nounced incurable at the Royal Prussian Lunatic Asylum. Had in childhood been well; but several years ago an eruptive disease on the head was suppressed by an external application. He then became sleepless; then saw frightful spectra; became delirious with paroxysms of rage and trials to escape. Finally he became taciturn, peevish, and lastly, completely apathetic, so that he was unconscious of his natural wants. Sulphur being indicated by the cause and Belladonna by the symptoms, I gave both medicines (30 in dilution) in alter nation, six pellets, in a cup full of water, a spoonful morning and evening for four days. On the eighth day he showed improvement, in four weeks gave occasionally a rational answer; in three months he talked coherently, wrote letters to his friends and discovered mistakes in the accounts of an employée. He was completely restored, after all other treatment had failed.

SUICIDAL MONOMANIA. Dr. J. P. Jousset,* reviews the remedies, which, when tried on a healthy subject, produced phenomena resembling those seen in suicidal monomania.

1. Anxious Suicide.-Anxious desire for death. Arsenicum, Aurum, Bell., Carbo.-veg, Hepar.-sul., Merc., Nux-vom., Pulsatilla, Rhus-tox., Silicea.

Arsenicum, Nux-vom. and Pulsatilla produce, anxiety with palpitations or constrictions of the heart. Bell. and Mercur. develop a longing for death, accompanied by hysterical phenomena and involuntary crying, which is aggravated at the monthly periods more particularly:

Arsenicum.-Suicidal and even homicidal monomania. Hahnemann says: The prover is tormented by a fear of not being able to refrain from committing murder; the anxiety is habitually accompanied by heats, tremors of the limbs, palpitations of the heart, oppression; it is generally manifested at night and after meals.

ON THE MORAL TREATMENT OF RELIGIOUS MELANCHOLY.-The following remarks are made by M. Frank: "The physician should endeavor to substitute a new passion in the place of the dominant one; for example, hope for despair, mildness for rage, &c. He should carefully prohibit monomaniacs from listening to mystical lecturers, or conversations, and all religious discussions. In the mean time, when the delirium consists in the fear of the judgments of God, or want of confidence in his mercy, we can sometimes cure the patient by instructing him in the true principles of religion. But it is not necessary to insist, if the melancholic, instead of relishing the solid reasons which we give him, finds in these conversations a new aliment to his delirium. The consolations of religion are always useful to persons whom

* Medicine Practique par J. P. Frank.

reverses of fortune, domestic chagrin, unfortunate love, &c., have plunged into a melancholic state. We have seen a case of melancholia with propensity to commit suicide, fixed by excess of study, and of masturbation; the patient suffered moreover much from hypochondria. Voyages, distractions, and rigid diet produced only momentary relief. The consolations of religion, a rigorous observance of continence and of other Christian virtues gradually operated a cure. We have reexamined this patient at the end of six years; he enjoys perfect health, and when a sad idea comes to darken his imagination, the most simple practice of religion suffices to restore his mind to calmness and serenity. Religion is capable of operating similar cures daily: it acts upon the heart of man with much more force than all the arguments of philosophy. But its happy influence is unknown to the sceptical; and it can hardly be employed on those who need to be argued into a belief in the truths of Christianity, inasmuch as such reasons may confuse the already bewildered mind of the lunatic. To such we can only hold out such consolations as virtue and true philosophy afford. The study of the natural sciences, especially such as cultivate the observing faculties and make small draft on the thinkingpowers are always useful in such as can be interested in them." Many cases of religious insanity are successfully treated by moral measures alone; but there is nearly always present some degree of physical disease; and we always have it in our power to prescribe remedies which have power over the physical as well as the mental symptoms. In every case, therefore, some one or more of these reme dies should be tried. The following are supposed to deserve special attention: Platinum, Sepia, Aurum, Pulsatilla, Lycopodium, Belladonna.

