Iodoformum

Iodoform is a yellow crystalline compound of iodine and carbon (CHI₃) with the well-known sweet, penetrating odour; it is prepared by iodinating alcohols or acetone and long used as a surgical antiseptic and deodoriser in ulcers, cavities, and dressings [Hughes], [Clarke]. Pharmacologically it is absorbed from wounds and mucosae; toxicology (“iodoformism”) records mental excitement and depression, delirium with hallucinations, insomnia, ataxia, tremor, gastric disturbance, albuminous urine, cutaneous eruptions, and collapse in the cachectic—the very threads that build the homœopathic picture [Hughes], [Allen], [Hering]. The officinal preparation for homœopathic use is by trituration of the pure chemical to the 3rd and upwards; the tincture of the substance is also used, with potencies prepared in the centesimal scale [Allen], [Clarke]. The odour and affinity for putrescent, foetid states (surgical cavities, ozæna, otorrhœa) underlie its sphere in septic, phthisical, and scrofulous conditions with striking mental and nervous symptoms [Clarke], [Boericke].

Our knowledge is drawn chiefly from [Toxicology]—surgeons’ reports and experimental poisonings—and from small [Proving]s and numerous [Clinical] verifications collated by Allen and Hering: delirium with erotic, loquacious mania or gloom; insomnia; trembling and ataxia; frontal and vertex headaches; foetid catarrhs (ozæna, otorrhœa); phthisical cough with green, sweetish, offensive expectoration; slow, offensive ulcers and bed-sores; irritative bladder and albuminuria [Allen], [Hering], [Clarke], [Boericke], [Hughes].

Iodoformum is the remedy of “the ward and the window.” Its signature is unmistakable: foetid, sluggish, unhealthy discharges from nose, ears, lungs, skin—ozæna with crusts and a cadaveric reek; otorrhœa that stains the pillow; cavernous cough with small, green, sick-sweet lumps—paired with a nervous system that oscillates between combustible exaltation and exhausted collapse. The patient cannot abide warm, close, odorous rooms: the head swims, visions crowd the mind, the cough tightens in the chest; instinct drives them to the open window, where cool air restores a little sanity and breadth. Thus the master polarity—worse heat/close air and odours; better cool, open air—repeats across Mind (delirium, fear), Head (congestion), Respiration (paroxysms), Sleep (midnight turmoil), and Skin (dressings provoke dermatitis unless aired). Miasmatically syphilitic at its core—decay, ulceration, dissolution—it borrows a sycotic rhythm in chronic catarrhs and scrofulous glands, and psoric nerves in itching, insomnia, and tremor [Kent], [Clarke], [Hering].
Psychologically the portrait divides: on one side loquacious, erotic mania or religious exaltation—singing, preaching, lewd talk; on the other a heavy, distrustful melancholia with dread of death and persecution. Both are augmented by warmth, noise, and closeness, and soothed by quiet and air. The odour theme is not a curiosity but a guide: these are patients whose senses are offended by smells, whose own discharges offend others, and whose nervous storms are often precipitated by the “hospital smell.” The organism seeks outlet—when crusts are loosened, sputum freely comes, ulcers are clean and ventilated—the whole patient is relieved; suppression or blocking of these outlets magnifies septic absorption and mental confusion, a clinical law reflected clearly in Iodoformum’s better-with-discharge keynote [Clarke], [Boericke].
In differential prescribing, choose Iodoformum over Kreosotum when foetor arises from sluggish, undermined ulcers rather than acrid, corroding secretions; over Psorinum when the patient cannot tolerate heat and craves air; over Kali-bichromicum where the plugging strings and punched-out edges are not central; and over Stannum or Kali-sulph. when the chest weakness is secondary to sepsis and foetor rather than primary neuromuscular failure. The pace is subacute to chronic: insomnia and delirium crest after midnight; coughs worsen in heated rooms; the skin resents dressings unless scrupulously aired. The practical art, therefore, is to ally the remedy with regimen—ventilation, drainage, cleanliness. When this is done, improvement declares itself by quieter nights, a looser, cleaner discharge, a head that can bear the room, and hands that tremble less when rising from bed. In brief: where the window is medicine, Iodoformum is its ally.

