To the superficial observer, Calcarea carb. and Silicia are very similar, yet closer study reveals differences which clearly demarcate the remedies. Calcarea has a double origin; one in the animal or organic world, the other in the mineral kingdom. Though chemically alike both have varying actions on the living organism when potentized, perhaps due to a difference in the atomic structure of the molecular unit, demonstrating the phenomenon of tautomerism. The middle layer of the oyster shell is the source of Calcarea-hence the name ostrearum.
Both remedies act profoundly on the vegetative system, producing a state of perverted nutrition. In affecting the processes of assimilation, Calcarea resembles the three great disorders of nutrition, scrophula, tuberculosis and rickets, and in the treatment of these conditions in their varying manifestations, Calcarea carb. often finds a place. It stimulates secretion and absorption, favors a deposit of earthy salts, and acts so deeply on the blood as to alter its composition, producing anaemia. It disturbs the functions of various organs, but its chief action centers on the lymphatic system.
Silicia affects more prominently mucous surfaces, glandular structures, bones and joints, and like Calcarea carb., the conditions it produces resemble the dyscrasias of scrophula and rickets. The outstanding power of Silicia is the production of a suppurative process with fistulous channels, in the soft tissues, the periosteum of in the bone itself. In its general action, too,. Silica produces irritability and hypersensitivity of the nervous system, being comparable in this respect with Nux vomica. The spine is sore, and pressure on it causes reflex pain in distant parts, the irritable sphincters are spasmodically closed, painful parts are sensitive to touch, and must be wrapped up warmly.
The Calcarea type is of the leukophlegmatic temperament, fat, skin chalky white, torpid mentally and sluggish in its movements. The child is slow in learning to walk or talk growth is irregular so that the large head does not harmonize in its proportions with the rest of he body. The fontanelles, especially the anterior, remain open along after the time for normal closure; the abdomen protrudes like an inverted basin; the features are rather large, and the lips, especially the upper, are oedematous. There is tardy dentition; the teeth decay and crumble; the mouth is so during dentition; the gums become eroded or eaten away, the exposed bones being covered with callous membrane. The teeth ache when cold air enters the mouth or on eating or drinking cold things. Like Silicia, the entire Calcarea patient is sensitive to cold air.
In its action on the osseous system, the nutrition and on the mind, Calcarea shows its power as a deep antisyphilitic: forgetfulness with vanishing of thoughts; the mind is confused so what is read or heard is not understood; thinking is difficult; the intellect is dull. It appears from this description that the cretin, or the analogous condition in the adult known as myxoedema, would often call strongly for Calcarea.
Instead of the fat Calcarea patient, there may be the opposite extreme of emaciation, where the skin hangs flabby and in folds as in marasmus, yet in spite of this loss of flesh, the abdomen still remains abnormally large.
As in Calcarea, the Silicia child is imperfectly nourished, not from lack of food or deficient quality, but from defective assimilation. Here too, the head is disproportionately large, the fontanelles are open, nut unlike Calcarea the body of the child is small and emaciated; it is never fat and plump. The full, round abdomen stands out in contrast with the shrunken limbs, and is due to a diseased mesentery as is often the case in scrophulous children. The entire head of Silicia, including the scalp, neck and face is covered with an offensive sweat; the pale, waxen or yellowish face gives an extremely sick appearance. The bones and muscles are poorly developed, and for this reason the child is slow in learning to walk, as in Calcarea, This latter remedy has profuse sweating of the head also, but here the perspiration is limited to the scalp chiefly.
The deformed sweating heads in both remedies show strongly the syphilitic taint; intermingled is psora, giving the numerous sensations. When psora exists alone, the skin is dry and there is absence of all deformity, since the manifestations of psora are all in the functional sphere only. A pure miasm rarely if ever exists alone. The profound effects on the nutrition is again evidence of syphilis; this miasm deforms not only by destroying apparently healthy tissue, but also by causing faulty development from the start.
