Sepia officinalis
 |
| Sepia |
-VERMEULEN Frans, Sep.
Wives are people who feel they don't dance enough.
[Groucho Marx]
Signs
Sepia officinalis. Common Cuttlefish.
CLASSIFICATION The cuttlefish are in the phylum Mollusca. Molluscs are invertebrates whose soft bodies are usually covered with hard shells, such as with clams, oysters, snails, and slugs. First making their appearance some 500 million years ago, molluscs have adapted to an amazing range of environment. The phylum Mollusca is divided into six classes, of which the class Cephalopoda includes the squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and chambered nautilus. The modern cuttlefish appeared in the Micocene Epoch, about 21 million years ago, and derived from a belemnite-like ancestor.
CEPHALOPODS The cephalopods, 'head-footers', are unusual invertebrates because they have evolved beyond the need for a shell. [Excepting the chambered nautilus, which is the only type having a complete shell.] The cuttlefish, as well as the squid, have their small shell located inside the body, rather than outside. The octopus has lost its shell completely. All cephalopods are marine animals and all are carnivores. Contrary to the sedentary life style of most gastropods, cephalopods are very active and highly mobile. Like all molluscs, cephalopods have a soft body covered with a tough, skin-like layer called the mantle. The mantle encloses all of the body organs such as the heart, stomach and gills. Whereas
gastropods have one muscular foot, cephalopods have eight to ten arms projecting from the head region. The body is elongated, with a distinct head area, well-developed eyes and a horny beak. All cephalopods have three hearts, a single systemic heart and two gill hearts. The rhythmical contractions and expansions of the mantle cause a circulation of water over the gills where gas exchange takes place between the seawater and blood. Freshly oxygenated blood from the gills enters the systematic heart, from which it is pumped out again to the tissues. The deoxygenated blood returning from the tissues enters the gill hearts, each of which pumps the blood through one gill. The saliva of cuttlefish contains a toxin that helps immobilize prey; the toxin also appears to have a digestive function. It has a paralytic effect on certain animals and occasionally on man.
FEATURES "Cephalopods have unique abilities which most molluscs lack. They are able to change the colour of their skin so that it blends in with the surroundings. Cephalopod eyes have received a lot of attention because they are much more developed than other invertebrate eyes. They are more similar to vertebrate eyes because they have a cornea, lens, and retina. Cephalopods can see images, an ability that is not found in other molluscs or any other invertebrates."1 The eyes have a transparent cover and lid. They are set far apart on the sides of the head enabling the animal to look forwards and backwards, with a horizontal visual field of almost 360o. To focus on close objects, the cuttlefish contracts the muscles around the eye which pushes the lens forward, away from the retina. To focus on distant objects, the cuttlefish relaxes the muscles and draws the lens inward. Minute hairs along the cuttlefish head and tentacles detect low frequency vibrations. This enables them to 'hear' and locate their prey. "Cuttlefish are well known to scuba divers for their inquisitiveness and lack of fear of the strange, bubbling animals intruding on their world. 'They will follow you round like a little dog,' one diver affirms. 'If you move gently, you can pet them and if you don't pay enough attention to them, they will keep following you. Penny, one of our team who wears a red outfit underwater, swears that a cuttlefish was trying to have an affair with her one day, approaching, putting its tentacles out towards her, then withdrawing them shyly. Their eyes can focus images and distinguish colour, and Penny is a real mermaid."2
SEPIA There are about 100 species of Sepia, varying in size from 5 to 60 cm, all of them occurring in the Old World. Sepia officinalis, the common cuttlefish, lives in the Mediterranean Sea and in eastern Atlantic waters ranging from the North Sea to the Cape of Good Hope. Cuttlefish prefer coastal waters at depths of 5 to 120 m, remaining hidden during the day and moving about to feed at night. In the spring and summer they usually remain in shallow waters at depths of 10-20 m, to migrate to deeper waters in autumn and winter. Most species live for only 12 to 18 months. Sepia officinalis is fairly long lived for a cephalopod, they live for 1.5 to 2 years, depending primarily on temperature. Sepia officinalis and many other species of cuttlefish are more social than the solitary octopuses and are generally found in loose groups. The elongated body has fins that extend the length of the mantle. In front of the eyes are eight arms and two tentacles. The eight arms are attached to the head in a ring around the mouth. Contrary to the squid, the cuttlefish keeps its tentacles withdrawn in two pouches beneath the eyes. When extended, they are long and thin with suckers on the flattened end only. The arms have suckers all along the underside. Cuttlefish are active predators that feed on small fish, crabs, prawns, and other cephalopods. Cannibalism is common. They hunt by changing their body patterns or by a method of distraction. Prawns, shrimps and other small prey are caught by blowing sand off their hiding places with a water jet. "The tentacles are used for feeding. This cunning cephalopod will hide in the sand or seaweed with its tentacles extended, wiggling like fat little worms. It is so well camouflaged that other animals will not notice it. When a small fish comes closer to investigate the 'worms,' the cuttlefish will jet forward and grab the fish with its arms. Or the cuttlefish may simply swim along, using its fins, until it sees a crab or shrimp. Then it will sneak up from behind and nab the crustacean with its suckered tentacles. The prey is quickly carried to the arms and directed to the hard beak."3 Cuttlefish are preyed upon by seabirds, dolphins, sharks, rays and a variety of fish. They are very sensitive to heavy metals, esp. copper. On the underbelly, there is a forward opening cavity that contains the gills and openings for the gut, kidneys and sexual organs. The shell inside the mantle is called the cuttlebone. [Cuttlebones are commonly found washed up on beaches. They are used for pet birds as a source of calcium.] The oval cuttlebone provides support for muscles and serves as a hydrostatic organ. It has small, hollow chambers that can fill up with gas and water. By changing the proportion of liquid to air in these chambers cuttlefish can quickly vary their depths. By rippling their skirt-like fins they glide through the water as if weightless. For fast movement through the water, the cuttlefish uses a form of jet propulsion. It draws water into the mantle cavity through the mantle opening and then contracts the mantle muscles which forces the water back out through the siphon. The cuttlefish then shoots away. Cephalopods have large and complex brains. Protected by cartilaginous tissue and lying between the eyes, the brain is placed as a ring around the oesophagus. The brain is unusual in that it has several centres of nerve control, which in lower invertebrates are spread out over the animal. The sense organs of the cephalopods are eyes, rhinophores [olfactory organs], statocysts [organs of equilibrium], and tactile organs. Female cuttlefish produce between 200 to 500 tiny eggs which look like grains of rice. [The Marine Biological Association of the UK mentions 1,000 to 10,000 as the number of eggs produced by Sepia officinalis.] Unlike most octopuses, cuttlefish will still eagerly take food after they start laying eggs. The females do not care for the eggs and soon after spawning become lethargic. Their body quickly deteriorates and they die. The common cuttlefish [Sepia officinalis] is highly regarded as table fare in the Mediterranean and in other parts of Europe. Its ink is sometimes used as an ingredient in cuttlefish recipes. The animals are caught during the breeding season - when they occur in shallow waters of coastal areas - by slowly trolling a female cuttlefish behind the fishing boat to attract males. Sport fishermen often catch cuttlefish by using lights to attract them to the surface.
