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Kent's Lectures on Materia Medica

Mercurius Corrosivus (Merc Cor)

মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাস (merc-c)

Mercury set on fire: the same sallow, sweating mercurial patient, but everything burns, eats and spreads with violent speed.

Source
Mercuric chloride (corrosive sublimate), HgCl2
Kingdom
Mineral
Thermal
Kent gives no thermal state; he notes the mercurial odor and sweat and an insatiable thirst in the throat cases
Main spheres
Throat and glands, Rectum (dysentery), Urinary organs and kidneys, Male genitals, Skin ulcers and chancres
Kent's lecture
388 words, about 2 min
The remedy in one minute

Meet the Mercurius Corrosivus Patient

Kent paints Mercurius corrosivus as mercury set on fire. The patient has the familiar mercurial base: the mercurial odor and sweat, the sallow face, the salivation and lardaceous ulcers that cannot be told apart from those of Merc. What separates them is pace and intensity. Merc. is slower and more sluggish; the corrosive salt takes hold and runs its course with greater activity and excitement, with more excoriation and more burning. In the eyes the excoriation is greater, and ulcers do not creep but eat, spreading over an area as large as your hand in a night.

The throat shows the picture most plainly: it is enormously swollen, the glands are swollen, the ulcers spread rapidly and burn and smart like coals of fire, and the thirst is insatiable. In dysentery there is copious bleeding and great anxiety. He can scarcely leave the stool a second, with tenesmus of rectum and bladder, constant urging and great burning, and Kent warns that if he is not relieved he will not live. The urinary symptoms are violent too, and albuminuria is more marked than in Merc. Slight irritation draws the foreskin into phimosis, chancres spread with great rapidity, and stitching, tearing pains wander here and there, especially in the chest.

Keynotes

What Kent Wants You to Remember

  1. Merc. made violent and active

    Merc. is slow and sluggish; this salt takes hold with excitement and races through its course. With a mercury base, Kent says, this salt must often be preferred.

    it takes hold and runs its course with greater activity.

    Kent
  2. The mercurial base remains

    He still has the odor, the sweat and the sallow look of mercury. Ptyalism and lardaceous ulcers cannot be told apart from Merc.

    He has the mercurial odor and sweat, and he is sallow

    Kent
  3. Ulcers that eat overnight

    Merc. has slowly spreading ulcers; here there is great eating. Pains, burning and smarting in eruptions and ulcers are more violent.

    there is great eating; it will spread over an area as large as your hand in a night.

    Kent
  4. Throat burning like coals of fire

    Throat ulcers spread rapidly with intense burning and smarting. Kent's three marks are violence, intense burning and rapid spread.

    the ulcers are spreading rapidly and burning and smarting like coals of fire

    Kent
  5. Enormous swelling, insatiable thirst

    The throat is enormously swollen and the glands swell with it. The thirst cannot be satisfied.

    The throat is enormously swollen, the glands are swollen, and the thirst is insatiable.

    Kent
  6. Violent dysentery, chained to the stool

    Copious bleeding, great anxiety and tenesmus of both rectum and bladder. Kent warns that if this patient is not relieved he will not live.

    can scarcely leave the stool a second, great tenesmus of rectum and bladder; urging to urination and stool is constant; great burning in the rectum.

    Kent
  7. Albuminuria more marked than Merc.

    The urinary symptoms are violent and albumin is prominent. Kent singles out the albuminuria of pregnancy and the patient who also has gout.

    It is one of the most frequently indicated remedies in the albuminuria of pregnancy and a very useful remedy when gout is present.

    Kent
  8. Foreskin drawn tight; chancres racing

    Slight irritation contracts the foreskin into phimosis, with itching and burning. Discharges are greenish yellow or bloody watery with violent painful erections, and chancres spread with great rapidity.

    From slight irritation of the foreskin of the male organ, the mucous membrane and skin contract and phimosis takes place.

    Kent
At a glance

The Picture on One Screen

Mind

  • Great anxiety in dysentery
  • Activity and excitement in every process
  • Violence marks the whole case

Generals

  • More excoriation and burning than Merc.
  • Rapid, violent spread of ulceration
  • Mercurial odor and sweat
  • Sallow complexion
  • Copious bleeding in dysentery
  • Stitching, rending, tearing pains, wandering

Worse

  • Kent gives no clear modalities
  • Slight irritation brings on phimosis
  • Constant urging to stool and urine

Better

  • Kent names no ameliorating factor
  • Leaving the stool brings no respite
  • Sluggish ordinary cases suit Merc. instead

Desires and aversions

  • Insatiable thirst in throat cases
  • No food desires given by Kent
  • No aversions given by Kent

Where it acts

  • Eyes (excoriation)
  • Throat and glands
  • Rectum (dysentery)
  • Kidneys and bladder
  • Male genitals
  • Skin ulcers and chancres
  • Chest (stitching pains)
Differential

Do Not Confuse It With

Mercurius

Kent's only direct comparison: the ptyalism, lardaceous ulcers, odor and sweat are shared, but Merc. is slower and more sluggish with slowly spreading ulcers. Choose Merc-cor. for violence, intense burning and rapid spread; Kent prefers Merc. in ordinary cases.

