Vespa Vulgaris (Vespa)
ভেসপা ভালগারিস (vespa)
Stung by many wasps, he now walks blocks past his destination in a blank, staring spell, remembering nothing afterward.
- Source
- The common wasp, Vespa vulgaris
- Kingdom
- Animal
- Thermal
- Kent gives no general thermal state; he becomes sick and faint near a warm stove or in a close room, and cold washing of hands and face makes him feel better
- Main spheres
- Mind and consciousness, Nervous system and muscles (convulsions), Stomach (nausea and vomiting), Eyes
- Kent's lecture
- 310 words, about 2 min
Meet the Vespa Vulgaris Patient
Kent's lecture on Vespa is a single case. A young man in perfect health was stung by a great many wasps. Convulsions followed, seizing all the muscles of the body with loss of consciousness, and they lasted three years. When they faded, they left behind strange spells of unconsciousness that come on while he is walking about. He sets out for some place and finds himself several blocks past it. There is no warning. For several minutes he neither falls nor drops what he holds. Spoken to, he does not answer and seems not to hear; he only looks into space with glassy, bloodshot eyes. Then he comes to himself, remembers nothing of those moments, and is as bright as ever.
Once, on a street car platform, he gripped the iron railing with a wild look, and two men could not loosen his hands until he came round and needed no help. Warmth undoes him: near a warm stove or in a close room he turns sick and faint, and he often leaves the room to keep from vomiting. Cold washing of hands and face makes him feel better. Anger or excitement brings on a spell. The usual antidotes helped only for a while, and Kent notes that his mind is not strong and tends to grow weaker.
What Kent Wants You to Remember
Healthy young man, many wasp stings
The whole picture begins with an injury: a large number of wasp stings in someone who was in perfect health. Everything that follows traces back to this event.
A young man in perfect health was stung by a large number of wasps.
KentConvulsions of all muscles, unconsciousness
Frequent convulsions involved the whole muscular system, with loss of consciousness. They disappeared after three years but left the unconscious spells behind.
Frequent convulsions followed, involving all the muscles of the body, with loss of consciousness
KentWalks past his destination unaware
The spells come while walking about. He starts for a place and finds himself several blocks beyond it, with no warning of the coming spell.
and finds himself several blocks beyond the place he started for.
KentGrip held fast during the spell
He does not fall or drop what he holds. On a street car he grasped the iron railing, and two men could not loosen his hands.
but they could not force him to let loose until he came to himself, and then he needed no aid.
KentDeaf to speech, staring into space
Spoken to, he neither answers nor seems to notice anything. A friend saw his eyes glassy and bloodshot, as though he had no sense.
If spoken to he does not answer nor seem to hear or notice anything; he looks into space.
KentNo memory afterward, bright as ever
The spell lasts several minutes. When he comes to himself the lost moments are blank, yet he is at once fully himself again.
When he comes to himself, he has no memory of the moments that have passed; he is as bright as ever.
KentSick in warm close rooms
Near a warm stove or in a close room he becomes sick and faint and leaves to prevent vomiting. He craves cold washing of hands and face, which makes him better.
He becomes sick and faint near a warm stove or in a close room
KentAnger triggers spells; mind weakens
Anger or excitement brings on a spell. The usual antidotes helped only for a while, and his mind tends to grow weaker.
Mentally he is not strong, and the tendency is to grow weaker.
Kent
The Picture on One Screen
Mind
- Unconscious spells while walking about
- No warning of the coming spell
- Does not answer when spoken to
- Looks into space, seems senseless
- No memory of the spell
- Bright as ever afterward
- Mentally not strong, growing weaker
Generals
- Complaints after many wasp stings
- Convulsions of all muscles, unconsciousness
- Does not fall during spells
- Keeps fast grip on things held
- Eyes glassy and bloodshot in spell
- Sick and faint, inclined to vomit
Worse
- Near a warm stove
- Close, warm room
- Anger
- Excitement
- Walking about (spells come on)
Better
- Cold washing of hands and face
- Leaving the close warm room
- Usual antidotes, for a while only
Desires and aversions
- Craves cold washing of hands, face
- No food cravings given by Kent
- No thirst recorded by Kent
Where it acts
- Mind and consciousness
- Nervous system and muscles
- Stomach: nausea and vomiting
- Eyes
Do Not Confuse It With
Apis Mellifica
Kent makes no comparison in this short lecture; Apis, the honey-bee, is simply the nearest insect poison in the library. To recognise Vespa, hold to Kent's case: blank unconscious spells after wasp stings, without falling, and sickness in warm close rooms.
Cantharis
Kent names no comparison here; Cantharis is another insect remedy in the library. What marks Vespa in Kent's case is the mental picture: walking blocks past his goal, deaf to speech, then bright as ever with no memory.
Tarentula Hispanica
No comparison appears in Kent's Vespa lecture; Tarentula is listed here only as another animal poison. For Vespa, the guiding features stay Kent's own: spells brought on by anger or excitement, and relief from cold washing of hands and face.
Test Yourself
Answer in your head first, then tap to check. Come back tomorrow and try again: spaced recall is how keynotes stay.
1What event began the illness in Kent's Vespa case?
A young man in perfect health was stung by a large number of wasps. Frequent convulsions with loss of consciousness followed.
2What remained after the convulsions disappeared?
After three years the convulsions went, leaving attacks of unconsciousness when walking about. He would find himself several blocks beyond the place he started for.
3How does he behave during a spell?
He does not fall or drop what he holds, does not answer when spoken to, and looks into space. A friend saw his eyes glassy and bloodshot.
4What happened on the street car platform?