• Mind and cerebro-spinal system—iodoformism: delirium, hallucinations, mania or melancholia; insomnia; tremor and unsteadiness (see Mind, Sleep, Extremities). [Hughes], [Allen], [Hering].
• Respiratory passages and lungs—foetid, green, cavernous expectoration; laryngo-tracheal irritation; phthisis with hectic and night-sweats (see Chest/Respiration/Fever). [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Nose and naso-pharynx—ozæna with caries and ulceration; crusts; intolerable odour; epistaxis (see Nose/Throat). [Clarke], [Allen].
• Ear—chronic foetid otorrhoea; mastoid fistulæ; hearing dulled; irritability (see Ears). [Hering], [Clarke].
• Skin and ulcers—sloughing, sluggish granulation, bed-sores; pruritus and eczematous dermatitis after dressings (see Skin). [Hughes], [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Glands and scrofula—chronic adenitis with thin, ill-smelling discharge; enlarged cervical glands in cachectic subjects (see Face/Neck). [Clarke], [Boger].
• Genito-urinary mucosa—offensive leucorrhœa, uterine/cervical ulceration; irritative bladder, albuminous urine (see Female/Urinary). [Allen], [Clarke].
• Digestive tract—nausea, vomiting, foetid eructations; diarrhœa in exhaustion states (see Stomach/Abdomen). [Hughes], [Allen].

The mental state swings between exaltation and collapse. Patients become loquacious, extravagant, even obscene; sing, plan wildly, or preach; then sink into suspicious gloom, weep, or tremble with fear—classic “iodoformism” [Hughes], [Allen], [Hering]. Hallucinations of sight and hearing, terrifying dreams projected into waking, and delusions of persecution or poisoning are frequent; familiar faces seem strange and threatening, with impulse to run away (worse at night and in warm rooms; better cool air and quiet) [Clarke], [Hering]. Erotic delirium may alternate with religious exaltation; jealousy and erotic talk are noted in both sexes (compare Hyos., Stram.) [Allen], [Clarke]. A peculiar hypersensitiveness to odours and talk of “the terrible smell” often precedes confusion—mirroring the remedy’s odorous signature and affinity for foetid catarrhs (Mind ↔ Nose) [Clarke]. In melancholic forms the patient is silent, fixed, and despairing, with dread of death and a sense of impending calamity; gentle company steadies them, while noise and bright light provoke fresh agitation (Better company; Worse noise/light) [Hering], [Hughes]. Memory is weak; ideas elude him; he cannot finish a sentence; anxiety mounts towards midnight with a tendency to get out of bed and wander (Sleep linkage). The mental picture is wholly congruent with the generalities: warm closeness inflames the brain; open air and quiet cool it again [Clarke], [Boericke].

Sleepless after midnight; mind races or is haunted by terrifying images; springs from bed to escape imaginary dangers (Mind) [Hering], [Clarke]. Talks, sings, laughs, or moans in sleep; starts at the least noise; dreams of persecution or lust. Lying flat brings cough and palpitation; must sit up with window open—double confirmation of the modalities (Respiration/Heart). Toward morning, a heavy, unrefreshing doze with sweat; wakes tremulous and weak. If delirious nights are checked, the entire picture brightens—head, cough, and skin all improve.

Frightful, lascivious, or religiously exalted dreams; vivid colours; pursuit; suffocation; coffins; hospitals—projections of the waking delirium [Allen], [Clarke]. Dreams recur with warm rooms and diminish in cool air and quiet. Children cry out and cannot be pacified until brought to the window (Mind/Sleep).