Mercurius Cyanatus

Another mercury salt; Kent does not set it beside Merc-cor. in this lecture. He only says that with a mercury base this corrosive salt is often to be preferred when the case burns and spreads with violence.

Mercurius Iodatus Ruber

Also a mercury salt that Kent does not compare here. The lecture's rule holds: among mercury preparations, Merc-cor. is the one for intense excoriation, burning and a course run with great activity.

Self-test

Test Yourself

Answer in your head first, then tap to check. Come back tomorrow and try again: spaced recall is how keynotes stay.

1How does Kent distinguish Merc-cor. from Merc. in general?

Merc. is slower and more sluggish; Merc-cor. has more excoriation, burning, activity and excitement, and runs its course with greater activity.

2How fast can a Merc-cor. ulcer spread, according to Kent?

There is great eating; it will spread over an area as large as your hand in a night.

3Which features cannot be used to tell Merc-cor. from Merc.?

The ptyalism and the lardaceous ulcers; Kent says you cannot tell them apart.

4Describe the Merc-cor. sore throat.

The throat and glands are enormously swollen, ulcers spread rapidly and burn and smart like coals of fire, and the thirst is insatiable.

5What marks the Merc-cor. dysentery, and what is Kent's warning?

Copious bleeding, great anxiety, tenesmus of rectum and bladder, constant urging and great burning, so he can scarcely leave the stool. If this patient is not relieved he will not live.

6In which urinary state does Kent find Merc-cor. frequently indicated?

Albuminuria, more marked than in Merc., especially the albuminuria of pregnancy and when gout is present.

Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1905)

Mercurius Corrosivus by J. T. Kent

Complete and unabridged, with a faithful Bangla translation. Switch on parallel reading to see both languages paragraph by paragraph.

Violence, Excoriation and Ulcers

Merc-cor. has more excoriation and burning, more activity and excitement. Merc. is slower and more sluggish. Merc-cor. is violent and active in its movements, it takes hold and runs its course with greater activity. So with a mercury base we have often to prefer this salt.

মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাসে ছাল-ওঠা ভাব ও জ্বালা বেশি, সক্রিয়তা ও উত্তেজনাও বেশি। মার্কারি তুলনায় ধীর ও বেশি মন্থর। মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাসের গতিপ্রকৃতি প্রচণ্ড ও সক্রিয়। এটি দ্রুত আঁকড়ে ধরে এবং বেশি সক্রিয়ভাবে নিজের গতিপথ অতিক্রম করে। তাই পারদভিত্তিক ঔষধের মধ্যে আমাদের প্রায়ই এই লবণটিকেই বেছে নিতে হয়।

In the eye symptoms there is more excoriation. The pains, burning, smarting, etc., in the eruptions and ulcers are more violent. In Merc. we have slow spreading ulcers, but in Merc. cor. there is great eating; it will spread over an area as large as your hand in a night. He has the mercurial odor and sweat, and he is sallow; he needs mercury, but a more active preparation than Merc-viv.

চোখের লক্ষণে ছাল-ওঠা ভাব বেশি। উদ্ভেদ ও ক্ষতের ব্যথা, জ্বালা, চিড়চিড়ে যন্ত্রণা ইত্যাদি বেশি প্রচণ্ড। মার্কারিতে ক্ষত ধীরে ধীরে ছড়ায়। কিন্তু মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাসে ক্ষত ভীষণভাবে খেয়ে ফেলে এগোয়; এক রাতের মধ্যেই আপনার হাতের সমান জায়গা জুড়ে ছড়িয়ে পড়বে। রোগীর গায়ে পারদের মতো গন্ধ ও ঘাম থাকে, তার চামড়া ফ্যাকাশে-হলদেটে। তার পারদই দরকার, তবে মার্কিউরিয়াস ভিভাসের চেয়ে বেশি সক্রিয় কোনো প্রস্তুতি।

Merc-cor. has decided symptoms of its own, but they are limited. You cannot tell the ptyalism, or the lardaceous ulcers apart. In sore throat, if it is a Merc. case, the ulcers are spreading rapidly and burning and smarting like coals of fire, you would say that Merc. is not so intense as this. You need Merc. cor. for the violence, the intense burning, and the rapid spread. The throat is enormously swollen, the glands are swollen, and the thirst is insatiable.

মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাসের নিজস্ব সুনির্দিষ্ট লক্ষণ আছে, তবে সেগুলো সীমিত। লালাস্রাব বা চর্বির মতো দেখতে (লার্ডেশাস) ক্ষত দেখে দুটিকে আলাদা করা যায় না। গলাব্যথায় কেসটিকে মার্কারির মতো মনে হতে পারে। কিন্তু ক্ষত যদি দ্রুত ছড়াতে থাকে এবং জ্বলন্ত কয়লার মতো জ্বলে ও চিড়চিড় করে, তখন আপনি বলবেন মার্কারি এতটা তীব্র নয়। এই প্রচণ্ডতা, তীব্র জ্বালা ও দ্রুত ছড়িয়ে পড়ার জন্য আপনার মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাস দরকার। গলা ভীষণভাবে ফুলে থাকে, গ্রন্থিগুলো ফোলা থাকে, আর পিপাসা মেটে না।

Dysentery and Urinary Organs

In dysentery there is more violence; copious bleeding; great anxiety, can scarcely leave the stool a second, great tenesmus of rectum and bladder; urging to urination and stool is constant; great burning in the rectum. It is a violent case of dysentery. I would prefer Merc. in ordinary Merc. cases, but if this patient is not relieved he will not live, and Merc. cor. is needed here.

আমাশয়ে তীব্রতা বেশি; প্রচুর রক্তক্ষরণ; ভীষণ উৎকণ্ঠা; রোগী এক মুহূর্তের জন্যও পায়খানা ছেড়ে উঠতে পারে না বললেই চলে। মলদ্বার ও মূত্রথলিতে প্রবল কোঁথানি; প্রস্রাব ও পায়খানার বেগ অবিরাম থাকে; মলদ্বারে প্রচণ্ড জ্বালা। এটি আমাশয়ের এক প্রচণ্ড কেস। সাধারণ মার্কারি কেসে আমি মার্কারিই বেছে নেব। কিন্তু এই রোগীর উপশম না হলে সে বাঁচবে না, আর এখানে মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাস দরকার।

In the urinary organs the symptoms are violent.

মূত্রযন্ত্রে লক্ষণগুলো প্রচণ্ড।

Albuminuria is more marked in Merc-cor. than in Merc. It is one of the most frequently indicated remedies in the albuminuria of pregnancy and a very useful remedy when gout is present. From slight irritation of the foreskin of the male organ, the mucous membrane and skin contract and phimosis takes place. Merc-cor. relieves the itching and burning, and causes the purse-string to let up.

প্রস্রাবে অ্যালবুমিন যাওয়া (অ্যালবুমিনুরিয়া) মার্কারির চেয়ে মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাসে বেশি স্পষ্ট। গর্ভাবস্থার অ্যালবুমিনুরিয়ায় এটি সবচেয়ে বেশি নির্দেশিত ঔষধগুলোর একটি। গেঁটেবাত থাকলেও এটি খুব উপযোগী ঔষধ। পুরুষাঙ্গের মুখের চামড়ায় সামান্য উত্তেজনা থেকেই শ্লৈষ্মিক ঝিল্লি ও চামড়া সংকুচিত হয়ে ফাইমোসিস (লিঙ্গমুখের চামড়া আঁটসাঁট হয়ে যাওয়া) দেখা দেয়। মার্কিউরিয়াস করোসিভাস চুলকানি ও জ্বালা কমায় এবং থলির মুখের ফাঁসের মতো আঁটা চামড়াকে ঢিলে করে দেয়।

It is seldom indicated in gonorrhea, but is called for when there is greenish yellow or bloody watery discharge, with violent burning and urging to urination and to stool, and violent painful erections. Chancres spread with great rapidity.

গনোরিয়ায় এটি কদাচিৎ নির্দেশিত হয়। তবে সবুজাভ হলুদ বা রক্তমেশানো পানির মতো স্রাব থাকলে এর প্রয়োজন হয়, সঙ্গে থাকে প্রচণ্ড জ্বালা, প্রস্রাব ও পায়খানার বেগ এবং প্রচণ্ড যন্ত্রণাদায়ক লিঙ্গোত্থান। শ্যাঙ্কার অতি দ্রুত ছড়িয়ে পড়ে।

Stitching, rending, tearing pains, here and there, especially in the chest.

এখানে-ওখানে সুচ ফোটানো, চিরে ফেলার মতো, ছিঁড়ে ফেলার মতো ব্যথা, বিশেষ করে বুকে।

Original text: James Tyler Kent, Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica (1905), public domain. Section headings, light punctuation fixes, study notes and the Bangla translation: IZ Homeo.

For study by homeopathic physicians and students. This is not advice to take any medicine: in classical homeopathy a remedy is chosen only after a full case. For treatment, book an online consultation. Book Online Consultation

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