COLOURS Cuttlefish can change their body shape and both the colour and texture of their skin rapidly for camouflage purposes, mating rituals and to signal emotions such as anger, fear and sexual arousal. [Because of this habit, which was described by Aristotle and others, it was regarded as a symbol of inconstancy.] They will flush deep red when agitated. The ability to change colour is due to pigment sacs, or chromatophores, embedded in the skin. Chromatophores provide cuttlefish with colours ranging from orange to red, brown to black, and yellow, while cells termed iridophores provide them with blue and green coloration and leucophores with white spots. As camouflage virtuosos with the finest repertoire of all cephalopods, cuttlefish can change colour in less than a second. When threatened, the animal will squirt ink from a sac near the anus into the water and escape during the confusion. In addition, it has two other ways of escape: propelling itself backwards by pumping water out of the siphon, and sinking to the sea bottom and burying itself in the sand. Cuttlefish can also change the texture of their skin for natural camouflage. By contracting certain muscles, the cuttlefish can sprout spiky-looking projections called papillae. They can use skin textural and colour changes to disguise themselves as a patch of swaying kelp, a cluster of coral or even a chunk of rock.
MATING Eyesight plays an essential role during courtship because both sexes [of Sepia officinalis] have an almost identical skin pattern. The colours of females are slightly duller. To attract females, the males splay their tentacles and use all of their colours to impress the females. A male approaching another cuttlefish gets more vividly coloured and extends his fourth left arm, which has more vivid markings than the other arms, towards the other individual. If it is a male, an aggressive display of a zebra striped pattern follows, accompanied by bulging eyes and often a lining up parallel to each other to size each other up or a copying of each others movements. If it is a female, the display will not be answered, so that the male then carefully touches her. The female, in turn, either accepts the male without delay or it swims away, in which case the male follows. Swimming side by side, the male indulges in courtship behaviour with his arms. Eventually, the pair stands face to face, intertwining their arms and remaining in this position for a couple of minutes. During this period of time the male places with its fourth left arm the sperm packets on the inner side of the female's mouth membrane. A male cuttlefish becomes rather aggressive when guarding the female he has mated with, until she spawns. Soon after the mating the female retreats into a den - a deep crack in the rocks or a small cave - and starts producing eggs. The male meanwhile blocks the entrance to the den to prevent other males inserting their own sperm packets. The eggs are laid one at a time and attached to corals or seaweeds after the female has squirted some ink into the egg case. The female leaves the eggs uncared-for, in contrast to the caring female octopus who guards and ventilates her eggs in the den. Soon after spawning the female dwindles and dies. The newborns, measuring about 1-2 cm, are self-supporting from the time they hatch and able to distinguish and efficiently hunt food, chiefly tiny shrimps. Few of the great number of hatchlings survive to adulthood. 4
FLIGHT The cuttlefish reacts to fright with flight. It relies for protection not on a heavy shell but chiefly on its ability to leave the scene of danger in a hurry. It achieves this by expelling a jet of water from a siphon near the head. The animal is pushed in the direction opposite to that in which the jet is expelled and shoots through the water like a torpedo. Squids have been known to move as fast as 23 mph, and it may be assumed that cuttlefish will not stay far behind since they use the same water jet mechanism. An additional diversionary tactic is used by emitting ink into the water. The ink is thought to serve as a 'smoke screen', but it has also been suggested that it forms a dark object, a dummy, that distracts the enemy while the squid goes off in another direction.
DYNAMICS "As one compares the different configurations of the shell-encased body, the basic morphological model underlying the molluscs, one can see that this prototype undergoes a process of eversion: from the simplest pattern as expressed in the oyster and expansion takes place which reaches its culmination in the cuttlefish. The dominant tendency of the configuration of Sepia strikes us like an overturning of the form pattern from which it evolved, a rebellion against the shell-enclosed, soft, immobile and impassive quietness. ... The pattern of the shell-enclosed softness appears as the alchemistic 'vas' or 'hermetic vessel' containing the prima materia ... the 'vas' principle is inherent in the head but also, representing the matrix, in the uterus, the place of physical creation. As a general tendency this form complex also represents the earthly, physical and, particularly, the feminine principle. This principle in its purest, undisturbed form is embodied in the oyster, as is attested by the pathogenesis of Calcarea carbonica. The dynamic life expression of Sepia, on the other hand, which turns introversion into extroversion, thus basically rebels against the contemplative, passive, protected femininity. Yet, an absolutely complete overthrow of the form pattern from which it originates cannot be accomplished. Even as a half of the cuttlefish's body must remain within the enclosing shell, in spite of all attempts to break loose, so also the temperamental, sexual and emotional tendencies which one would disown cannot simply be cast off. ... Challenge to and repression of the quiet, contemplative and receptive feminine qualities, symbolized by the 'creative vessel', thus become the keynotes of the Sepia pathology. ... Since the repressive tendency of Sepia is directed particularly against the feminine character, its particular difficulty will be found more frequently in women with a rather masculine tendency."5
