Studying Iron
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1996 Sep / Oct Vol V No 5.
Kulay F M.
Materia Medica.
` Ferr
A Homoeopath does not study a remedy to acquaint himself with a CATALOGUE of symptoms, but to grasp the ESSENTIAL personality of the remedy in all its psychosomatic ramifications : Causation, Mentals, Modalities, Organ - affinities - a study of all these can be rewarding as also confounding, especially while studying a non-polychrest.
The first question raised while studying Ferrum-met is how to separate it in ones mind from several polychrest which may be prescribed, when this remedy ought to have been.,.
Anaemic,prostrated, chilly, worse after midnight, worse at rest = Ars?.
Prostration, malarial trace, history of loss of vital fluids = China ? Weak digestive system, tearful , sad, diarrhoeic, worse after eating = Puls ?.
Depressed, intolerant of contradiction = Nat mur ? In fact, this differential drug-diagnosis explains why polychrests are prescribed so often ( with poor results frequently) as also why remedies such as Ferrum are missed.
For a catalogue of symptoms of Ferrum, one may consult various materia medicas. the essence of Ferrum however lies in its unique pattern of bodily behaviour in a severe anaemic state. Red, flushed face is mentioned by all masters. E A Farrington calls it "masked plethora", and described such as giving the impression of "blooming health " Kali calls it pseudo-plethora". this red, healthy-looking face does not attract sympathy, and that is Ferrums sorrow. This flushing of the face must be understood well to differentiate it from the polychrests mentioned earlier. When alone, Ferrum is extremely pale as warranted by his anaemic condition. The face is pale, the cavity true picture of his inner state of prostration. Yet, the moments he is disturbed or excited in the least, he flushes in the face, looks red, pink, healthy. When someone arrives, or in the presence of a stranger, or when excited by a pleasant or an unpleasant news, his face blushes goes red.
Wondering at this phenomenon of the Ferrum face, I thought of Natrum mur., who cannot shed tears in front of others but would unburden himself when alone - a sign of aversion to displaying ones sorrow. Ferrum perhaps unconsciously goes red in the presence of others as if to hide, like Natrum mur the degree of his inner prostration - a dislike for advertising ones poor state. Ferrum,of course, cannot see his own flushes face, which others notice, and therefore he fails to understand why others cannot realise how sick he is.
While reading a detailed account of Ferrum met in source books, one may note symptoms affecting almost every organ. Remembering all these would be an unnecessary exercise. What sets Ferrum apart from others can be easily remembered in terms of the following features : Anaemic-prostrated - chilly, flushing of face in the presence of others - Pale and bloodless when alone - Depressed- complaints after loss of vital fluids - Haemorrhages. Strangely, in this debilitated constitution, pains and many sufferings are WORSE at rest and compel him to MOVE ABOUT GENTLY, for he cannot take the strain of walking fast or of the exertion. Perhaps slow motion is his natural way of WARMING himself as also to stir the blood flow. many complaints are worse after eating.
The old school has been stuffing their patients with Iron as a tonic in case of Iron-deficiency leading to anaemia, little realising that the more iron they give the more bloodlessness they promote. A case of iron-deficiency in most cases will be a case of non-assimilation of iron from ones own food. When the digestive function fails to extract iron from iron-rich food or drinks, it is senseless to prescribed crude iron. In fact, what is needed is a correction of the digestive system so that the body benefits from the iron it consumes in a natural way. Even potentized Ferrum may not be the remedy needed. It may be that an antidote of Ferrum is required. Among others, Ars, China and Pulsatilla are more often likely to come into play as antidotes of iron.
Kent ends his Ferrum picture thus : " We read in the texts that Ferrum is remedy for diarrhoea in the last stages of consumption. Well,sometimes it is - if the patient is prepared to die. Ferrum will stop the diarrhoea but after it is stopped the patient will not live long. The diarrhoea is not usually painful,it is annoying, but it is painless, and the night-sweats are painless. Do not suppress them; they had better be left alone. Let the patient go on to a peaceful termination. The best remedy for diarrhoea in the last stages of consumption is SACCHARUM LACTIS in the crude form, given in very small quantities and repeated as often as is required by the patient and the bystanders. This is a very significant warning. Diarrhoea is a SAVIOUR of potentially tuberculous patients, those who are likely to contract tuberculosis after many years perhaps. Whenever a case of persistent diarrhoea, often painless, and often without any visible strain caused by such a long standing diarrhoea , does not respond to well known acute diarrhoeaic remedies, it is an alarming sign and a signal that such a diarrhoea should not be checked. If such a diarrhoea is suppressed by a very deep acting drug, often not known for diarrhoea, the patient will be surely and severely harmed in his future. This means that the depth of the SAVIOUR - DIARRHOEA is as great as should be the impact of a tuberculous assault. That is why it does not respond to lesser remedial agents.
A digression and warning, a similar relationship exists between a ringworm and as asthma, or worm-disease and tuberculosis. When Bacillus Typhus is found in a typhoidal case, or when worm are discovered in a case, the interpretation ought to be that the bacilli or the worms are the SAVIOURS which thrive on the poison that would kill the patient but happens to be their food. Killing them is tantamount to destroying the saviour friends. Treatment should consist in eradicating the harvest on which they live, and NOT IN ejecting them by violent medication. One cannot respect ways of Nature without understanding them.