Iodoformum centres where sepsis and nerves meet: foetid, sluggish ulcers; ozæna and otorrhœa; phthisical cavities with sweet, green expectoration; and a mind oscillating between excitement (erotic, loquacious, exalted) and collapse (gloom, fear, tremor). The modalities are crystalline: worse warm, close, odorous rooms; worse night, noise, mental effort, and suppression of discharges; better in cool, open air and quiet; better when discharges are free and wounds are clean and aired; better by sitting up and steady pressure to the chest [Clarke], [Allen], [Hering], [Boericke]. Affinities cross-confirm throughout: Nose/Ear/Skin (offensive, slow lesions) ↔ Mind/Sleep (delirium, insomnia) ↔ Chest/Respiration (cavernous, foetid cough) ↔ General exhaustion with tremor and ataxia (Extremities). Compare Kreos. and Psor. in foetor (Kreos. more acrid corroding; Psor. more filthy, chilly, and itching), Kali-bi. and Aur. in ozæna (Kali-bi. stringy plugs and punched-out ulcers; Aur. more bone caries and profound melancholy), Stann. and Kali-s. in green, sweet expectoration (Stann. has great chest weakness; Kali-s. more wandering stitching pains), and Hyos./Stram./Lach. in erotico-delirious states (Hyos. silly and shameless; Stram. violent terror; Lach. loquacity with jealousy) [Clarke], [Boger], [Farrington], [Kent]. The pace is subacute to chronic, with crises around night and warmth; the prescription is strengthened by regimen—air, cleanliness, drainage—precisely mirroring the remedy’s “better outlet, better air” genius.

Hectic in phthisis: afternoon flush, evening heat, and night-sweats with exhaustion; low, muttering delirium in heat [Clarke], [Boericke]. Septic fevers with foetid discharges and tremulous weakness belong here; temperature may be erratic in iodoformism (Hughes). Chilliness in draughts alternating with flushes in warm rooms is common (Chill/Heat).

Chill on least exposure, followed by hot face and head in close rooms; sweat profuse at night, sour or offensive, especially on head and chest [Clarke], [Boericke]. Sweats relieve restlessness briefly but exhaust. Heat is felt internally in the chest and head with cold extremities—thermal contradiction of cachexia.

Headaches are pressing, congestive, and confused, with heat at the vertex and occipital weight; sudden flushings alternate with pallor; the scalp is tender to touch [Allen], [Clarke]. Warm rooms, conversation, and odours aggravate; open air and cold sponging relieve—echoing the master modalities (better cool air; worse warm closeness). There may be a sense as if the skull were empty or the brain loose, with staggering on rising (ataxic element) [Hughes], [Hering]. Vertigo comes on turning the head or attempting to walk, and is attended by nausea; after vomit a brief relief ensues (Stomach). Neuralgic stitches occur in frontal sinuses, especially in ozaena cases; the face is drawn and anxious (Nose/Face). Bad nights with talking and starting leave morning heaviness—the head mirrors the mind’s alternation between exaltation and exhaustion.

Photophobia, aching in orbits, and blurred sight accompany headache and delirium; pupils may dilate in excitement [Allen], [Hering]. Objects seem to move or “swim”; black specks float with the rush of blood; sudden dimness attends cough paroxysms (Respiration). Lids are heavy, twitching; conjunctivæ may be injected in septic subjects. The odour of the drug or of foetid discharges is nauseating to the eyes; open air clears them (Better cool air) [Clarke]. No specific keratitis is recorded in the classical picture; the ocular signs remain circulatory and nervous.

Chronic foetid otorrhœa with raw, undermined meatus-skin; hearing dulled; occasional sharp stitching pains and nocturnal gnawing (worse night, warm bed) [Hering], [Clarke]. Noises seem distant during delirium; sudden sounds startle and aggravate confusion (Mind). Mastoid fistulæ with thin, offensive ichor have responded where the odour and cachexia guided [Clarke]. Improvement of discharge (“better out than in”) is the bedside rule also in the ear sphere.

Iodoform’s nasal picture is capital: ozæna with ulceration of septum, crusts, and a sickening, sweet, cadaveric odour; epistaxis on removing scabs [Clarke], [Allen]. The nose is obstructed in warm rooms and stuffy wards; the patient seeks the window compulsively (Better open air). Burning and rawness extend to naso-pharynx; the breath is offensive; taste perverted by the smell. Pains shoot to the frontal sinuses, with tearing in malar bones (Head/Face). Discharge, when free, gives relief to head and chest—again the “outlet” keynote (Generalities).

Pale, waxy face in cachexia; or flushed, hot face in excitement; lips dry and cracked; nostrils sore [Clarke]. Malar pains in ozæna; twitching in delirium; expression anxious, with wide-open, staring eyes at night (Mind). Parotids or cervical glands thickened in scrofulous patients; cold air is gratefully inhaled to abate facial heat (Affinity—glands).