MELANIN Melanins are pigments appearing in the skin, hair, and the retina of the eye. Melanin is also found in non-visible anatomic parts such as the substantia nigra of the brain, the liver, and the adrenal glands. It accumulates in pathological form in melanoma. Hyperpigmentation, an excess of eumelanin, may occur in pregnancy and from the use of contraceptive pills in the form of blotchy, brown pigmentation [chloasma]. "Melanic pigmentation is advantageous in many ways: [1] It is a barrier against the effects of the ultraviolet rays of sunlight. On exposure to sunlight, for example, the human epidermis undergoes gradual tanning as a result of an increase in melanin pigment. [2] It is a mechanism for the absorption of heat from sunlight, a function that is esp. important for cold-blooded animals. [3] It affords concealment to certain animals that become active in twilight. [4] It limits the incidence of beams of light entering the eye and absorbs scattered light within the eyeball, allowing greater visual acuity. [5] It provides resistance to abrasion because of the molecular structure of the pigment. Many desert-dwelling birds, for example, have black plumage as an adaptation to their abrasive habitat."6 In humans [and animals], melanin exists in two basic varieties: the black or brown eumelanin and the yellow to reddish-brown, sulphur-containing phaeomelanin. Phaeomelanin produces 'red' hair. Individuals having a predominance of phaeomelanin in their hair and skin also have an impaired ability to tan, that is to produce more eumelanin in response to sunlight. Cuttlefish ink, known as sepiomelanin, is an eumelanin. [Eu]melanin binds many organic and inorganic products, gases and ions, recalling the behaviour of charcoal. This suggests a similarity between Sepia and carbons such as Carbo vegetabilis, Carbo animalis and Graphites. Salts [sulphates] of sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium also occur in the ink sack of Sepia officinalis. "We have good reasons to assume that the melanin of Sepia can interfere in those processes which involve alterations and anomalies in the pigmentation of the human skin. In Hahnemann's proving we find: 'Yellow spots in the face and a yellow saddle across the upper part of the cheeks and the nose.' This observation, among so great a number of others in the proving, might be overlooked, were it not for the corroboration by experience over some 130 years; the yellow-brown pigmentation in spots and patches, particularly of the face, has again and again proved to be a valuable indication for the use of Sepia. Strange as it may appear on first sight to approach an understanding of the actions of Sepia-melanin from the peculiar phenomenon of pigmentation, it leads to conceptions remarkably suited to obtain a coherent picture from the mass of seemingly disconnected symptoms. The said changes of pigmentation are subject to neuro-hormonal control, and particularly to that functional cycle in which the steroids of the adrenal and sex glands, in their reciprocal relationship to proteohormones of the pituitary, have a prominent role. During and esp. at the end of pregnancy fluctuations in the degree of skin pigmentation are conspicuous, the localized excesses usually receding after parturition. At the climacteric phase, when the oestrogen production subsides and the gonadotropic hormones of the pituitary are no longer inhibited, the yellow-brown spots and patches are often seen in a certain type of women, but anomalies of pigmentation may occur as signs of hormonal imbalance at any other phase. Although all these instances are on the border-line of normal and abnormal occurrences, they are apt to throw some light on the constitutional background of the actions of Sepia, The generalized bronze-brown pigmentation due to insufficiency of the adrenal glands is of far more pathological consequence, though there, too, we have degrees, from mid forms of so-called Addisonism to outright Addison's disease. One will, of course, not parallel the extreme insufficiency of the adrenals with the symptomatology of Sepia, but a comparison of the latter with the relative insufficiency in Addisonism is very revealing. All the characteristics of that syndrome, hyperpigmentation, hypotonus, and adynamy, reduced blood circulation and tendency to lowered body temperature, mental depression impairing concentration and pursuit of ordinary occupation, - all, though in a minor key, are well represented in the drug picture of Sepia. This must not be understood so as to justify a statement that Sepia acts on the adrenal glands, or on the pituitary for that matter, but rather via this hormonal part-system."7
PROVINGS •• [1] Hahnemann - 6 provers; method: unknown.
•• [2] Robinson - 7 provers [6 females, 1 male] c. 1867; method: 30th, one dose each morning, night and morning, or every third day; manner: no information how long proving was continued.
•• [3] Berridge - 5 provers [4 males, 1 female], c. 1871-74; method: 200th dil. [2 provers], 6000th [2 provers; single dose or repeated doses], CM [1 prover]; manner: no information on repetition.
•• [4] American Institute of Homoeopathy - 26 provers, c. 1875; 3rd trit., repeated daily doses for 2-7 days; 30th trit., twice daily for 3-5 days; 30th trit., one dose every half hour to three hours, for 1-7 days; 200th dil., doses at irregular intervals.
This collection of provings includes those under the superintendence of Owens, Wesselhoeft, and Allen. Six of Wesselhoeft's provers had no reactions whatsoever.
•• [5] Kruger - self-experimentation, c. 1878; method: 3rd trit., "intermingling some doses of the 12th dil.", and 4th dil.; no information on dosage or repetition.
[1] National Aquarium Baltimore USA. [2] Edgecombe, A Chance Acquaintance with the Curious Cuttlefish; Habitat magazine. [3] National Aquarium Baltimore USA. [4] Kleine Winkler Prins Dierenencyclopedie. [5] Whitmont, Psyche and Substance. [6] Encyclopaedia Britannica. [7] Leeser, The Molluscs: Murex and Sepia; BHJ, January 1960.
Affinity
Venous circulation [digestive tract; portal system; FEMALE PELVIC ORGANS]. Nerves. Skin. * LEFT SIDE.
Modalities
Worse: COLD [AIR; north wind; wet; snow]. Sexual excesses. Before menses. Pregnancy. Abortion. Morning and evening. After first sleep. During and right after eating. Afternoon; 5 p.m. Sitting quietly. Standing. Mental exertion. Milk. Menopause. Kneeling at church. Before thunderstorm.
Better: VIOLENT MOTION. Dancing. Warmth. Cold drinks. When busy. Sitting with legs crossed. Loosening clothes. Open air.
Main symptoms
M MENTAL STASIS.
[confusion, absent-minded, dullness, thinking difficult]
M EMOTIONAL STASIS [indifference].
M Desire to be ALONE.
INDIFFERENCE to loved ones.
• "All manifestations of love - marital, parental, filial, and even close friendship - are a drain on her reserves of energy and an obstacle to her need for a certain amount of privacy and independence. Sepia's immediate family, being the greatest emotional drain, is naturally the greatest threat. She may see her children in direct conflict with her need for self-expression, and so she fights the emotional bonds that stifle the growth of her individuality. Sepia experiences love as a responsibility - or even a burden." [Coulter]
Negative attitude. Nagging, complaining and dissatisfied.