The Silicia child is nervous and excitable in contrast with the sluggish calcarea type. The mind and nervous system of Silicia reflect psora, whereas Calcarea accentuates syphilis in the mental sphere. Silicia is weak and weary, showing strongly the psoric desires to lie down. There is nervous debility with exhaustion, coming on after exertion of body or mind, yet he has the power to go on by the force of his will.
The restlessness and starting at the least noise show the oversensitivity of the nervous system; he is anxious, yielding and ready to give up easily, or the opposite state of being obstinate and headstrong may exist, where the child cries even when spoken to with kindness. Thus through Calcarea runs constantly the thread of indolence, sluggishness and stupidity, while irritability, sensitivity to the extreme, and restlessness characterize the Silicia makeup. In fact, sluggishness in nervous affections will always contraindicate Silicia. The senses are morbidly keen; the brain and spinal cord cannot tolerate even ordinary concussions or vibrations; the sensitivity of the body to touch is comparable with the Lachesis state, and serves to differentiate Silicia not only from Calcarea, from all the other closely allied lime salts.
The coldness of Silicia and Calcarea is a point of similarity. Silicia does not produce sufficient vital warmth; he is cold even when working vigorously; cannot get warm at night even when working vigorously; cannot get warm at night even thought well covered; an icy cold shivering often creeps over his body, and even though near the fire he cannot get warm.
It is almost always a general coldness whereas the Calcarea coldness may be general or of single parts. Calcarea may feel a sort of inward coldness; icy coldness in and on the head; sensation in the feet and legs as if she had on damp cold stockings; there are occasions when a flush of heat comes over the body with inclination to uncover, differing in this respect from Silicia.
Rushing of blood to various parts, particularly the head and chest, is common; the hot, burning feet may have to be uncovered at night; in these congestive states and burning sensations, Calcarea becomes allied with Sulphur. There are also chronic congested states, manifesting themselves in the haemorrhoidal conditions, distended veins, and varicose veins especially in the lower extremities.
Silicia, unlike Calcarea, cannot tolerate uncovering in general or of a part, and takes cold easily in the open air, especially on uncovering the head or feet. Wrapping the head warmly gives silicia great comfort; as in Psorinum it is a means of supplying by artificial methods the heat in which he is naturally deficient. Calcarea to is sensitive to the open air; sweats easily and in consequence takes cold easily; the least cold air goes right through; great sensitivity to and aggravation from cold damp air is especially characteristic of Calcarea; Ailments arising from working in water and even washing n water frequently yield to this remedy.
Partial sweats are common to both drugs, the most prominent places being the head and feet; the sweat is offensive, especially in Silicia, causing soreness between the toes and on the soles of the feet. Calcarea may have this soreness and rawness of the skin, but not as commonly as in Silicia. The outstanding keynote of Calcarea is the profuse sweat on the large heads of open-fontanelled children.
Sweating in special localities is more marked in Calcarea than in Silicia; besides the scalp, other favorite localities for the Calcarea sweat are the male organs, the nape of the neck, the chest, axillae, hands, knees and feet. Calcarea sweats easily on the least exertion, even in the cold open air; morning sweat is marked, there may be CLAMMY night sweats only on the legs, or a cold sweat in general with a coldness of the body night sweats are very common especially on the head, neck of chest.
More often than in Silicia, Calcarea has flushes of heat and trembling; heat and ebullition of blood to the head; frequent flushes of heat with anxiety and palpitation of the heart; the skin may be hot, especially evenings and nights when it is covered with sweat and threatens to exhaust the child more and more; hot dry skin after getting wet is common, or the skin may be hot followed by cold, clammy sweat; there may be hot sweating, and finally in striking contrast with silicia, as mentioned before, there are flushes of heat, with inclination to uncover the part or the body in general. Silicia has occasionally short flushes of heat, chiefly in the face head, or violent general heat in the evening and all during the night, yet during these orgasms there is never a desire to uncover. Silicia has sour, intolerable carrion-like odor of the feet even without perspiration; in its offensiveness it exceeds by far the odor of the Calcarea foot sweat.