In selecting a remedy, the principal difficulty is in the ascertaining precisely the seat and source of the melancholy, the corporeal inalady which in most cases commenced long anterior to the mental affection. Hence the mere covering of the mental symptoms is not enough for the cure. It is necessary not only to treat skilfully the melancholy which gives the prominent feature of the case, but also all physical diseases that happen to have preceded, or to exist with it. But the greatest obstacles to the cure of religious melancholy arise in the patient's mental surroundings and his social position. The physician who does not in himself combine the wisdom of the physiologist, psychologist, philosopher, as well as the theologian, can neither exert the true healing influence upon his patient, nor counteract the inju rious iufluences of indiscreet friends or incompetent clergymen.

Platina.-Ravings respecting past events, with singing, laughing, weeping, dancing, grimaces and gesticulations; obstinacy or iras cibility and quarrelsomeness, vanity, with disposition to reproach

others with their defects; contempt for other persons, with inordinate self-esteem; increased sexual desire; constipation and inertia in the abdomen; excessive anguish and depression of spirits, with palpitation of the heart, timidity and great dread of death; frightful visions, with fear, fixed ideas which lead to a belief that all persons are demons, trembling of the hands and feet; anguish of the heart; absence of mind; dread of death; furor uterihus; constipation; small and feeble pulse.

*

Dr. Gross gives a remarkable case cured by this remedy. An unmarried lady of sixty years, in the Alpine Valley of Algau, brought up in wealth, but educated to active industry and the forms of religion, became chlorotic at the age of eighteen; menses too early, profuse, painful; had headache, toothache, pains in stomach and abdomen; constipation for years, weakness of the back, weariness of arms, legs, chilliness, expecting death; leaving off work made her worse. She then became low-spirited, weeping, anxiety, nausea, distention of the abdomen; trembling of lower limbs, leading her to seek relief in the open air; thus excited, she could neither sit nor lie; slept only three or four hours per night; forced to run about much among the people, though repugnance to people remained; before the menstrual periods. globus hystericus; at the age of thirty-two she became enciente; her child soon died. She became taciturn, solitary, devotional. At the age of forty-eight, when the catamenia had been absent for months, followed by leucorrhoea, she confined herself to her room. For twelve years she remained in it. Spent her time in deep meditation, or praying aloud, complaining, weeping, rejecting cooked food. She took no notice of anything; but at night ran about her room without object. A physician bled her, and rubbed croton oil on the stomach. She confessed to the priest that she suffered unspeakable pangs of conscience for her former error, believed she had incurred the penalty of damnation. "The priest increased her terrors and demanded of her that she should be more devotional and more benevolent. She became so more and more; and, having lost all hope, she approached nearer and nearer to absolute despair. In the still night-hours she bemoaned her misery to the dumb walls of her room, praying aloud, wringing her hands, and beseeching that she might be delivered from the hell of her conscience." Twice during these years she attempted selfdestruction; once by leaping from the window and running toward the river, and next day by attempting to hang herself upon the iron grating of the window. Still she feared death, and did not like to hear allusions to it. In this state treatment was commenced by Dr. Gross. In consideration of "the anamnesis, the hysteria with which she had

Homœopath. Vierteljahrschrift, Vol. IX., part 4.

grown up; the atony of the uterine system, and torpor of the vege tative sphere, the trembling convulsively from weakness; the weak. ness, almost paralysis; her being always cold, though the open air did good, rest intolerable; there was no vascular excitement, as during her manifold nervous attacks she was always pale and shivery; all of these symptoms indicated Platina."

Nov. 30, 1855, Platina 6 (decimal,) a dose given every sixth day. She was ordered to be treated with affectionate forbearance; allusions to death to be avoided, and injudicious efforts at religious teaching prohibited.

Dec. 20. She no longer prayed at night, seemed to sleep more calmly; was less indifferent to what transpired around her; she had improved in other respects. January 4th. She dressed herself; from January 14th she took Platinum 6, one dose a week. It was only towards the end of January that she began to speak. Early in March she is completely cured of her melancholy, remembered what she had done, her profuse and unjustifiable alms-giving, with the many masses at the expense to her family of a thaler each.

