A CLINICAL CASE: ARUM TRIPHYLLUM IN SCARLET FEVER

The few symptoms published in the thirteenth volume of the Archiv. of Arum maculatum are very similar to those of Arum triphyllum. This very valuable medicine was first introduced as aremedy in scarlet fever by Dr. C. Hering, and the attention of the profession was first called to it in a number of The Homoeopathic News. Since then many cases of malignant scarlet fever have been successfully treated by this new remedy, and someindications for the administration of this medicine can now be given.
I shall first relate one of the most malignant cases in which Arum triphyllum was administered with marked benefit. The caseis taken from my Journal, Vol. I, pp. 24.
2101 The patient was a boy six years of age, who had always been under my care and who had enjoyed general good health. His older brother had scarlet fever and was attacked on the 14th of February, 1861. I saw him in the morning, he complained of headache and had vomited some food and mucus; he declined to rise in the morning, pulse 120 full and hard, gave one dose of Belladonna 200; at 2 p.m., he continued to vomit, had much thirst for cold water, face very pale, coma, Tart. emet. 200. At 7, p.m. I found him much worse, the face very much paler, continued coma, when aroused he complained of much headache; every ten or fifteen minutes a watery, very offensive involuntary stool, pulse over 200 a minute, Sulph. 200, six pellets
dissolved in half a tumbler full of water, and every two hours one teaspoonful to be given. At 1, a.m., he became very restless and the eruption began to appear all over his body.
In the morning at 7, of the 15th of February, he was fully covered by the scarlet fever eruption, the diarrhoea had ceased, the head-ache was almost gone, he had slept and the pulse was now 120. Medicine was discontinued. On the 16th he did well. On the 17th his nose was much stuffed up, the corners of the mouth became sore, no evacuations, he had slept poorly
because he could not breathe well except with his mouth open, Lycopodium 200. On the 18th he had had a bad night, very delirious, the nose had discharged a good deal of thin watery ichorous fluid, nose sore, lips very sore, cracked and bleeding as well as the corners of the mouth, the mouth felt so sore inside that he was unwilling to drink, tongue red, papillae swollen and standing up, between the abdomen and the legs sore moist places, the same on the as coccygis, the submaxillary glands swollen, pulse 140 hard and full; voice hoarse. Arum tr., 6 pellets of the sixth dissolved in half a tumblerful of water, and every two hours one tea-spoonful to be given.
On the 19th,. slightly better, gave Arum trif. 30, which had been freshly prepared in water as before. On the 20th still better, medicine continued every four hours.
On the 21st, a still more decided improvement, had passed a great deal of very pale urine, and hawked up a good deal of mucus. He continued to improve without further medicine up to the 13th of March when he was seized with violent coryza, nose much stuffed up; Nit. acid 200. One dose relieved his until he again complained on the 20th of March, at night, of a hoarse, dry, croupy cough and great hoarseness which yielded to one dose
of Hepar. 200.
On the 2nd of April , he again became hoarse in the morning, and hard of hearing. One dose of Causticum fully relieved him and he remained well.
The similarly of Nit. acid and Arum triphyllum in the second stage of scarlet fever is very great. The coryza of Nit. acid is more prominent, both have the stoppage of the nose but Nit. acid has not the red tongue.
The most indicative symptoms for Arum are the great sore feeling of the mouth, the redness of the tongue, the elevated papillae, the cracked corners of the mouth and lips, and stoppage of the nose without much coryza. Urine very abundant and pale, the sub-maxillary glands swollen. The eruption all over the body with much itching and restlessness. Arum very often causes a great hoarseness and while other symptoms will improve, the hoarseness will become much worse if the medicine is continued too long.
Author: Dr. Adolph Lippe, M.D.
(Courtesy. American. Homoeo. Review, 1862)
Source: The Homoeopathlc Heritage, Feb ’88