Lyssinum: The saliva of the rabid dog creates a state of pain.

-SANKARAN R.,
Lyssinum belongs to the acute miasm. It cannot be strictly classified as a remedy of the animal kingdom since it represents only one aspect of the dog, the tremendous aggressiveness that has gone out of control.
The saliva of the rabid dog creates a state of pain. It is the state of a controlled animal gone crazy: the dog that obeyed the master but was treated so badly that it lost all its control, and jumped on and tore at its own master.

The main feeling of Lyssinum is of having suffered wrong, being tormented, especially by one whom he has served, has been faithful to and is dependent on, thus creating an intense feeling of anger and rage, in which the person can bite, strike and even violently mutilate. Often this rage is followed by a repentance as profound as the rage was violent. Or it may be an impotent anger which can lead to an impulse to stab himself.
Lyssinum is required in a situation where a person has to lash out against somebody because, if he keeps quiet, he will be further tormented. But this rage has to be followed by quick repentance, because if it persists too long, it is not good for him as he is, after all, dependent.
The heightened sensitivity of Lyssinum (as for example to light and noise) is a characteristic feature of its alertness. Lyssinum will respond to any situation in this manner. For example if the roof is leaking, he may tolerate it for some time, but then get so angry that he will take a hammer and break the plaster. A few minutes later when his anger subsides, he will get cement and will fix it up again.
Also frequently seen is an element of praying, of faithfulness which alternates with the violence and destructiveness.
One of my patients who did well on Lyssinum was a boy aged 10, who presented with a very severe, chronic skin problem. He had boils on the extremities which were very painful, and were accompanied by severe itching. Describing the pain and itching, his mother said that it would get so bad that the patient would shriek: "Kill me! I can't take it. I don't want to live. Give me a knife, I want to stab my arms!" As a child the boy had been very devoted to and dependent on a particular goddess. He would compose songs in her praise.
But with the itching, he became angry with the goddess. He said: "I have done so much for her and this is what she is doing to me!" In his anger he tore up the picture of the goddess. His mother had the history of a severe toothache during pregnancy. Her first child being still-born, during this, her second pregnancy, she had the feeling something terrible would happen. She would pray all the time to the same goddess the boy had been devoted to. Her baby was overdue and this made her extremely fearful; she would stand in front of the picture of the goddess with clenched hands, and would cry out: "Why are you doing this to me ?" She had a fear of dogs, and a desire for chocolate. The feeling in both, the mother and the child was identical: a feeling of being troubled by someone on whom one is dependent, of being tormented by the person he is serving, the reaction in both cases was one of anger and rage.
Thus the Lyssinum situation is one of being tormented by someone or something on which one is dependent - a torment that is not merely an insult but actually causes physical and mental pain. It brings about rage, an insane rage, wildness, fury, biting and growling like a mad dog, attacking and then withdrawing.
Lyssinum is similar to Crocus in that they both have rage, followed by quick repentance, but the attractiveness, which is a very important feature of Crocus, is absent in Lyssinum.
China also feels tormented like Lyssinum. But in China the torment is less intense and long-standing, a long-standing feeling of being persecuted and hindered at work - something that has been going on for a long time... The reaction is less violent, never an uncontrolled frenzy. In fact, China is indolent and cannot do anything but daydream. In Lyssinum, on the other hand, the torment is very intense, very acute, severe, with rage and frenzy, violence, which is followed by quick repentance.
Drosera also has in common with Lyssinum, the feeling of persecution but there is also the feeling of being deceived, cheated and trapped, in case of the latter.
Lyssinum is one of the group of acute insanity remedies along with Belladonna, Hyoscyamus, Stramonium and Veratrum.
Stramonium has wild behaviour, insanity, the dog-like behaviour and dog-like attacking rage. But the delusion that he has suffered wrong is not present in Stramonium; there is instead the feeling of being threatened by something outside and he runs and seeks light and people. Stramonium can escape from its situation of threat, but Lyssinum has no escape. Therefore Stramonium is prominent in "Escape, desire to", which in Lyssinum is absent. Stramonium also has fear of strangers, hence he seeks and clings to the familiar. But Lyssinum is tormented by the familiar person hence there is no question of clinging in Lyssinum.
Hyoscyamus also has the feeling of being wronged and injured, as does Lyssinum, but he does not have the tormented feeling of the latter. Also absent in Hyoscyamus is the anger followed by quick repentance, an important feature of Lyssinum. Also Lyssinum does not have the important Hyoscyamus features of jealousy, suspiciousness, fear of being poisoned, and attractive behaviour.
Often, the complementary remedy of Lyssinum is Lac caninum.
Physical concomitants
- Intolerance of water in any form.
- Profuse salivation.
- amel. Bending backwards.
- Craving for chocolate.
- Aversion to vegetables.
- Toothache during pregnancy.
All its physical complaints come and go in acute paroxysms which make him literally mad.
Rubrics
- Anger, alternating with quick repentance.
- Attack others, desire to.
- Aversion, water, to.
- Barking, growling like a dog.
- Bite, desire to.
- Cruelty.
- Cut, mutilate, slit others, desire to.
- Delusion, abused, being.
- Delusion, attack and insults, defend themselves against imaginary.
- Delusion, dog, he is, growls and barks.
- Delusion, hell, suffers the torments of, without being able to explain.
- Delusion, tormented, he is.
- Delusion, wrong, suffered, has.
- Fear, dogs, of.
- Impulse, stab his flesh with the knife he holds, to.
- Injury, frenzy causing him to injure himself.
- Kill, desire to, injure with a knife, impulse to.
- Praying.
- Sensitive, oversensitive, music, to.
Kent
- Toothache of pregnancy.
- Sneezing from dust.
Desires chocolate.