Inability to give love and affection.
No attachment, no commitment.
• "The Sepia patient is rather irresponsive, shut-in in his own world, indifferent to other people, even to his own family and best friends, but much concerned with himself and his own petty affairs, often, however, indifference is even felt towards his own concerns and occupation; he feels as though he does not care at all whatever happens. The patient does not open up quickly, when he does, his story is accompanied by tears. He feels sad without apparent cause, has dark forebodings about his illness, is inclined to cry every few minutes, sees everything in a gloomy light, and this depression and despondency may even induce a suicidal mood. There seems to be no meaning to life; everything to the patient is so indifferent, he does not care what happens, he has no ambition, either for work or play. Affection, even for his own family, has vanished, there is a desire to be left alone, to avoid the company of friends, to retire into oneself, but at the same time there is a fear of being left alone." [Gutman]
M INCOMMUNICATIVE; defensive.
Weeping when telling symptoms; or just uncontrollable weeping without giving any information [overwhelmed by sadness, no ability to think clearly].
M Aversion to SEX.
No desire, no orgasm.
[Fear of rape; denial of sexuality; often history of sexual abuse.]
• "As the negation of the role of the woman extends itself to include the refusal of the role of mother we find homosexuality, sexual frigidity, aversion to the opposite sex and to husband and children." [Whitmont]
Will usually be very incommunicative about sexual symptoms.
c FEMALE issues.
• "As with all the remedies from the sea, the idea of family and sexuality appears strongly. An important point in Sepia is its lack of self confidence. The lack of self confidence is expressed in rubrics like 'Fear of going out'. The split is about the lack of confidence in its sexual identity, eg: 'Am I a real woman [or wife] or not?' 'Could I be a good mother or not?' So out of the lack of confidence in those issues, Sepia chooses either to behave more like a male or tries to be a perfect woman or mother. The split is in dealing with the issue of sexual identity and motherhood. So Sepia women would give up the idea of family and marriage, and would follow a career [male behaviour]. Some of them would look mannish and behave more like males. The other Sepia would try very hard to be the best mother or housewife. She would take a lot of care of her children and husband, and would always keep the house most clean, provide the best food, etc. That is why pregnancy is one of the major exciting causes for Sepia. It emphasises the lack of confidence in the ability to be a real wife and mother and have a family."1
• "Sepia is often said to suffer from a loss of her femininity, as indicated by her aversion to men, her indifference to her children, and her aggressiveness. All of these do occur, but they occur not so much because Sepia has lost her femininity, but rather, because she has surrendered her independence. Sepia is naturally very feminine, but her femininity is of a special kind, being intuitive, and sensitive to life and the body. She represents one pole of Womanhood, whereas Pulsatilla represents the other, more nurturing, passive pole. It is when Sepia is pressured by her upbringing and her society to deny her own form of femininity that she becomes aggressive, and ultimately may come to hate men." [Bailey]
• An outstanding Sepia symptom is the flushing or blushing, conspicuous at puberty or menopause. Groddeck observed that 'Changing colour, blushing or growing pale is associated with a feeling of shame and a desire to hide. More primitive people than ourselves may have realised that in blushing a woman disguises her weakness by the show of strength, for a man who reddens in anger is terrifying to the timid, so the It of the timid woman imitates him and behaves as though it were the dangerous male.'"2
M < CONSOLATION. M > OCCUPATION; when busy.
M Independence - dependence.
• Healthy Sepia women stand their ground with men in our society, but they do not usually try to compete with men like Natrum and Ignatia women, since they honour their feminine wisdom, and prefer to explore it quietly. They may fear the brutality of men, but they seldom allow their fear to coerce them into conforming to men's expectations." [Bailey]
• "Sepia seeks to emancipate herself from the burden of love by moving into a world comparatively devoid of personal emotions, into a profession. ... This intellectually and emotionally fulfilled woman is usually between 25 and 55, with a strong will and penetrating mind, whose life-style exhibits a striving for self-realization. The remedy is frequently encountered in feminist champions of women's rights. Whatever her field of professional endeavour, she is efficient, well-organized, and intelligent. Her clear intellect thus contrasts with the better-known symptoms: 'mind is dulled, thinking is a great exertion, thoughts flow slowly, words come slowly,' etc." [Coulter]
• "There is a feeling of dependence in Sepia. ... She feels forced to accept situations against her will, because of her feeling of not being good enough. This makes her miserable and she feels unfortunate. There is one side of her that says: 'Do what you want to do, be independent, occupy yourself.' ... But if she is too independent she will lose her support and will not be able to keep her husband and children happy. The dependence may be emotional and/or financial [fear of poverty]. ... A successful Sepia is one who is independent right from the beginning. But in various life situations she will be dominated or forced to do things she does not want to do. So there is divorce or separation, or the patients remain spinsters. Many of them join the Women's Lib." [Sankaran]
M Fault-finding, fretful, sarcastic, spiteful, striking.
< Before menses. • "It has been called the washerwomen's remedy and it has many queer symptoms associated with it - one of the strangest being a kind of tendency to blame all their physical troubles on their nearest and dearest - which they begin to dislike, if not actually hate."3 M Flight. • "The Sepia patient is often so apathetic and at the same time inimical to her environment that it is difficult to make contact with her, and she answers brusquely the questions which are put to her. Why is that so? The world has become too strong, too overpowering for the Sepia patient. She has been overcome by the world, and finds herself defeated. The light is too bright, the sound too loud, the children are too noisy, the husband is too rough; everything is stronger than she, and constantly attacks and overcomes her. The world has become nothing but an attack; and now she needs Sepia as the cuttlefish and kraken [octopod] need it when they want to protect themselves from the importunity of their enemies. They darken the waters because then the enemy can no longer see their figures; then they are as safe as their brothers, the snails, who can hide in their houses, and like the mussels which breathe safely within the protection of their shell. Sepia discloses in its mental symptoms the 'mollusc quality' which is inherent in this remedy. It strengthens the mind's defensive tendencies, hardens the power of resistance against an environment which is growing too overwhelming, and helps to restore the balance between man and his surrounding world. When the water darkened by the sepia ink gradually begins to clear up again, the enemies have disappeared; courage has been restored, and a new attempt can be made to exist. Cinderella, sitting alone and in despair among the ashes in the kitchen, faced with the impossible task of separating the grain from the chaff, is suddenly surrounded by a flock of doves who protect her and help to finish the task. This is what Sepia does, if it is used in the proper way."4 G PHYSICAL STASIS. [circulatory disturbances; constipation; bearing-down sensations; emptiness in stomach; great lack of energy] G Ailments related to HORMONAL changes. [menses, pregnancy, menopause, puberty, postnatal, the pill] Tendency to scanty menses or amenorrhoea. Menses and great exhaustion [< mornings]. G Never well since the PILL. G Very CHILLY. < Cold in general. < HEAD becoming COLD. G HUNGRY. • "Constant hunger, chiefly for sweet things and meat." "Hungry feeling in stomach as soon as 2 hours after a meal." "Very hungry, but after a little food was satisfied, and stomach felt full." [Hughes] G Craves ACIDS, pickles, and vinegar. G Aversion to FAT. G > EVENING.