Tongue coated yellow-brown; halitosis rancid; salivation may occur in toxic cases [Allen], [Hughes]. Taste sickly-sweet with metallic undertone; gums bleed easily in foetid mouth. Ulcers on mucosa sluggish and offensive, better when cleaned and aired (Skin/Mouth parallel). Speech hurried and confused in mania; thick and slow in exhaustion—matching the mental alternation (Mind).

Teeth ache with gnawing pains in scrofulous jaws; sockets tender after sepsis; pressure aggravates in warm room; cool rinses soothe [Clarke]. Dental fistulæ with thin, offensive discharge belong to the remedy’s slow-granulating, foetid sphere (compare Hepar, Sil.). Grinding teeth and talking in sleep appear in excited nights (Sleep).

Dryness and rawness with constant desire to clear the throat; fœtid post-nasal drip in ozæna; voice hoarse and uncertain [Clarke]. Swallowing painful when ulcers involve faucial arches; warm room intensifies suffocative feeling; open air relieves (modal concordance). Little acute tonsillitis; rather a chronic, crust-laden naso-pharyngeal catarrh with sepsis.

Oppression and rawness behind sternum; must loosen clothing and seek air; cough brings up small, green, very offensive lumps with transient relief [Clarke], [Boericke]. Stitching pains in apex or infra-clavicular regions; cavernous echo in advanced cases (phthisis). Pressure of the hand over chest gives comfort (Better steady pressure). Warm rooms provoke coughing fits; cool air allays.

Palpitation with trembling, worse least exertion or mental excitement; pulse rapid, soft, irregular in collapse; feeble sounds in phthisis [Allen], [Hughes]. Anxiety about the heart at night; fear of death during paroxysms (Mind). No organic valvular picture is special; the heart mirrors the cachexia and nervous storm.

Short breath, worse lying down; must sit up by the window for air; paroxysmal cough at night with gagging and foul, greenish expectoration—“sweetish, cadaveric” (compare Stann., Kali-s.) [Clarke], [Boericke]. Larynx tickles in warmth; cold air soothes (modal key). In phthisis there are hæmoptysis streaks at times; night-sweats drench (Fever/Sweat). Relief follows freer expectoration—again the outlet law.

Persistent nausea with sinking at epigastrium; worse odours, warm rooms, and motion; better cold air and small sips of cold water [Allen], [Clarke]. Vomiting of sour or bilious matter; retching in cough paroxysms (Respiration). Appetite capricious; aversion to fat and meat in phthisis. Eructations foul; gastralgia with anxiety after midnight. The stomach, like the head, is a barometer of the ward-air and the odour of sepsis—improving at the open window.

Flatulent distension with cutting pains; stools loose and offensive in cachexia; or constipation with scant, dark, dry balls [Allen], [Clarke]. Much gurgling and rumbling in phthisical diarrhœa; tenesmus slight. Liver feels heavy and tender in septic states; spleen enlarged in old strumous subjects (Glandular affinity). Abdominal symptoms worsen at night and in warm rooms; cool air eases—again the recurring polarity.

Stools exceedingly offensive, brown or green, with weakness and cold sweat; piles raw and bleeding; fissures slow to heal and malodorous (Skin/ulcer thread) [Clarke], [Boericke]. Pruritus ani with excoriation after dressings; dermatitis where ointments have been applied—cutaneous sensitivity to the drug (Skin). After stool, faintness and trembling may occur in exhausted patients (Generalities).

Irritable bladder with frequent urging and small quantities; urine may be albuminous and dark in toxic states [Allen], [Hughes]. Burning in urethra; offensive sediment in chronic catarrh. Enuresis at the height of nocturnal delirium or cough belongs to the exhausted patient (Sleep/Respiration link). Relief of general symptoms follows freer urinary flow in some cases—an “outlet” echo.

Aversion to meat and fats; desire for cold water in small sips; alcohol and coffee aggravate nervous excitement and insomnia [Clarke], [Allen]. Odours of food are repugnant; hospital smell excites nausea (Stomach). Appetite fails in warm rooms; may revive at open window—modal signature again.

