Rare Pisces
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1994 Jul / Aug Vol III No 4.
Rajesh Baheti.
Cases.
` Astac / Eryth / Medus / Ol-j / Trach.

1. ASTACUS FLUVIATILIS

Natural Order: Crustaceae
Common Name: Crawfish
Doctrine of Signature:

1. Eyes - Under dim light the pigment moves to expose the retinulae which then receive light from several ommatidia (2500 units). Although his reduces the detail of the image and makes it rather blurred it enables the animal to see in poor light.
   Symptoms - Dim vision.
2. Excretion - Excretory function is done by green Glands which regulate salt-water balance. The urine which collects in the bladder is hypotonic with the blood. The urine also contains Nitrogenous waste in the form of ammonia. Small amounts of amino-nitrogen and urea are also excreted.
   Symptom - Fishy smell, urine pale, acidic, quantity of albumin, red sediment.
3. Gaseous exchange - is done with the help of gills which in order to function successfully need a water current.

Symptoms - Cough, ameliorated by walking and aggravated when he sits down.

Indications:

Mind - Apprehensiveness with anxiety in chest. Delirium during chill. Despondency, dejection, melancholy. Dreams many - amorous and anxious.

Physicals - Fishy taste in mouth. Itching of various parts. Inward chilliness and sensitiveness to air aggravated by uncovering. Nettle rash with liver complaints. Enlarged glands of neck in children and aged.

2. ERYTHRINUS

Natural Order: Erythriniae

Common Name : Red Mullet fish

A Case by Dr. Burnett:

A patient came to be treated for a maddening neuralgia, which he had picked up on the banks of the Nile. After being cured of his neuralgia, he showed me his chest which was the seat of a big patch of red pityriasis that he had for a number of years. The patch was composed of a series of smaller patches all more or less circular or segments of circles.

One day I was reading in an old German book that many years ago some British sailors in the Pacific Islands - ate fish called Erythrinus and came out with a peculiar red rash that became chronic and which the doctors took for a form of Syphillis. So I prescribed him Erythrinus. Later the patient saw me only after two and a half years, he mentioned that the red patch on his chest had disappeared with the ounce bottle of Erythrimus.

Complementary: Aurum-mur
(Not a well proved drug)

3. MEDUSA

Phyllum : Cnidaria
Common Name : Jelly fish
Doctrine of Signature:

The medusoid forms have the gelatinous prismatic or leaf like or helmet shaped bodies.

Signs and symptoms: Burning sensation felt in from a few second to a minute after contact, after 5 minutes a slight redness and then a simple lentil shaped elevation. The appearance sometimes resembles nettle rash. The pain generally soon ceases.

A highly toxic substance is ejected from the nematocysts (Cellular derivatives a phylum cnidarians) and causes paralytic effects on the prey after injection. Biochemical analysis of the extracts of a nematocysts show that the substance is an anesthetizing toxin.

Skin - Burning sensation. Numbness. Face pulled and oedematous. Skeleton of Calcium carbonate.

Indications:

Extreme anxiety with difficult speech. Secretion of urine which has been suspended for days returned. Milk came into the breast three years in a lady after the birth of her last child. GIT - disagrees fish.

Medusa is in between Natrum-mur and Sepia (Classical Homoeopathy by Dr. Margaret Blackie)

4. OLEUM JECORIS ASELLI

Natural Order: Gadidae

Common Name: Cod Liver OIl

Doctrine of Signature:

The medicine is prepared from fresh livers of Gadus marrhua. Recent development of sarcopathy marked out Oleum as a liver remedy. An ally of cholesterine the Cod Liver oil is purely yellow.

Signs and Symptoms: Yellowness of the oil is seen in the form of yellow expectoration. Coating of tongue, mucus of sore throat and yellow leucorrhoea.

Indications:

Mind - Feels miserable all over with great nervous irritation. Dreams of seeing objects in the room during sleep. Dreams of ghosts.
Soreness is the Keynote of the remedy. Scrofulous diathesis.
Stomach - Appetite lost. Aggravation from milk. Aversion to milk.
Female - Powerful action on the female sexual organs. Increasing the menstrual flow and restoring it when in abeyance.
Skin - In ringworm, the application of the plain oil at bedtime is most effectual local measure. It is used a general application in the case of emaciated, dwarfish, chilly babies, children. The nutrition of the skin is improved and the medicinal properties of the oil are absorbed without any adverse effect in the organs of digestion.

Modalities:

Aggravated by touch, riding, stooping, walking, from draft of air, damp localities.

Laughing aggravates the cough.

5. TRACHINUS DRACO

Natural Order: Telostei

Common Names: Sting Fish

Doctrine of Signature:

As the name suggests these fishes have sharp spine on their tails. These spines are saw edged and venomous

Signs and Symptoms: Intolerable pains. Swelling of the part and in some cases also gangrene. It is also indicated in cases of acute blood poisoning with intense pains.

Indications:

Mind - Fear of death. Hydrophobia, anxiety, delirium raging, raving.

Skin - Swelling of the whole body. Skin becomes yellowish green, after sting of this fish there is a swelling of the area of the wound, a peculiar stinging pain occurs a few seconds after the wound and this gradually increases and becomes intolerable. The edges of the wound become thick, hard tense and insensible black and gangrenous. After some time the pain subsides and then the swelling and redness remains for some time and then diminishes.

REFERENCES:

1. Biology of Animals, Vol I Ganguly, Sinha & Adhikari
2. Animal Diversity - Diana R Kershaw
3. Dictionary of Materia Medica - Clarke
4. Encyclopedia of Materia Medica - T F Allen
5. American Pharmacopoeia
6. Best of Burnett - Chitkara
7. Synthetic Repertory - Barthel and Klunker.

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