LAC VACCINUM (Cow's Milk)

Description :
Introduced and proved by Dr. J. C. Boardman, of Trenton, New Jersey, who used Swan's 200th. Many persons are very intolerant of milk, in whom it produces headache, "biliousness", intestinal flatulence and obstinate constipation. These effects of milk were developed in the proving, especially the characteristic headache and constipation, and have been clinically verified. It is also well to remember that it develops or aggravates the uric acid diathesis, thus increasing the rheumatic tendency, while the thirst and polyuria should call our attention to it as a remedy to study in diabetes.
In some highly sensitive women the effect on the function of the sexual organs is pronounced ; the menstrual flow being suppressed by putting the hands in cold water ; drinking a glass of milk will promptly suppress flow until the next period, mark the idiosyncrasy. Burnett remarks as a clinical fact that children who drink much milk after their teeth are fully grown become very liable to colds.
Like Natrum muriaticum, the potentized remedy will produce its characteristic symptoms, even when the prover is using it in the crude form at the same time.

Mind :
General nervousness, with depression of spirits, feeling as though about to hear bad news.
Mental confusion, lasting a long time after proving.
Mental prostration, came on so suddenly, was unable to collect her thoughts or write her symptoms.
Mental confusion, could not express her thoughts.
Dull, weak, confused, with trembling of whole body.

Head :
Vertigo : falls backwards if she closes her eyes.
A creeping sensation, or screw-like or vertical motion, began over left eye, and continued upwards to vertex, next the same motion or feeling began two inches behind left ear, and likewise went upwards to vertex ; also a pressure on vertex, with a sensation of heat when hand was applied (1 h.).
Sensation like a fire-ball in each temple simultaneously (20 m.).
All these symptoms passed away except pain on top of head, which feels as though something heavy were laid there, and occasionally a sharp pain simultaneously (3 1/2 h.).
Woke in morning with an aching pain all over head, most severe in occiput.
Fullness of head as if too large and heavy.
Vertigo.

Eyes :
Dull pain over right eye, and very slight dull feeling over left eye.
Eyes have a blur, or dimness, or obscurity of sight, off and on for a few moments at a time.
Blindness of both eyes, which came on three or four times in succession, lasting only a second at a time, then passing entirely away, leaving a pain in each temple, on top of head, left ear, and below left ear in the neck (2 1/2 h.).

Ears :
Ears felt stopped up ; felt deaf in both ears, although she could hear as before.

Mouth :
Had a dirty, yellow-coated tongue, which felt parched.
Sour taste.
Acid saliva staining handkerchief yellow.
Ulcers on tongue, flat, white, sunken ; tongue swollen, exceedingly sensitive, covered with white, slimy mucus on the parts not ulcerated ; breath extremely fetid ; sores extend to inside of cheeks and tonsils ; deglutition painful.

Throat :
Sensation of plug in throat or larynx.

Appetite :
Thirst for cold water in quantities ; drank three tumblerfuls during evening.

Stomach :
Had a swelling or bloating of stomach (3d d.).
At 10:30 A. M. sour taste ; nausea, but no rising or vomiting (1 h.).
Contractive, pressing pain in stomach-pit, > by external pressure.
Eructations.

Abdomen :
Pain proceeding from sternum, extending across abdomen about an inch below umbilicus.
Constant intolerable flatulence, begins an hour after drinking milk for lunch and lasts all the afternoon.
Borborygmus, with loud, noisy rumbling (200).

Stools :
Obstinate constipation ; stool hard, dry ; in impacted balls ; can be passed only with great straining.
Passage of stinking flatus, in large quantity, which relieves.

Urinary Organs :

• Urine was not increased in morning, but was dark red, without sediment.
• Filled a large iron spoon with the urine and boiled it for twenty minutes ; it left quite a mass of albumin, about a quarter of the whole ; specific gravity 1030.
• Yesterday the urine turned blue paper red ; to-day it turns the red paper blue (13th d.).
• In afternoon was obliged to urinate every fifteen minutes, in large quantity each time ; was afraid to go across the street to a store for fear it would overtake me before I could return ; it all passed off the same night.
• The density of urine varied during a few days from 1,018 to 1,028, color clear, odorless, acid reaction.
• Frequent discharge of clear urine, nearly colorless, no sediment.

