PLATINUM [Plat]:

-M.L.Tyler.

Introduction:
Platinum, or Platina, as some authors prefer to call it, is a great Black Letter medicine: by which we mean one which has repeatedly vindicated its place in our Pharmacopoeia by causing (in provings) and by curing (in homoeopathic preparation) diverse maladies, especially mental, or those connected with perverted mentality--such mentalities, moreover, as make life unbearable for the unfortunates doomed to contact with Platina. Platinum wounds and bruises; not, indeed, in the violent and malicious sense of Nux and Hepar, but by the assumption of superiority: the hurtful, pharasaical attitude that despises others, and goes about thanking God that he (or she) is not as other men are. The curious thing is that, with Platina, this mental subconsciousness extends outwards into the physical sensorium ;so that Platina not only secretly dislikes her children, as too small, too insignificant ; but she feels tall and stately herself, while her surroundings seem to grow small, and mean, and contemptible. As Kent says, "Platinum provings represent the woman's mind perverted." And he says that "the remedy is especially suited to hysterical women who have undergone fright, prolonged excitement; or for the after-effects of disappointment, shock, or prolonged haemorrhages." Platinum therefore not only inflicts, but cures mental traumatism. What exactly is traumatism? It is defined as "an abnormal condition of body caused by external injury". Again, as "a wound: or other injury produced by wounds". Therefore by Mental Traumatism we would express wounds of mind--heart--soul. The very phraseology we apply to these is borrowed from physical traumatism "feeling very hurt" "deeply wounded" "cut to the heart". And we speak of "lacerated feelings"; of being "broken-hearted", while Shakespeare reminds us how "sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, To have a thankless child". In order to suggest remedies to counter such injuries and that damage, acute or chronic, inflicted by them, we must match them with drugs which in the provers, have produced sensitivity to just such traumatic agents. A physical wound may be a stab, scratch, tear, an acute abrasion,or chronic damaging pressure which, persisted in, may conduce to even malignant ulceration. Mentally one may experience all these wounds. And here Platinum, Staphisagria, Colocynth, Ignatia, Natrum muriaticum, Phosphoric acid may be found to have been not only causative, but curative--according to symptoms. One remembers a typical Platina mentality, where one longed to administer the drug to someone who returned from a trying plague time in India. She was hardly recognizable: her once pretty young face had grown strained and waspish; while her whole conversation was painful to listen to, reiterating the marvels she had wrought in keeping that terror out of her compound. There was a terrible display of at once self-glorification and contempt of everyone else. Of course all that was merely how anxiety and worry had affected her because she was Platinum. It is times of stress that bring out in us the characteristics of remedial drugs; and much suffering for the individual and her surroundings can be averted, where someone with a knowledge of the Law of Similars and the chance to employ it, happens to be at hand. The Platinum patient may be staking on very thin ice, from the point of view of sanity. One recalls several "borderline cases" cured by Platinum. One, especially, many years ago, where Platinum restored to sanity and great usefulness a woman whose sensations of local physical enlargement had created suspicious of poisoning against her husband and a woman friend, an inmate in their house. It was a pretty case, and to one's knowledge she remained normal for many years afterwards. It is very difficult--one has tried, it more than once, and has even now a case in hand--to get the certified out of grievous captivity:and it is one of the joys of life to restore the certifiable to normality, and thus to save them from the stigma attached to residence in a mental hospital. Platina is one of the remedies that comes up for consideration in paranoia. Platina is said to be the remedy of prim old maids. Platina is better walking in the open air, and in the sunshine (reverse of Natrum muriaticum.) Among the physical symptoms, menstruation is very profuse. Intensely sensitive genitalia may lead one to the curative drug, Platinum, in which this symptom is very marked and characteristic. The sensations and pains of Platinum are very suggestive, as regards the employment of the remedy. The patient may feel constricted, as if bandaged: numb and dead; paralysed. She complains of trembling, numbness, crawling, cramping, shocks. Even the brain feels numb. There are also sensations of local coldness (here one remembers Calcarea). A curious symptom, which one associates with Plumbum, belongs also to Platinum: drawing pains in the naval, as if by a string, which causes a sensation of retraction. Kent says these are so much like Plumbum that Platinum has been used as an antidote. (Plumbum has "Naval seems to adhere to spine.") Among other things, in regard to Platinum, GUERNSEY says: "Mental symptoms in general: amativeness; state of madness; hysteria. The patient is very haughty, looks with disdain upon everyone and everything. Sensations of dread and horror. Menstruation: where the discharge is very abundant, thick and black like tar. Stool: discharged with difficulty; seems to stick to anus and rectum like putty. Epistaxis with dark coagulated blood. Frequent changing colour of face. Tape-worm other symptoms agreeing.