G > EATING and COLD DRINKS.
G > PHYSICAL exertion.
> Violent exertion; running; walking fast.
> Dancing.
• "May even indulge in solo dancing in the privacy of her own apartment." [Gibson]
G < BEFORE, DURING and AFTER menses. G Periodicity: 28 days [menstrual cycle]. G MILKY discharges. [nasal catarrh, vomit, urine, leucorrhoea] G Easy fainting [esp. in warm rooms and when kneeling]. [1] Rosenthal, The Kingdom Approach in Homoeopathy; The Homoeopath No. 69, Spring 1998. [2] Twentyman, Sepia in the male, or the male in Sepia; BHJ, Oct. 1974. [3] Gordon Ross, Three Queer Fish; Homoeopathy, August 1967. [4] Karl König, Sepia; BHJ, April 1960. Rubrics Mind Anger, < colour red [1/1]. Aversion to members of family [3], to husband [3]. Colours, aversion to dark blue [1/1], desire for light brown [1], aversion to pink [1/1], desire for pink [2], aversion to red [2]. Aversion to company, avoids the sight of people and lies with closed eyes [1/1]. Consolation < [3]. Dancing > mental symptoms [3]. Delusions, someone calls him [2], he were chased and had to run backward [1/1], he is poor [2], family will starve [2], he is suspended in the air [1/1]. Mental symptoms > when eating [1]. Indifference, to opposite sex [3]. Occupation > [3]. Sadness, > thunderstorm [1/1]. Weeping, cannot weep though sad [2], < consolation [3], when telling of her sickness [3]. Vertigo When looking at a large plain [1/1]. Head Coldness, vertex, during menses [2]. Itching of scalp after headache [1/1]. Pain, with desire for coition [1/1], < thinking of pain [1*]. Eye Pain, burning, > flow of tears [1*].
Vision
Blurred, before headache [2]. Colours, black spots moving in all directions [2]; striped [2]. Dim, after coition [3], before headache [2], during menses [2]. Fiery zigzags [2]. Flickering when looking at light [2]. Objects seem to be moving backward [1], slowly backward [1/1].
Face
Pain, < thinking of pain [1*]. Stomach Emptiness, when thinking of food [3/1]. Nausea, at thought of coition [1/1]. Sensation of a stone after eating bread [1/1]. Rectum Diarrhoea, after milk [3], from sea bathing [1/1]. Chest Sensation of fulness in left axilla [1*], then in right axilla [1*]. Dreams Threats of rape [1]. Of urinating [2]. Generals Air, at seaside < [2]. Contradictory and alternating states [2]. * Repertory additions [Hughes] Food Aversion: [3]: Meat. [2]: Bread; fat; food, smell of; milk; salt. [1]: Beer; onions; oysters; potatoes; smoking. Desire: [2]: Alcohol; brandy; chocolate; cold drinks; pickles; sour; sweets; vinegar; wine. [1]: Beer; bitter drinks; bitter food; cheese; meat; nuts; pungent; spicy; tea. Worse: [3]: Tea; milk; pork. [2]: Bread; bread and butter; buckwheat; butter; cheese, old; cold food; fat; fish; fruit; hot food; potatoes; rich food; smell of food; sour; veal; vinegar. [1]: Apples; beans and peas; cabbage; cheese; cheese, smell of; coffee; flatulent food; onions; pepper; sauerkraut; sour wine; strawberries; tobacco; warm food. Better: [3]: Cold drinks. [2]: Tobacco. [1]: Hot food.
Wives are people who feel they don't dance enough.
[Groucho Marx]
Signs
Sepia officinalis. Common Cuttlefish.
CLASSIFICATION The cuttlefish are in the phylum Mollusca. Molluscs are invertebrates whose soft bodies are usually covered with hard shells, such as with clams, oysters, snails, and slugs. First making their appearance some 500 million years ago, molluscs have adapted to an amazing range of environment. The phylum Mollusca is divided into six classes, of which the class Cephalopoda includes the squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and chambered nautilus. The modern cuttlefish appeared in the Micocene Epoch, about 21 million years ago, and derived from a belemnite-like ancestor.
CEPHALOPODS The cephalopods, 'head-footers', are unusual invertebrates because they have evolved beyond the need for a shell. [Excepting the chambered nautilus, which is the only type having a complete shell.] The cuttlefish, as well as the squid, have their small shell located inside the body, rather than outside. The octopus has lost its shell completely. All cephalopods are marine animals and all are carnivores. Contrary to the sedentary life style of most gastropods, cephalopods are very active and highly mobile. Like all molluscs, cephalopods have a soft body covered with a tough, skin-like layer called the mantle. The mantle encloses all of the body organs such as the heart, stomach and gills. Whereas
gastropods have one muscular foot, cephalopods have eight to ten arms projecting from the head region. The body is elongated, with a distinct head area, well-developed eyes and a horny beak. All cephalopods have three hearts, a single systemic heart and two gill hearts. The rhythmical contractions and expansions of the mantle cause a circulation of water over the gills where gas exchange takes place between the seawater and blood. Freshly oxygenated blood from the gills enters the systematic heart, from which it is pumped out again to the tissues. The deoxygenated blood returning from the tissues enters the gill hearts, each of which pumps the blood through one gill. The saliva of cuttlefish contains a toxin that helps immobilize prey; the toxin also appears to have a digestive function. It has a paralytic effect on certain animals and occasionally on man.
