.
Pressure : in brain.

Skin

Skin cold, pale.
Unhealthiness of skin, it is slow to heal.

Stage of life, constitution

"Those that bear chloroform best are delicate, weakly people, reduced by disease, and women and children. The robust and healthy are more exposed to the dangerous effects of this agent.
The age of the individual seems to have no special influence."
"It must not be used when there is softening of brain ; severe organic heart disease, with intermittent pulse ; aneurisms of aorta ; extreme weakness from hemorrhages ; extreme anemia, and great tendency to syncope."
"In drunkards the stage of excitement can not be overcome without grave danger to life."
"Use contraindicated : in fatty degeneration of heart ; in those addicted to the use of spirituous liquors ; where there is albuminuria.
Son of J. W. Crane, M. D., æt. 13, sanguine bilious temperament, previous to attack had enjoyed good health ; arachnitis ending in convulsions.
Clergyman, æt. 58, who had suffered twenty-three years from gall stones.

Relations

Antidotes : Nitrite of Amyl., Ipecac . (against action on stomach) ; brandy ameliorates the symptoms.
In narcosis from chloroform, small pieces of ice placed in rectum produce deep inspiration soon followed by natural breathing.
It antidotes : Strychnine .