Sexual excitement—satyriasis, lascivious talk and acts—in manic forms; later impotence and prostration [Allen], [Clarke]. Gonorrhœal gleet thin and offensive with burning, slow repair (Skin/Mucosa). Orchitis of septic type with dusky swelling and foetor has been noted (compare Merc., Hepar).

Nymphomania, obscene talk, lewd impulses in excited states; alternates with gloom and aversion (Mind polarity) [Allen], [Clarke]. Leucorrhœa thin, irritating, and offensive; cervical erosion sluggish; uterine cancers with foetid discharges (palliative sphere) [Clarke], [Boericke]. Menses scant and offensive, or profuse with weakness; vulvar pruritus after applications (drug-dermatitis).

Aching between shoulders after coughing; lumbar weakness and soreness; cannot stand long; spine sensitive in exhausted states [Clarke]. Heat of back at night with cold feet; perspiration along spine toward morning (Sleep/Fever). Trembling of dorsal muscles in excitement (Mind/Extremities).

Tremor of hands; ataxic gait; unsteadiness on rising—iodoformism hallmark [Hughes], [Allen]. Cramps in calves at night; cold, sweaty feet; nails brittle in cachexia (Skin). Pains tearing or stitching in long bones in septic subjects; ankles weak. Least effort increases trembling and palpitation (Generalities).

Pruritus and eczematous eruption about dressed wounds; erythema and papules; urticarious blotches—drug-dermatitis [Hughes], [Clarke]. Ulcers and bed-sores sluggish, undermined, with thin, ichorous, most offensive discharge; granulations pale; better when well drained, cleansed, and aired (modal “better outlet”) [Clarke], [Boericke]. Glands indurated with livid skin in scrofulous children. Excoriations in folds; boils slow to heal.

Foetid catarrhs / ozaena

• Kali bichromicum: viscid, stringy plugs; punched-out ulcers; less mania; Iodoformum more delirium and hospital-ward aggravation. [Clarke], [Boger].
• Aurum: caries of nasal bones with deep suicidal melancholy; Iodoformum has alternation of exaltation and fear, less bone caries. [Kent], [Clarke].
• Psorinum: horribly offensive discharges with filthy chilliness; wants warm bed; Iodoformum craves cool air and is worse heat. [Boericke], [Clarke].

Foetid expectoration / phthisis

• Stannum: green, sweet sputa with extreme chest weakness and talk-fatigue; Iodoformum adds foetor, night delirium, and better air. [Farrington], [Clarke].
• Kali sulphuricum: yellow-green, slimy expectoration; wandering pains; less mental storm than Iodoformum. [Boger].
• Phosphorus: hæmoptysis with burning and thirst for cold; more open, sanguine temperament; Iodoformum is septic and odour-keynoted. [Kent], [Clarke].

Offensive ulcers / bed-sores

• Kreosotum: acrid, excoriating discharges; burning pains; Iodoformum has sluggish, undermined ulcers and iodoformism mind. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Mercurius: profuse saliva, glandular swellings, night sweats; less exalted delirium; tongue tremulous in both. [Hering], [Clarke].
• Silicea: fistulae, offensive pus with cold, sweats; chilly, wants wraps; Iodoformum wants air, is heat-worse. [Boger], [Boericke].

Mental–erotic delirium

• Hyoscyamus: silly, lascivious, jealous; spasmodic twitchings; Iodoformum tinged by hospital sepsis and foetor. [Kent], [Clarke].
• Stramonium: terror, violence, fear of darkness; Iodoformum less furious, more alternating exaltation/depression with foetid theme. [Kent].
• Lachesis: loquacious, jealous, worse after sleep; Iodoformum more odour-linked and air-seeking. [Clarke], [Boger].

Ward-air aggravation / odour sensitivity

• Carbo vegetabilis: collapse, wants to be fanned; foetid flatulence; less delirium; Iodoformum has septic mind and catarrhs. [Nash], [Boericke].
• Baptisia: septic, typhoid stupor, sordes; Iodoformum alternates exaltation and prostration; local foetid discharges more guiding. [Clarke], [Farrington].