FEATURES "Cephalopods have unique abilities which most molluscs lack. They are able to change the colour of their skin so that it blends in with the surroundings. Cephalopod eyes have received a lot of attention because they are much more developed than other invertebrate eyes. They are more similar to vertebrate eyes because they have a cornea, lens, and retina. Cephalopods can see images, an ability that is not found in other molluscs or any other invertebrates."1 The eyes have a transparent cover and lid. They are set far apart on the sides of the head enabling the animal to look forwards and backwards, with a horizontal visual field of almost 360o. To focus on close objects, the cuttlefish contracts the muscles around the eye which pushes the lens forward, away from the retina. To focus on distant objects, the cuttlefish relaxes the muscles and draws the lens inward. Minute hairs along the cuttlefish head and tentacles detect low frequency vibrations. This enables them to 'hear' and locate their prey. "Cuttlefish are well known to scuba divers for their inquisitiveness and lack of fear of the strange, bubbling animals intruding on their world. 'They will follow you round like a little dog,' one diver affirms. 'If you move gently, you can pet them and if you don't pay enough attention to them, they will keep following you. Penny, one of our team who wears a red outfit underwater, swears that a cuttlefish was trying to have an affair with her one day, approaching, putting its tentacles out towards her, then withdrawing them shyly. Their eyes can focus images and distinguish colour, and Penny is a real mermaid."2
SEPIA There are about 100 species of Sepia, varying in size from 5 to 60 cm, all of them occurring in the Old World. Sepia officinalis, the common cuttlefish, lives in the Mediterranean Sea and in eastern Atlantic waters ranging from the North Sea to the Cape of Good Hope. Cuttlefish prefer coastal waters at depths of 5 to 120 m, remaining hidden during the day and moving about to feed at night. In the spring and summer they usually remain in shallow waters at depths of 10-20 m, to migrate to deeper waters in autumn and winter. Most species live for only 12 to 18 months. Sepia officinalis is fairly long lived for a cephalopod, they live for 1.5 to 2 years, depending primarily on temperature. Sepia officinalis and many other species of cuttlefish are more social than the solitary octopuses and are generally found in loose groups. The elongated body has fins that extend the length of the mantle. In front of the eyes are eight arms and two tentacles. The eight arms are attached to the head in a ring around the mouth. Contrary to the squid, the cuttlefish keeps its tentacles withdrawn in two pouches beneath the eyes. When extended, they are long and thin with suckers on the flattened end only. The arms have suckers all along the underside. Cuttlefish are active predators that feed on small fish, crabs, prawns, and other cephalopods. Cannibalism is common. They hunt by changing their body patterns or by a method of distraction. Prawns, shrimps and other small prey are caught by blowing sand off their hiding places with a water jet. "The tentacles are used for feeding. This cunning cephalopod will hide in the sand or seaweed with its tentacles extended, wiggling like fat little worms. It is so well camouflaged that other animals will not notice it. When a small fish comes closer to investigate the 'worms,' the cuttlefish will jet forward and grab the fish with its arms. Or the cuttlefish may simply swim along, using its fins, until it sees a crab or shrimp. Then it will sneak up from behind and nab the crustacean with its suckered tentacles. The prey is quickly carried to the arms and directed to the hard beak."3 Cuttlefish are preyed upon by seabirds, dolphins, sharks, rays and a variety of fish. They are very sensitive to heavy metals, esp. copper. On the underbelly, there is a forward opening cavity that contains the gills and openings for the gut, kidneys and sexual organs. The shell inside the mantle is called the cuttlebone. [Cuttlebones are commonly found washed up on beaches. They are used for pet birds as a source of calcium.] The oval cuttlebone provides support for muscles and serves as a hydrostatic organ. It has small, hollow chambers that can fill up with gas and water. By changing the proportion of liquid to air in these chambers cuttlefish can quickly vary their depths. By rippling their skirt-like fins they glide through the water as if weightless. For fast movement through the water, the cuttlefish uses a form of jet propulsion. It draws water into the mantle cavity through the mantle opening and then contracts the mantle muscles which forces the water back out through the siphon. The cuttlefish then shoots away. Cephalopods have large and complex brains. Protected by cartilaginous tissue and lying between the eyes, the brain is placed as a ring around the oesophagus. The brain is unusual in that it has several centres of nerve control, which in lower invertebrates are spread out over the animal. The sense organs of the cephalopods are eyes, rhinophores [olfactory organs], statocysts [organs of equilibrium], and tactile organs. Female cuttlefish produce between 200 to 500 tiny eggs which look like grains of rice. [The Marine Biological Association of the UK mentions 1,000 to 10,000 as the number of eggs produced by Sepia officinalis.] Unlike most octopuses, cuttlefish will still eagerly take food after they start laying eggs. The females do not care for the eggs and soon after spawning become lethargic. Their body quickly deteriorates and they die. The common cuttlefish [Sepia officinalis] is highly regarded as table fare in the Mediterranean and in other parts of Europe. Its ink is sometimes used as an ingredient in cuttlefish recipes. The animals are caught during the breeding season - when they occur in shallow waters of coastal areas - by slowly trolling a female cuttlefish behind the fishing boat to attract males. Sport fishermen often catch cuttlefish by using lights to attract them to the surface.
COLOURS Cuttlefish can change their body shape and both the colour and texture of their skin rapidly for camouflage purposes, mating rituals and to signal emotions such as anger, fear and sexual arousal. [Because of this habit, which was described by Aristotle and others, it was regarded as a symbol of inconstancy.] They will flush deep red when agitated. The ability to change colour is due to pigment sacs, or chromatophores, embedded in the skin. Chromatophores provide cuttlefish with colours ranging from orange to red, brown to black, and yellow, while cells termed iridophores provide them with blue and green coloration and leucophores with white spots. As camouflage virtuosos with the finest repertoire of all cephalopods, cuttlefish can change colour in less than a second. When threatened, the animal will squirt ink from a sac near the anus into the water and escape during the confusion. In addition, it has two other ways of escape: propelling itself backwards by pumping water out of the siphon, and sinking to the sea bottom and burying itself in the sand. Cuttlefish can also change the texture of their skin for natural camouflage. By contracting certain muscles, the cuttlefish can sprout spiky-looking projections called papillae. They can use skin textural and colour changes to disguise themselves as a patch of swaying kelp, a cluster of coral or even a chunk of rock.
