Homeopathy Online: Materia Medica

Pyrogenium

by Ian Townsend

Etymology: pyro-genium=fireproducer

Pyrogenium was prepared by Dr. Drysdale[1] in 1875 "from sterilized putridity" of decomposing beef left in the sun for two weeks ("He placed some chopped lean beef in water and allowed it...to decompose. From this rotten beef, with its swarming menagerie of bacterial life, Pyrogenium and its dilutions were made." Dr. Shedd, New York, Homoeopathic Recorder, 1909). It is a nosode[2], the importance of which it is not possible to overrate (Choudhury). It is a grand nosode — one of the greatest monuments to Samuel Hahnemann and to Homoeopathy, as it covers a very wide range of action, and fills a place of its own that no other can fill.[3]

Pyrogenium: Part II

Pyrogenium: Part III

References

Seventeen Cases: Part I

Seventeen Cases: Part II

Photograph of Sea Holly (Used herbally)

Sea Holly
(Used herbally)
Photo © Katherine Enos

Drysdale cites Saunderson's experiments on animals which show that "...Pyrogenium given in lethal doses kills — having produced changes in blood and tissues analogous to those of septicaemia after wounds; while in non-lethal doses, after severe symptoms, the animal, in a few hours, recovered its normal appetite and liveliness with wonderful rapidity...showing that this septic poison has not the slightest tendency to multiply in the organism."[4]

History

Dr. John Drysdale of Liverpool prepared the remedy (as above) in the UK, Dr. Swan prepared it in the USA from septic pus and ran it up to the CM, and Dr. Sherbino proved it in the highest potencies, because, having had blood poisoning 27 years before, was evidently highly sensitive to the action.[5]

James Compton Burnett wrote a monograph on his experience of using it in typhoid cases[6]. Swan, H.C. Allen (of Allen's Keynotes), Clarke and other homoeopathic doctors all described their experiences with it.[7]

Shedd prepared the nosode Sepsin from it, the pathology of which is remarkably similar to that published for Pyrogenium in the other materia medicas. His account, in Anschutz's New, Old and Forgotten Remedies, marks the fullest account of Pyrogenium's (Sepsin) pathology.

C.M. Boger writes: "With Pyrogenium it is now possible to make direct cures of cases which were formerly cured in a roundabout way with Eupatorium, Arnica and Rhus toxicodendron, or Arsenicum, by treating first one group of symptoms and then another. Its pathogenic action greatly resembles that of the combined characteristics of these remedies in that it causes an aching in the bones as if they would break, bruised soreness of the flesh and restlessness; picturing a blood infection in which the pulse soon becomes accelerated out of all proportion to the height of the temperature or the severity of the other symptoms. The heart seems to feel the brunt of the attack and its action is greatly increased. Pyrogenium is...a remedy for all types of septic states when blood is disorganized, heart becomes weak and muscles prostrated. Hectic, typhoid, typhus, ptomaine poisoning, diphtheria, dissecting wounds, sewer-gas poisoning, chronic malaria after-effects of miscarriage, all these conditions at times may present symptoms calling for this unique medicine."[8]

Like Baptisia, to which it bears great resemblance, it is characterised by a horrible offensiveness of all the discharges of the body: the breath, sweat, vomit, menstrual, lochia, stools, diarrhea, and other excretions are rendered prominent by this carrion-like smell. The next feature is a great soreness of the body, in consequence of which the bed on which they lie down seems hard and uncomfortable. They keep on moving constantly in search of a soft place and a comfortable position.

Sensations

Sore bruised feeling (Arn, Bapt)

Aching bones (Eup-p)

Restless; > heat and motion (Rhus-t)

Pains are all

As if the nails would fly off (Apis) ...and it is probably more than an interesting coincidence that nearly all of the remedies which have falling off of the nails also stand in the front rank in Bright's disease (Boger).

As if he covered the whole bed.

As if crowded with arms and legs.[9][10]

Mentals

Loquacious (Kent).

Can talk and think faster than ever before; esp. during the fever.[11]

Cannot tell whether dreaming while awake or asleep.

Active brain, making speeches and writing articles at night (Murphy).

Irritable, delirium and confusion of mind about his body and limbs (Bapt).

Sense of duality — see "as if crowded" above.

After the fever the hallucination persists that he is very wealthy and has a large sum of money in the bank: "Delusion, that he is very wealthy."

Keynotes

Violent chill followed by heat and sweating.

Dry heat, marched aching of limbs, restlessness.

Great heat. Temperature around 106°F (41°C)[12][13]

Great soreness and aching.

Pulse high, temperature not as high (pulse and temperature out of proportion to each other).

Extreme restlessness; > 1st motion (so he has to keep moving).[14]

May be invaluable in any condition in which there is a septic focus and toxaemia or septicaemia, whether after tooth extraction, in peritonitis, skin or urinary infection.

Toxaemia with discrepancy between pulse and temperature is a very reliable guide to Pyrogenium.[15]

Appearance

Face is pale, cold and ashen.

Cheeks red and burning hot.

Covered with cold sweat.

Face flushed from 15-16h up to midnight.

Face and ears red as if blood would burst through (Foubister).

Temperature

Coldness and chilliness, no fire would warm. (Tyler)

The Pyrogenium patient is sensitive to cold to quite a degree; uncovering or putting the hand from under the covers makes the patient worse or causes sneezing. This distinguishes it from Lach and compels comparison with Hep, Nux-v and Rhus toxicodendron.[16]

Fever — lots of symptoms in materia medica. Swan went so far as to declare that Pyrogenium was indicated in all cases when the onset of fever was accompanied by pains in the limbs.

Foubister mentions that urging to urinate at the onset of fever is another feature of Pyrogenium

Fever

In all cases of fever commencing with pains in limbs (Swan).

Shivers and begins to move about restlessly; temperature rises gradually and as gradually

subsides (observation on dog).

Temperature rises rapidly to 104°F, and sinks rapidly from heart failure (dog, fatal dose).

Chilly at times and a little aching; a little feverish (Swan).

After dinner, ache all over, chilly all night, bed feels hard (Swan).

After getting into bed, chilly, teeth chatter; woke 10 p.m. in perspiration on upper part of body; > motion (Swan).

Feels hot as if he had a fever, but was only 99°F, feels like 105°F.

Cold and chilly all day. No fire would warm; sits by fire and breathes the heat from it; chilly when ever he leaves it; at night when the fever came on he had a sensation as if lungs on fire, must have fresh air, which gave >.

Frequent calls to urinate as soon as fever came on; urine clear as water.

Every other day dumb ague.

Perspiration horribly offensive, carrion-like; disgust up to nausea about effluvia arising from her own body.

Cold sweat over body.

Great heat with profuse how sweat, but sweating does not cause a fall in temperature.

Chill begins in back between scapulae, felt in bones with sweat, at night.

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