Further Symptoms of Platina. Fear of devils in pursuit, with calling for help. "Inclination to sit retired in a corner without speaking. Want of interest, absence of mind, and short, broken answers. Great anxiety of mind, as if death was approaching, with great fear of it.”

Aurum.-Corresponds to religious melancholy, mortification and sorrow for having done wrong; grief caused by shame; sorrow and depression, with desire for solitude; fear that he has lost the love and esteem of others; with great grief and weeping; religious anxieties, with weeping and praying; anthrophobia and pusilanimity.

Hahnemann says he "cured by means of gold, several cases of melancholy in persons who earnestly thought of killing themselves. They took in all about the three-hundredth or nine-hundredth part of s grain of gold. I have also cured several other important affections, which will be found enumerated among the symptoms of gold." (Chronic Diseases, Vol. I.) A further experiment showed him the efficacy of still higher attenuations, and convinced him that the "tenthousandth part of a grain of gold will manifest a most powerful curative action, especially in cancer of the palate and nasal bones, consequent upon the abuse of the acidulated preparations of Mercury." According to his experience the power of gold was still farther increased by farther trituration and dilution; and he at last gave "only the smallest part of a grain of the decillionth potency." He considered Aurum 'as especially useful in the following affections:

"Hypochondriasis; melancholy; loathing of life; disposition to suicide; rush of blood to the head; cancer of the palate bones and nasal bones; obscuration of sight, by black spots hovering before the

eyes; toothache from rush of blood to the head, with heat in the head; inguinal hernia; induration of the testes of long standing; prolapsus and induration of the uterus; rush of blood to the chest; falling down unconsciously, with the face becoming blue; attack of suffocation, with severe constrictive dyspnoea; injuries inflicted by abuse of quicksilver; pains in the bones at night; nodosities of the gout."

Great anxiety, proceeding to thoughts of suicide; with spasmodic constriction of the abdomen. Hermel says, "Aurum has cured maniacal suicide." (p. 23.)

Aurum-muriaticum.-For the treatment of suicidal monomania, accompanied with extreme depression of spirits, unrefreshing sleep from frightful dreams, dread of some impending calamity, loss of ambition and energy, diminution of virile strength and a constant disposition to dwell upon imaginary ailments, Muriate of Gold is a remedy worthy of the very highest consideration. Indeed, in cases of this description, no other medicines can bear any comparison with it.

INSANITY PRODUCED BY ALCOHOLIC DRINKS.-OINOMANIA.-The "moral perversion under which many persons labor who are given up to inebriety, disposes some to look upon it as a form of insanity rather than a vicious habit. The change of character often manifest; the periodical abandonment of excessive drinking, till reaching a full debauch; the penitence and promises afterwards; the craftiness in stealing away from friends at these periods of self-indulgence; the ultimate loss of self-respect in some, and disregard of duties and responsibili ties of life in all; the maintaining of an irresistible impulse to drink to complete gratification, and when arrested in the midst of a debauch to return to complete it. All these are by some placed to the credit of mental disease, and the destructive vice of intemperance is thus sheltered, and in some persons excused. Unfortunately, not only in the medical profession, but in the pulpit, we have advocates for the recognition of this vice, in some of its phases, as belonging to some of the forms of insanity." The term Oinomania has been applied to an "irresistible impulse to drink to drunkenness, in disregard to consequences or character." It is only a respectable name, under which this vice seeks a refuge from moral responsibility, and claims the sympathy and indulgence of society in the gratification of an excessive appetite, self-induced. Some give way to these paroxysms of intemperance, claiming that the appetite becomes too powerful for resistance, others under some slight trouble because somebody has slighted, or wounded, or wronged them; or because they have been in some way disappointed; or because the world or society have failed to appreciate them, or because they have been weary of life.

Dr. Gray, N. Y. State Lunatic Asylum Report of 1860.