MATING Eyesight plays an essential role during courtship because both sexes [of Sepia officinalis] have an almost identical skin pattern. The colours of females are slightly duller. To attract females, the males splay their tentacles and use all of their colours to impress the females. A male approaching another cuttlefish gets more vividly coloured and extends his fourth left arm, which has more vivid markings than the other arms, towards the other individual. If it is a male, an aggressive display of a zebra striped pattern follows, accompanied by bulging eyes and often a lining up parallel to each other to size each other up or a copying of each others movements. If it is a female, the display will not be answered, so that the male then carefully touches her. The female, in turn, either accepts the male without delay or it swims away, in which case the male follows. Swimming side by side, the male indulges in courtship behaviour with his arms. Eventually, the pair stands face to face, intertwining their arms and remaining in this position for a couple of minutes. During this period of time the male places with its fourth left arm the sperm packets on the inner side of the female's mouth membrane. A male cuttlefish becomes rather aggressive when guarding the female he has mated with, until she spawns. Soon after the mating the female retreats into a den - a deep crack in the rocks or a small cave - and starts producing eggs. The male meanwhile blocks the entrance to the den to prevent other males inserting their own sperm packets. The eggs are laid one at a time and attached to corals or seaweeds after the female has squirted some ink into the egg case. The female leaves the eggs uncared-for, in contrast to the caring female octopus who guards and ventilates her eggs in the den. Soon after spawning the female dwindles and dies. The newborns, measuring about 1-2 cm, are self-supporting from the time they hatch and able to distinguish and efficiently hunt food, chiefly tiny shrimps. Few of the great number of hatchlings survive to adulthood. 4
FLIGHT The cuttlefish reacts to fright with flight. It relies for protection not on a heavy shell but chiefly on its ability to leave the scene of danger in a hurry. It achieves this by expelling a jet of water from a siphon near the head. The animal is pushed in the direction opposite to that in which the jet is expelled and shoots through the water like a torpedo. Squids have been known to move as fast as 23 mph, and it may be assumed that cuttlefish will not stay far behind since they use the same water jet mechanism. An additional diversionary tactic is used by emitting ink into the water. The ink is thought to serve as a 'smoke screen', but it has also been suggested that it forms a dark object, a dummy, that distracts the enemy while the squid goes off in another direction.
DYNAMICS "As one compares the different configurations of the shell-encased body, the basic morphological model underlying the molluscs, one can see that this prototype undergoes a process of eversion: from the simplest pattern as expressed in the oyster and expansion takes place which reaches its culmination in the cuttlefish. The dominant tendency of the configuration of Sepia strikes us like an overturning of the form pattern from which it evolved, a rebellion against the shell-enclosed, soft, immobile and impassive quietness. ... The pattern of the shell-enclosed softness appears as the alchemistic 'vas' or 'hermetic vessel' containing the prima materia ... the 'vas' principle is inherent in the head but also, representing the matrix, in the uterus, the place of physical creation. As a general tendency this form complex also represents the earthly, physical and, particularly, the feminine principle. This principle in its purest, undisturbed form is embodied in the oyster, as is attested by the pathogenesis of Calcarea carbonica. The dynamic life expression of Sepia, on the other hand, which turns introversion into extroversion, thus basically rebels against the contemplative, passive, protected femininity. Yet, an absolutely complete overthrow of the form pattern from which it originates cannot be accomplished. Even as a half of the cuttlefish's body must remain within the enclosing shell, in spite of all attempts to break loose, so also the temperamental, sexual and emotional tendencies which one would disown cannot simply be cast off. ... Challenge to and repression of the quiet, contemplative and receptive feminine qualities, symbolized by the 'creative vessel', thus become the keynotes of the Sepia pathology. ... Since the repressive tendency of Sepia is directed particularly against the feminine character, its particular difficulty will be found more frequently in women with a rather masculine tendency."5
MELANIN Melanins are pigments appearing in the skin, hair, and the retina of the eye. Melanin is also found in non-visible anatomic parts such as the substantia nigra of the brain, the liver, and the adrenal glands. It accumulates in pathological form in melanoma. Hyperpigmentation, an excess of eumelanin, may occur in pregnancy and from the use of contraceptive pills in the form of blotchy, brown pigmentation [chloasma]. "Melanic pigmentation is advantageous in many ways: [1] It is a barrier against the effects of the ultraviolet rays of sunlight. On exposure to sunlight, for example, the human epidermis undergoes gradual tanning as a result of an increase in melanin pigment. [2] It is a mechanism for the absorption of heat from sunlight, a function that is esp. important for cold-blooded animals. [3] It affords concealment to certain animals that become active in twilight. [4] It limits the incidence of beams of light entering the eye and absorbs scattered light within the eyeball, allowing greater visual acuity. [5] It provides resistance to abrasion because of the molecular structure of the pigment. Many desert-dwelling birds, for example, have black plumage as an adaptation to their abrasive habitat."6 In humans [and animals], melanin exists in two basic varieties: the black or brown eumelanin and the yellow to reddish-brown, sulphur-containing phaeomelanin. Phaeomelanin produces 'red' hair. Individuals having a predominance of phaeomelanin in their hair and skin also have an impaired ability to tan, that is to produce more eumelanin in response to sunlight. Cuttlefish ink, known as sepiomelanin, is an eumelanin. [Eu]melanin binds many organic and inorganic products, gases and ions, recalling the behaviour of charcoal. This suggests a similarity between Sepia and carbons such as Carbo vegetabilis, Carbo animalis and Graphites. Salts [sulphates] of sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium also occur in the ink sack of Sepia officinalis. "We have good reasons to assume that the melanin of Sepia can interfere in those processes which involve alterations and anomalies in the pigmentation of the human skin. In Hahnemann's proving we find: 'Yellow spots in the face and a yellow saddle across the upper part of the cheeks and the nose.' This observation, among so great a number of others in the proving, might be overlooked, were it not for the corroboration by experience over some 130 years; the yellow-brown pigmentation in spots and patches, particularly of the face, has again and again proved to be a valuable indication for the use of Sepia. Strange as it may appear on first sight to approach an understanding of the actions of Sepia-melanin from the peculiar phenomenon of pigmentation, it leads to conceptions remarkably suited to obtain a coherent picture from the mass of seemingly disconnected symptoms. The said changes of pigmentation are subject to neuro-hormonal control, and particularly to that functional cycle in which the steroids of the adrenal and sex glands, in their reciprocal relationship to proteohormones of the pituitary, have a prominent role. During and esp. at the end of pregnancy fluctuations in the degree of skin pigmentation are conspicuous, the localized excesses usually receding after parturition. At the climacteric phase, when the oestrogen production subsides and the gonadotropic hormones of the pituitary are no longer inhibited, the yellow-brown spots and patches are often seen in a certain type of women, but anomalies of pigmentation may occur as signs of hormonal imbalance at any other phase. Although all these instances are on the border-line of normal and abnormal occurrences, they are apt to throw some light on the constitutional background of the actions of Sepia, The generalized bronze-brown pigmentation due to insufficiency of the adrenal glands is of far more pathological consequence, though there, too, we have degrees, from mid forms of so-called Addisonism to outright Addison's disease. One will, of course, not parallel the extreme insufficiency of the adrenals with the symptomatology of Sepia, but a comparison of the latter with the relative insufficiency in Addisonism is very revealing. All the characteristics of that syndrome, hyperpigmentation, hypotonus, and adynamy, reduced blood circulation and tendency to lowered body temperature, mental depression impairing concentration and pursuit of ordinary occupation, - all, though in a minor key, are well represented in the drug picture of Sepia. This must not be understood so as to justify a statement that Sepia acts on the adrenal glands, or on the pituitary for that matter, but rather via this hormonal part-system."7
PROVINGS •• [1] Hahnemann - 6 provers; method: unknown.
