Mercurius Sulphuricus (Merc Sulph)
মার্কিউরিয়াস সালফিউরিকাস (merc-sul)
The old mercurial patient whose chest fills with water: breathing quick and short, and burning of the chest.
- Source
- Sulphate of mercury (basic mercuric sulphate), the old Turpeth mineral
- Kingdom
- Mineral
- Thermal
- Kent gives no thermal state in this lecture; he gives burning of the chest and asks that the Merc. base be present
- Main spheres
- Chest and pleura (hydrothorax), Breathing, Dropsy, Lungs (hypostatic congestion)
- Kent's lecture
- 61 words, about 1 min
Meet the Mercurius Sulphuricus Patient
Kent gives this remedy only a few lines, but they are sharp ones. Sulphate of mercury, the old Turpeth mineral, belongs to the chest that has filled with water. The patient has hydrothorax: the breathing is quick and short, and there is burning of the chest. Kent points also to the old case of hypostatic congestion with dropsy, and to the dyspnoea that comes from hydrothorax. His word old matters: these are long-standing, waterlogged states, where the breath is hurried and short.
The condition Kent sets is plain: the Merc. base must be present. The sulphate is not chosen for water in the chest alone. The patient must first carry the general picture of Mercurius, and since Kent does not repeat that picture here, the student must bring it from the Mercurius lecture. Kent's language is measured. He says the remedy will sometimes help, yet when that mercurial ground is there and the chest is filling, you will be astonished at the action of this sulphate. Read the lecture as a pointer with three parts: a mercurial patient, a watery chest, and quick, short breathing with burning.
What Kent Wants You to Remember
Hydrothorax: water in the chest
Kent names hydrothorax as the first sphere of this sulphate. It is a chest remedy before anything else.
when you have a case of hydrothorax
KentQuick, short breathing
The breath comes quick and short in the watery chest. Kent puts this first among the accompanying symptoms.
with quick, short breathing, etc., and burning of the chest
KentBurning of the chest
With the water and the hurried breath there is burning of the chest. This burning helps mark the sulphate.
and burning of the chest
KentOld hypostatic congestion with dropsy
Kent sends you to the old case, where congestion has settled and dropsy has come. These are long-standing states, not fresh ones.
If you go to an old case of hypostatic congestion, with dropsy
KentDyspnoea from hydrothorax
The shortness of breath comes from the water in the chest. Kent names it separately as a case where the sulphate acts.
or a case of dyspnoea from hydrothorax
KentThe Merc. base must be present
The general Mercurius picture must stand behind the chest symptoms. Without that base, water in the chest alone does not call for this salt.
when the Merc. base is present
KentAn astonishing action of the sulphate
Kent says that in the right case the action of this sulphate will astonish you. He speaks of it as a surprise to the prescriber.
you will be astonished at the action of this sulphate
KentKent's measured word: sometimes
Kent does not claim it always acts; he says it will sometimes help. The careful word reminds the student to match the whole picture.
Merc-sulf. will sometimes help
Kent
The Picture on One Screen
Mind
- Kent gives no mental symptoms here
- Mind taken from the Merc. base
- Study the Mercurius lecture for it
Generals
- Dropsy
- Old hypostatic congestion
- Long-standing, old cases
- Merc. base must be present
Worse
- Kent names no aggravations here
- Modalities come from the Merc. base
- Study the Mercurius lecture for them
Better
- Kent names no ameliorations here
- Modalities come from the Merc. base
- Study the Mercurius lecture for them
Desires and aversions
- Kent gives no cravings here
- Kent gives no aversions here
- Kent says nothing of thirst here
Where it acts
- Chest and pleura: hydrothorax
- Breathing: quick, short, dyspnoea
- Burning of the chest
- Lungs: hypostatic congestion
- Dropsy
Do Not Confuse It With
Mercurius
Kent makes Mercurius the foundation: the sulphate acts when the Merc. base is present. Think of the sulphate when that mercurial patient develops hydrothorax with quick, short breathing and burning of the chest.
Sulphur
Kent's phrase this sulphate points to the sulphur part of the salt, but he draws no Sulphur picture in this lecture. What marks Merc-sulf. is the watery chest with burning on a mercurial ground.
Mercurius Corrosivus
Another mercurial salt from Kent's series, but this lecture gives no direct comparison with it. Among the mercury salts, Kent's own words tie the sulphate to hydrothorax, dyspnoea and burning of the chest.
Test Yourself
Answer in your head first, then tap to check. Come back tomorrow and try again: spaced recall is how keynotes stay.
1In which chest condition does Kent say Merc-sulf. will sometimes help?
In hydrothorax with quick, short breathing and burning of the chest.
2What sensation in the chest accompanies the hydrothorax?
Burning of the chest, together with quick, short breathing.
3What kind of old case does Kent send you to for this sulphate?
An old case of hypostatic congestion with dropsy, or a case of dyspnoea from hydrothorax.
4What condition must be fulfilled before the sulphate acts so well?
The Merc. base must be present; the general Mercurius picture must stand behind the chest symptoms.
5How does Kent describe the prescriber's experience in the right case?
He says you will be astonished at the action of this sulphate.
6By what older name does Kent identify the sulphate of mercury?
Turpeth mineral.
Mercurius Sulphuricus by J. T. Kent
Complete and unabridged, with a faithful Bangla translation. Switch on parallel reading to see both languages paragraph by paragraph.
Hydrothorax and Dyspnoea
(Sulphate of mercury. Turpeth mineral.)
(সালফেট অব মার্কারি। টারপেথ মিনারেল।)
Merc-sulf. will sometimes help, when you have a case of hydrothorax with quick, short breathing, etc., and burning of the chest. If you go to an old case of hypostatic congestion, with dropsy, or a case of dyspnoea from hydrothorax, when the Merc. base is present, you will be astonished at the action of this sulphate.
আপনার হাতে যখন হাইড্রোথোরাক্সের (বক্ষগহ্বরে পানি জমা) কোনো রোগী থাকে, যার শ্বাস দ্রুত ও ছোট ছোট ইত্যাদি, আর সঙ্গে বুকে জ্বালা থাকে, তখন মার্কিউরিয়াস সালফিউরিকাস কখনো কখনো সাহায্য করবে। শোথসহ হাইপোস্ট্যাটিক কনজেশনের (দেহের নিচের অংশে রক্ত জমে থাকা) কোনো পুরোনো রোগীর কাছে যদি আপনি যান, অথবা হাইড্রোথোরাক্সজনিত শ্বাসকষ্টের কোনো রোগীর কাছে, আর সেখানে মার্কারির ভিত্তিগত লক্ষণচিত্র উপস্থিত থাকে, তাহলে এই সালফেটের ক্রিয়া দেখে আপনি অবাক হয়ে যাবেন।
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