Female Sexual Organs :

• White watery leucorrhea ; pain in sacrum.
• White, watery leucorrhea ; pains in sacrum.
• Drinking a glass of milk will promptly suppress the flow until next menstrual period.
• Menses suppressed, delayed by putting hands in cold water.
• "Nausea of pregnancy with desire for food > by drinking milk."

Respiratory Organs :
Sensation of plug in throat or larynx.

Chest :

• A sharp pain appeared in a spot the size of a shilling on each side of sternum and about middle of chest, with a sense of suffocation.
• Later a burning sensation in same region ; Same pain extends across abdomen about five inches lower down (about an inch below umbilicus) ; it did not seem to involve the bladder ; no rumbling or passing of flatus.
• Sharp pains in left lower chest, or in region of lower lobe of left lung ; the pain was momentary and did not return (5th d.).
• Sharp pain began in right chest, about three inches below clavicle ; it passed upward to top of right shoulder, then down arm and forearm to thumb, and then passed off.

Back :

• Pains in sacrum.
• Severe, dull, aching pains in lumbar region ; prover often exclaims, "Oh, how my back aches !"

Upper Limbs :

• Fingers of both hands, esp. when stretched out, tremble and quiver as from extreme weakness.
• A clammy sticky coldness in both hands and both feet simultaneously.
• Sharp pain under left scapula, about three inches down from top ; it then passed upwards to top of left shoulder, then down arm and forearm and hand to the four fingers of the left hand, and then passed off.
• Soon afterwards an aching pain was felt in left hip-joint, which soon passed off.

Lower Limbs :

• Piercing or lancinating pain in each hip-joint, not severe.
• Aching pain along both thighs on outer side and terminating in both knees.
• Aching pains in both knees like a rheumatic pain ; they began simultaneously in both knees, but the right was most severe (5th d.).
• On going up stairs the knees trembled or quivered or were extremely weak, so as to be unable to take a step forwards.
• Aching pains in bones from both hip-joints to both feet simultaneously ; also burning sensation in both feet.
• All the joints of the body, esp. knees, feel weak and powerless, as when half drunk.
• Short rheumatic pains in knee and tarsal joints when walking.

Sleep :

• Slept well all night, and woke in morning free from pain (8:30 A. M.).
• Head feels all over heavy, dull, aching, drowsy, wants to go to sleep.
• Gait is unsteady.
• Must force herself to keep awake.
• Must force herself to keep her eyes open, for if she shuts them she cannot avoid falling backwards and down to the floor.
• In seven hours said she still felt sleepy, and could have fallen asleep in a minute at any time during the whole day.
• General restlessness and bad dreams.
• Dreams of trying to lay out a corpse, etc.

Fever :

• Hands became hot and dry, a decided fever heat of hands.
• Also pain on left side of head, extending from neck to top of head, and a chilling sensation with it.
• A slight fever over the entire body with a moisture in both hands, and aching in legs from thighs to knees, both sides simultaneously.
• Fever at night, followed by profuse sweat all over, the fever was preceded by chilly feeling, commencing at shoulders, and then running up from feet to head ; headache.

Skin :

• Brown crusts, having a greasy appearance, especially in corners of mouth, similar to what are called "butter-sores."
• Miss H. took one dose 1m (Fincke).
• It caused frequent profuse discharge of clear urine, no sediment, and nearly colorless.
• White, watery leucorrhea ; pains in sacrum ; sensation of plug in throat or larynx ; sour taste in mouth ; acid saliva staining handkerchief yellow ; contractive pressing pain in stomach-pit, relieved by external pressure.

Generalities :

• The pains in chest, abdomen, hips, thighs, and knees were all felt on right and left sides simultaneously.
• She was so suddenly prostrated mentally and bodily that she was unable to collect her thoughts or use a pencil to write her symptoms ; I was therefore compelled to witness and ask questions and record them ; after the proving was nearly over she said she had so much mental confusion that she could not get mentally clear enough to feel her thoughts or express them ; she could only give direct short answers to questions ; as for writing her symptoms, she had no physical power to do it.
• In two hours all symptoms subsided gradually, but still there was a general trembling or quivering of whole body as well as the fingers.
• In six and a half hours nearly relieved, except great physical prostration ; mind is again normal.