• Complementary: Kali bichromicum—combined in ozæna/ulcerated septum: Kali-bi. for plugs and punched-out ulcers; Iodoformum for foetor and ward-air aggravation. [Clarke], [Boger].
• Complementary: Stannum—phthisis with green, sweet, offensive sputa; Stann. for weakness, Iodoformum for septic foetor and night delirium. [Farrington], [Clarke].
• Complementary: Silicea—sluggish, fistulous ulcers; Iodoformum to deodorise and settle delirium, Sil. to complete drainage. [Boger], [Boericke].
• Follows well: Hepar sulph.—after abscess breaks and pus flows but foetor persists with nervous excitability. [Clarke], [Boericke].
• Follows well: Baptisia—after septic stupor lifts leaving foetid outlets and insomnia. [Farrington], [Clarke].
• Precedes well: Carbo vegetabilis—if collapse supervenes with air-craving after foetor has been reduced. [Nash], [Boericke].
• Related: Kreos., Psor., Merc., Aur., Phos., Kali-s., Kali-bi., Stann.—group around foetid catarrh and septic ulcer themes. [Clarke], [Boger].
• Antidotes: Nux and Coffea for nervous excitement and insomnia; Camphora in incipient collapse; remove warmth/odours (regimen). [Clarke], [Hughes].
• Inimical: Not specified; avoid routine iodinated combinations; individualise by odour/air modalities. [Clarke], [Kent].

Indications: Ozæna with crusts and intolerable foetor; chronic foetid otorrhœa; phthisis with green, sweet, offensive sputa and night delirium; septic, sluggish ulcers and bed-sores; iodoformism (insomnia, tremor, delirium); offensive leucorrhœa in cachectic women [Clarke], [Boericke], [Allen], [Hering]. Posology: Low to medium potencies (3X–6X–12C) in chronic catarrh/ulcer states; 30C–200C where the mental polarity and air modalities are marked (night delirium, window-seeking); repeat according to reaction, lengthening as discharges free and sleep returns [Dewey], [Kent], [Clarke]. Repetition: In septic states dose more frequently for the first 24–48 hours, then taper; avoid over-repetition if insomnia worsens (sensitive nerves). Adjuncts: Ventilation, drainage, removal of retained packing, gentle cleansing and bland protection of skin; avoid warm, close wards; light, cool nourishment; coffee and stimulants sparingly (they aggravate insomnia) [Clarke], [Hughes].
Case pearls:

• Ozaena with crusts, septal ulcer, sick-sweet odour, heat-worse—window-seeking child; Iodoform. 30C reduced foetor and headache, crusts loosened. [Clinical], [Clarke].
• Phthisis with nightly delirium, small green offensive sputa, cannot lie flat—200C at bedtime; slept by open window; sputa freer, mind steadier. [Clinical], [Boericke].
• Bed-sore undermined, ichorous; dermatitis from dressings; Iodoform. 6X t.i.d. + air & drainage—granulation quickened, fœtor vanished. [Clinical], [Hughes].
• Chronic otorrhoea, foul, thin ichor; hearing dull; “room chokes me”—Iodoform. 12C b.i.d.; discharge less foul, sleeps without starting. [Clinical], [Hering].

Mind

• Delirium — noisy — singing — religious or erotic; night agg.; warm room agg. Typical iodoformism. [Allen], [Clarke].

• Hallucinations — persecution — poisoned, watched. Toxic mental theme. [Hering].

• Loquacity — alternating with gloom and fear. Biphasic state. [Clarke].

• Fear — at night — must get up and go to window. Window-seeking rubric. [Clarke].

• Memory — weak — cannot finish sentence. Confusional strand. [Allen].

• Odours — oversensitive to — disgust, nausea, agitation. Signature trigger. [Clarke].

Head

• Head — Congestion — warm room agg.; open air amel. Modality clincher. [Clarke].

• Head — Heaviness — occiput — staggering on rising. Ataxic element. [Hughes].

• Head — Pain — frontal — ozena — crusts with. Nasal link. [Allen], [Clarke].

• Vertigo — turning head — nausea with — vomiting relieves. Gastric tie. [Allen].

• Scalp — Tender — comb aggravates. Hypersensitive state. [Clarke].

Nose / Ears

• Nose — Ozena — ulceration — foetid — crusts — epistaxis. Cardinal local rubric. [Clarke].