He grasped the iron railing and looked wild, and two men could not force him to let go. When he came to himself he needed no aid.
5Which modalities does Kent give for this patient?
He is worse near a warm stove or in a close room, becoming sick and faint, and is better from cold washing of hands and face. Anger or excitement brings on a spell.
6What does Kent say about the course of the case under the usual antidotes?
They helped for a while, then the symptoms returned with about the same features. Mentally he is not strong and tends to grow weaker.
Vespa Vulgaris by J. T. Kent
Complete and unabridged, with a faithful Bangla translation. Switch on parallel reading to see both languages paragraph by paragraph.
A Case of Wasp Stings
A young man in perfect health was stung by a large number of wasps. Frequent convulsions followed, involving all the muscles of the body, with loss of consciousness; the convulsions disappeared after three years, leaving him subject to attacks of unconsciousness when walking about. He often starts to go somewhere and finds himself several blocks beyond the place he started for.
সম্পূর্ণ সুস্থ এক যুবককে অনেকগুলো বোলতা একসঙ্গে হুল ফুটিয়েছিল। এরপর ঘন ঘন খিঁচুনি হতে থাকে, তাতে শরীরের সব পেশি আক্রান্ত হতো, সঙ্গে থাকত জ্ঞান হারানো। তিন বছর পর খিঁচুনি চলে যায়, কিন্তু রেখে যায় এক প্রবণতা: হাঁটাচলার সময় তার অজ্ঞান হওয়ার আক্রমণ হয়। প্রায়ই সে কোথাও যাওয়ার জন্য বের হয়, তারপর দেখে যে যেখানে যেতে চেয়েছিল, সেই জায়গা ছাড়িয়ে কয়েকটা ব্লক সামনে চলে এসেছে।
The period of unconsciousness lasts several minutes. He does not fall nor does he drop things which he happens to hold in his hands.
অজ্ঞান অবস্থা কয়েক মিনিট স্থায়ী হয়। সে পড়ে যায় না। হাতে তখন কিছু ধরা থাকলে সেটাও ফেলে দেয় না।
If spoken to he does not answer nor seem to hear or notice anything; he looks into space. When he comes to himself, he has no memory of the moments that have passed; he is as bright as ever. He has no warning of the coming spell. A friend remarked that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and he looked as though he had no sense.
তখন কেউ কথা বললে সে উত্তর দেয় না। মনে হয় সে কিছু শুনছে না, কিছু খেয়ালও করছে না; সে শূন্যের দিকে তাকিয়ে থাকে। জ্ঞান ফিরলে পেরিয়ে যাওয়া মুহূর্তগুলোর কোনো স্মৃতি তার থাকে না; তখন সে আগের মতোই সতেজ ও সজাগ। আক্রমণ আসার আগে সে কোনো পূর্বাভাস পায় না। এক বন্ধু লক্ষ করেছিলেন যে তখন তার চোখ কাচের মতো নিষ্প্রভ আর রক্তবর্ণ হয়ে থাকে, তাকে দেখে মনে হয় যেন তার কোনো চেতনা নেই।
When standing upon the platform of a street car, he was noticed to grasp the iron railing and look wild; two men standing near him undertook to loosen his hands and put him in a seat, but they could not force him to let loose until he came to himself, and then he needed no aid. It was thought that he continued to grasp the railing about ten minutes, but time flies under excitement, and no one has timed this period.
একবার সে একটি স্ট্রিটকারের প্ল্যাটফর্মে দাঁড়িয়ে ছিল। তখন দেখা গেল সে লোহার রেলিং আঁকড়ে ধরেছে, আর তার চেহারায় উদ্ভ্রান্ত ভাব। কাছে দাঁড়ানো দুজন লোক তার হাত ছাড়িয়ে তাকে একটি আসনে বসানোর চেষ্টা করলেন। কিন্তু জ্ঞান না ফেরা পর্যন্ত তারা জোর করেও তার মুঠো খোলাতে পারেননি; জ্ঞান ফেরার পর তার আর কোনো সাহায্যের দরকার হয়নি। ধারণা করা হয়েছিল যে সে প্রায় দশ মিনিট রেলিং আঁকড়ে ধরে ছিল। তবে উত্তেজনার মধ্যে সময় দ্রুত কেটে যায়, আর এই সময়টা কেউ ঘড়ি ধরে মাপেনি।
Modalities and Course
He becomes sick and faint near a warm stove or in a close room; often gets up and leaves a close warm room to prevent vomiting; craves cold washing of hand and face which makes him feel better. Anger or excitement will bring on a spell.
গরম চুলার কাছে বা বদ্ধ ঘরে সে অসুস্থ বোধ করে, তার মূর্ছার ভাব হয়। বমি ঠেকাতে প্রায়ই সে উঠে বদ্ধ গরম ঘর ছেড়ে চলে যায়। ঠান্ডা পানিতে হাত-মুখ ধোয়ার আকাঙ্ক্ষা হয়, আর তাতে সে ভালো বোধ করে। রাগ বা উত্তেজনায় আক্রমণ শুরু হয়ে যায়।
The usual antidotes have helped for a while, and then the symptoms have returned with about the same general features. Mentally he is not strong, and the tendency is to grow weaker.
প্রচলিত প্রতিষেধকগুলো কিছুদিন উপকার করেছে। তারপর লক্ষণগুলো মোটামুটি একই সার্বিক বৈশিষ্ট্য নিয়ে আবার ফিরে এসেছে। মানসিকভাবে সে সবল নয়, এবং তার প্রবণতা ক্রমশ আরও দুর্বল হয়ে পড়ার দিকে।
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