BLACK LETTER SYMPTOMS
Illusions of fancy as if everything about her were very small, and all persons physically and mentally inferior, but she herself physically large and superior. Arrogant, proud feeling. Contemptuous, pitiful looking down on people usually venerated, with a kind of casting them off. (She thought she had no place in the world, life was wearisome )but she had a great dread of death, which she believed near at hand. Pride and overestimation of one's self: looking down with haughtiness on others. The room seemed gloomy and unpleasant, with apprehensive and fretful mood. A numb sensation in forehead, as if constricted. Cramp-like drawing constriction in the head from time to time. Tense, numb sensation in the zygomata and mastoid processes, as if the head were screwed together. (Head-shocks) followed by a numb sensation, as if too tightly bound. Crawling, like formication, on right temple, afterwards extending down along the lower jaw, with a feeling of coldness in it. Headache gradually increasing till very severe, then decreasing as gradually. Painful cramp-like sensation of numbness in the left malar bone. Fermentation in the epigastric region. Constipation: after head poisoning; while travelling; frequent urging with expulsion of small portions after great straining, after failure of Nux. Painful pressing downwards towards genitals, as during menstruation. (Urging with scanty stool) with a painful sensation of weakness. Voluptuous crawling in genitals and abdomen. Painful sensitiveness and constant pressure in the mons veneris and genitals. Emission of much clotted blood during first day of M.P. Menses about fourteen days too early and very profuse. Menses six days too early. While sitting a sensation of numbness in coccyx. Tightness of thighs as if too tightly wrapped. Tremulous crawling and uneasiness in legs while sitting ; a sensation of numbness and rigidity. Great numbness. Painful numb sensation, as from a blow, here and there. The parts affected by cramp-like pain are painful to pressure, as if bruised. Sensation of coldness, crawling and numbness in the whole right side of face. (In fever.).
CURIOUS OR ITALIC SYMPTOMS
Indescribably happy especially in open air, so that she would embrace anything, and laugh at the saddest things. Very restless, could remain nowhere; sadness, so that the most joyful things distressed her. Dislikes her children, calls them too little. Any serious thought is terrifying. Anxiety and trembling of hands with flushes of heat over whole body. Deathly anxiety with trembling, oppressed breathing, violent palpitation. Very peevish, would have beaten anyone without provocation. Out of sorts with the whole world, everything seems too narrow. Weeps with pains. Physical symptoms disappear and mental symptoms appear, and vice versa. The body suffers when the mind is cheerful; and the body feels well when the mind is affected. It seems to her that she does not belong to her own family; after a short absence everything seems entirely changed. Disturbed state of mind religious with taciturnity, haughtiness, voluptuousness and cruelty. Mental disturbance after fright, grief or vexation. Vertigo : she dare not move her eyes. Feeling as if head were enlarged. Sensation of coldness, crawling, numbness in eyes. Sensation of water in forehead. Numb feeling in brain. Vertigo as if torn and pulled into threads. Sensation of coldness in ears. Coldness, crawling and numbness in whole right side of face. Sensation as if tongue scalded. Ravenous hunger and hasty eating, detests everything around him. Painter's colic: umbilical pain goes through to back. He screams and tries to relieve pain, by trying all possible positions. Ovaries inflamed, with burning pain in paroxysms. Ovarian tumours and cysts. Dreadful, excessive itching in uterus (in spinal irritation). Indurated, prolapsed uterus: parts painfully sensitive to touch. Painful sensitiveness with inward coldness as vulva. CLARKE (Dictionary) explains that he original name of Platinum was Platina, from the Spanish meaning "like silver", Hahnemann was the first to think of it as a medicine, and his proving (Chronic Diseases) is the basis of our knowledge of its action. One characteristic symptom, found alone r associated with other conditions, has led to many cures with Plat.--lost sense of proportion in both ocular and mental vision. Objects look small, and the patient thinks them small: this becomes pride and hauteur in the mental sphere, the patient (generally a woman), looks down on everything and everybody. Another keynote is the occurrence of cramping pains and spasms, developing into convulsions. Another is the alternation of mental and physical symptoms. He says Nash cured an old case of insanity, where the mental symptoms alternated with pain the whole length of spine. He says, Jahr cured with Plat. a woman who had an inspiration to kill her child: and Jules Gaudy, a woman who was tormented with an almost irresistible impulse to kill her husband, whom she loved passionately, and with whom she was perfectly happy.