Carcinosin An Under prescribed Remedy.
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1995 May / Jun Vol IV No 3.
Parinaz Humranwala.
Materia Medica.
` Carc.

Introduction

I have attempted here to draw together the extensive body literature on Carcinosin and incorporate a few clinical symptoms experienced in my own practice, supported by rubrics. This study will lessen the therapeutic confusion, and give better insight in the appearance and the structure of personality of Carcinosin.

History

Kent believed cancer to be the result of suppressed psora and it is of interest to note that in some cases responding to Carcinosin, indications of Psorinum and other antipsorics not previously evident came to light. In a few cases the symptom of Psorinum "feels specially well before an attack" was uncovered only after previous benefit from Carcinosin, Jonathan Shore opines it to be a remedy with divergent tendencies. The influence of psora is found in the fears; the sycotic element in the excess of passion and sexual desire and the syphilitic trait manifests in germs of fastidiousness.

The richest source of this drug is given by Dr. Foubister in his article The Carcinosin Drug Picture. He says his interest in this drug was aroused by a chance experience, in his OPD of simultaneously treating two children born of mothers who were, during the pregnancy, suffering from cancer of the breast. The children were nourished by cancerous blood and hence their symptoms after birth was a sort of Carcinosin proving.

These children presented a remarkably similar appearance, having blue sclera, a cafe-au-lait complexion and numerous moles. Both children suffered from insomnia.

Several nosodes preparations are now available of the cancerous tissues, these days. They are -

1. Carcinosin Adenostom - From an epithelioma of the stomach.
2. Carcinosin Adenovesica - From an epithelioma of the bladder.
3. Carcinosin Intest co - From epitheliomate of intestine.
4. Carcinosin Scar mam - From a scirrhus of the breast.
5. Carcinosin Squam pulm - From an epithelioma of the lung.

Clinical Picture

Appearance of the Patient - Brownish cafe-au-lait complexion, blue sclerotics, numerous pigmented naevi, moles, blinking eyes and bizarre tics. (Tapping on head with ones fingers is a strange gesture by the remedy.)

Past-history

Whooping Cough, pneumonia, glandular fever, mononucleosis, or acute fever of any inflammatory disease in childhood.

Family history

Cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, pernicious anaemia, or a combination of these diseases more strongly represented than in an average family history.

Mentals

1. Carcinosins usually are very demanding parents, Jehovah witnesses or a military father or a dogmatic mother. The parents are very moralising, very ethical thus demand qualities and achievements from their child. A Carcinosin being vulnerable and sensitive tries hard to please others, to do what the other person wants him to do. But he cannot accomplish this wish to be perfect and struggles to be a perfectionist. Excessive parental control and pressure in childhood leads to a state of prolonged unhappiness and fear. Fear of being punished or humiliated is pronounced especially in children. Carcinosin child is often a victim of sexual abuse or rape and the fear of humiliation thereafter makes the child hide it feelings.
2. A characteristic feature in children is the sensitivity to reprimand which appears in about 70 percent of cases. The cannot stand to be yelled at or criticized. They just fall to pieces. This characteristic appears to be more related to their openness than an egotism. In the adults however a certain compensatory hardening and defensiveness shows itself as a strong predilection to take offense, an intolerance of contradiction and a definite aversion to consolation.
3. Precocity - Carcinosin children masturbate at a very early age. It is responsibility that makes them grow up sooner, leading to early development of sexuality. They are grown-ups in a certain aspect of their personality but naive and childish in other aspects. Even as adults they may have habits like thumb-sucking, nail-biting, tearing away the skin around the nails, enuresis and tics.
4. Dr. Foubister has drawn attention to the beneficial action of Carcinosin, resembling that of Medorrhinum, in the treatment of Mongols, and sometimes of other mentally defective children.
5. Artistic Carcinosin often grows up to be pugnacious (quarrelsome) independent, rebellious as a teenager or youth - gathering a fighting mentality. Mental conflict between conscience and convention (desire) leads to a tug of war and hence he has to constantly wrestle with his feelings, a continuous tension, which results in physical complaints like twitching.
6. Very soon in the life of a Carcinosin child, one notices that they have a very important sense of responsibility "Old head on young shoulders" - is what I would aptly call them. The precocious child will have anxiety about the health and well-being of relative, of their family and friends. They have a sense of responsibility that weighs tons. A young teenager suddenly loses his father and then starts shouldering the financial responsibility. later in his teens he pursues his work harder to get his elder sister married. Carcinosin is a person who jumped over a stage in life.
7. A Carcinosin individual takes life too seriously almost like a struggle. He cannot relax and take life everyday as it comes. Worries and wastes emotional energy-worry which amounts to anguish. He approaches every matter as an issue of life and death. "Today is the tomorrow that he worried about yesterday". Work alcoholics by nature he takes no repose. Inspite of being overloaded he takes on more responsibility.
8. Despite depleting energy a Carcinosin pushes too hard on a hobby horse (eccentric hobby) very forceful; even pushes his staff around by being critical, demanding and impatient. The constitutional picture displaying severely repressed emotions.
9. Anxiety of Anticipation: Anticipation takes the form of worry sometimes amounting to anguish, as for example the late arrival of child, husband or wife, or the fear that her little one may not do well in the school exams. Anxiety pertaining to the health of his relative is more than that of his own health. This anxiety drives him to understand the disease by reading various medical books.
10. Most Carcinosin individuals are people who are not easily satisfied and are hard to please, and critical in judgments. They like to make little remarks and corrections like an old school-teacher. Fastidious, meticulous they pay attention to detail. Exaggerated precision is demonstrated in their timings. Fastidious for cleanliness - makes them wash their hands often like Syphilinum. As one walks into a Carcinosins house - his furniture is seen kept in perfect order. The glass top table has no dust on it, and his room filled with paintings and potted plants adorns the corners.
    The latter depicting his love for nature and creative artistic mind. (Carcinosin, however, could be untidy too). Fastidiousness in Carcinosin may extend from a need for order in the environment and life circumstance to a definite aversion to dirt and a pathological cleanliness.
11. They are irritated by trifles; for example when they go to sleep, they will be disturbed by noises far away some light, wrinkled bed clothes and so on.
12. They love to travel, to do strange things, they love exotic food, they learn strange languages, they love to hear music that is very exotic, they read books on travel. Their love for travel is often seen in children who love to travel in thoughts by day-dreaming. They build air castles with their books of geography on their laps. They hence lack concentration. Children are often forgetful about day to day matters and get irritated on themselves for their for their forgetfulness.
13. A relationship to music and rhythm is a notably feature of this remedy. They love to dance, to express themselves in rhythmic movement and there is a definite sensitivity to music which may ameliorate or aggravate their emotional state or cause weeping. They lover to play music too.
14. Sympathetic and compassionate individuals they have tremendous lover for animals and the planet as a whole. They may be sympathetic and open even to the point of annoyance. This of course gives rise not only to anxiety for others but to a range of fears and imaginations such as occur at twilight in the dark. However like Sepia they like to watch thunderstorm.
15. When considering the mind. Dr. Templetons provings show a sort of cerebral torpor, a mental inertia, together with a feeling of tightness or constriction. The patient may even be apathetic and not reply to questions. He is pre-occupied, but annoyed that he cannot concentrate and finds brain work a trial.
16. Dr. J.H. Clarke found that Carcinosin was useful in the treatment of psychotic patients who had a cancerous tendency with an inclination to suicide.

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