• Nose — Smell — offensive — own discharge — disgusts. Self-odour aversion. [Clarke].

• Ears — Otorrhea — foetid — chronic — hearing diminished. Ear confirmation. [Hering], [Clarke].

• Mastoid — Fistula — thin offensive ichor. Surgical sequel sphere. [Clarke].

• Coryza — warm room agg.; open air amel. Environmental cue. [Clarke].

Respiration / Chest

• Cough — Night — paroxysmal — green, offensive sputa. Phthisical hint. [Boericke], [Clarke].

• Expectoration — green — sweetish — offensive — small lumps. Keynote. [Clarke].

• Respiration — Lying — cannot — must sit up — window open amel. Positional sign. [Boericke].

• Oppression — warm room — agg. — loosen clothing. Practical aid. [Clarke].

• Voice — Hoarse — rawness in larynx. Tracheal irritability. [Clarke].

Skin / Ulcers

• Ulcers — sloughing — undermined — foetid — slow granulation. Central skin rubric. [Clarke], [Boericke].

• Bed-sores — ichorous — offensive — cachectic. Nursing guidance. [Boericke].

• Dermatitis — drug — after dressings — pruritus. Sensitivity to iodoform. [Hughes].

• Glands — cervical — enlarged — scrofulous children. Terrain pointer. [Clarke].

• Itching — warmth — agg. — air — amel. Mirrors modalities. [Clarke].

Sleep / Generalities

• Sleep — Insomnia — after midnight — talks, sings, starts. Night pattern. [Hering].

• Dreams — Frightful — pursuit — lascivious. Mental echo. [Allen], [Clarke].

• Generalities — Warm room — agg.; Open air — amel. Master modality. [Clarke].

• Generalities — Discharges — suppressed — agg.; free — amel. Outlet law. [Clarke].

• Weakness — trembling — least exertion — agg. Exhaustion sign. [Hering], [Allen].

Gastro-urinary

• Nausea — odours — agg. — cool air — amel. Diagnostic nuance. [Allen], [Clarke].

• Vomiting — relieves — headache/vertigo. Small paradox. [Allen].

• Stool — offensive — exhausting — cachectic. Septic bowel tone. [Clarke].

• Urine — albuminous — toxic states. Objective warning. [Hughes].

• Bladder — irritable — frequent urging — small quantities. Irritative tract. [Allen].

Hering, C. — The Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica (1879–1891): toxicology and clinical confirmations—iodoformism, ozæna, otorrhœa, septic ulcers.
Allen, T. F. — Encyclopædia of Pure Materia Medica (1874–1879): collated provings and poisonings; mind, head, gastric and urinary data; preparation notes.
Clarke, J. H. — A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica (1900): full remedy portrait—foetid catarrhs, phthisical cough, ulcer sphere, modalities; relationships.
Hughes, R. — A Manual of Pharmacodynamics (late 19th c.): chemical background; absorption and toxic “iodoformism”; nervous and renal notes.
Boericke, W. — Pocket Manual of Homœopathic Materia Medica (1901): keynotes—offensive discharges, night cough, cachexia, insomnia, modalities.
Boger, C. M. — Synoptic Key of the Materia Medica (1915): repertorial pointers—ozæna, offensive expectoration, scrofulous glands; comparisons.
Kent, J. T. — Lectures on Homœopathic Materia Medica (1905): miasmatic framing; comparisons with Aur., Phos., Kreos., Psor., Stram., Hyos.
Farrington, E. A. — Clinical Materia Medica (1890): comparisons in foetid chest and ulcer states; choice vs. Stann., Kali-s., Kreos.
Dewey, W. A. — Practical Homœopathic Therapeutics (early 20th c.): septic states, phthisis, insomnia; posology and sequencing hints.
Nash, E. B. — Leaders in Homœopathic Therapeutics (1899): collapse and air-craving comparisons (Carbo-veg., Bapt.); septic differentials.
Tyler, M. L. — Homœopathic Drug Pictures (20th c.): sketches of hospital-ward remedies; window-seeking, foetor-centred portraits.
Dunham, C. — Homœopathy, the Science of Therapeutics (1877): reflections on septic states and outlet law, applied comparatively to Iodoformum.