Spong.
Spong. is the essence of dry, crowing laryngeal spasm with iodic glandular colouring. The core polarity is Warmth & Lubrication vs. Cold & Dryness. The organism reacts to cold inspired air and night’s first sleep with laryngeal closure and saw-like inspiration; it rescues itself by sitting up, warming the airway, and lubricating with warm sips. This is not the flaming terror of Acon., nor the rattling sensitivity of Hepar; it is a mid-stage dryness—harsh, wooden, crowing—with voice failure and thyroid throbbing that can be heard as much as felt [Hering], [Farrington], [Boger]. The kingdom signature (animal—Porifera) and iodine/bromine content illuminate the thyroid–larynx–heart triangle: goitre with choking, valvular roughness with laryngeal reflex cough, and dry tracheal mucosa that insists on warmth.
Miasmatically sycotic, Spong. builds tissue (goitre, indurations) and produces spasm over secretion. The pace is nocturnal, the reactivity high under triggers (cold air, inspiration, speech), the thermal state warm-seeking. Its modalities are the clinical compass: better warm drinks/room, sitting up, gentle pressure; worse before midnight, inspiration, cold air, talking, lying. Distinguish it from Samb. (silent closure with sweat), Dros. (deep paroxysms/gagging), Brom. (membranes/cyanosis, worse warm room), Phos. (burning, haemorrhagic, craves cold), Caust. (voice better cold drinks), and in croup from Acon. (fiery onset) and Hepar (rattling sequel). In heart cases, the laryngeal colour and thyroid–carotid throbbing steer you to Spong. rather than Digitalis/Cactus/Spigelia. Cure is tracked by a reproducible arc: first sleep unbroken, sawing diminishes, voice holds, lying tolerated, thyroid quiet. Practically: when a parent says, “He wakes barking, crowing, and it stops the moment he sips something warm,” you are in Spong. territory. [Hering], [Clarke], [Boger], [Farrington], [Kent], [Boericke], [Phatak], [Tyler].