•• [2] Robinson - 7 provers [6 females, 1 male] c. 1867; method: 30th, one dose each morning, night and morning, or every third day; manner: no information how long proving was continued.
•• [3] Berridge - 5 provers [4 males, 1 female], c. 1871-74; method: 200th dil. [2 provers], 6000th [2 provers; single dose or repeated doses], CM [1 prover]; manner: no information on repetition.
•• [4] American Institute of Homoeopathy - 26 provers, c. 1875; 3rd trit., repeated daily doses for 2-7 days; 30th trit., twice daily for 3-5 days; 30th trit., one dose every half hour to three hours, for 1-7 days; 200th dil., doses at irregular intervals.
This collection of provings includes those under the superintendence of Owens, Wesselhoeft, and Allen. Six of Wesselhoeft's provers had no reactions whatsoever.
•• [5] Kruger - self-experimentation, c. 1878; method: 3rd trit., "intermingling some doses of the 12th dil.", and 4th dil.; no information on dosage or repetition.
[1] National Aquarium Baltimore USA. [2] Edgecombe, A Chance Acquaintance with the Curious Cuttlefish; Habitat magazine. [3] National Aquarium Baltimore USA. [4] Kleine Winkler Prins Dierenencyclopedie. [5] Whitmont, Psyche and Substance. [6] Encyclopaedia Britannica. [7] Leeser, The Molluscs: Murex and Sepia; BHJ, January 1960.
Affinity
Venous circulation [digestive tract; portal system; FEMALE PELVIC ORGANS]. Nerves. Skin. * LEFT SIDE.
Modalities
Worse: COLD [AIR; north wind; wet; snow]. Sexual excesses. Before menses. Pregnancy. Abortion. Morning and evening. After first sleep. During and right after eating. Afternoon; 5 p.m. Sitting quietly. Standing. Mental exertion. Milk. Menopause. Kneeling at church. Before thunderstorm.
Better: VIOLENT MOTION. Dancing. Warmth. Cold drinks. When busy. Sitting with legs crossed. Loosening clothes. Open air.
Main symptoms
M MENTAL STASIS.
[confusion, absent-minded, dullness, thinking difficult]
M EMOTIONAL STASIS [indifference].
M Desire to be ALONE.
INDIFFERENCE to loved ones.
• "All manifestations of love - marital, parental, filial, and even close friendship - are a drain on her reserves of energy and an obstacle to her need for a certain amount of privacy and independence. Sepia's immediate family, being the greatest emotional drain, is naturally the greatest threat. She may see her children in direct conflict with her need for self-expression, and so she fights the emotional bonds that stifle the growth of her individuality. Sepia experiences love as a responsibility - or even a burden." [Coulter]
Negative attitude. Nagging, complaining and dissatisfied.
Inability to give love and affection.
No attachment, no commitment.
• "The Sepia patient is rather irresponsive, shut-in in his own world, indifferent to other people, even to his own family and best friends, but much concerned with himself and his own petty affairs, often, however, indifference is even felt towards his own concerns and occupation; he feels as though he does not care at all whatever happens. The patient does not open up quickly, when he does, his story is accompanied by tears. He feels sad without apparent cause, has dark forebodings about his illness, is inclined to cry every few minutes, sees everything in a gloomy light, and this depression and despondency may even induce a suicidal mood. There seems to be no meaning to life; everything to the patient is so indifferent, he does not care what happens, he has no ambition, either for work or play. Affection, even for his own family, has vanished, there is a desire to be left alone, to avoid the company of friends, to retire into oneself, but at the same time there is a fear of being left alone." [Gutman]
M INCOMMUNICATIVE; defensive.
Weeping when telling symptoms; or just uncontrollable weeping without giving any information [overwhelmed by sadness, no ability to think clearly].
M Aversion to SEX.
No desire, no orgasm.
[Fear of rape; denial of sexuality; often history of sexual abuse.]
• "As the negation of the role of the woman extends itself to include the refusal of the role of mother we find homosexuality, sexual frigidity, aversion to the opposite sex and to husband and children." [Whitmont]
Will usually be very incommunicative about sexual symptoms.
c FEMALE issues.
• "As with all the remedies from the sea, the idea of family and sexuality appears strongly. An important point in Sepia is its lack of self confidence. The lack of self confidence is expressed in rubrics like 'Fear of going out'. The split is about the lack of confidence in its sexual identity, eg: 'Am I a real woman [or wife] or not?' 'Could I be a good mother or not?' So out of the lack of confidence in those issues, Sepia chooses either to behave more like a male or tries to be a perfect woman or mother. The split is in dealing with the issue of sexual identity and motherhood. So Sepia women would give up the idea of family and marriage, and would follow a career [male behaviour]. Some of them would look mannish and behave more like males. The other Sepia would try very hard to be the best mother or housewife. She would take a lot of care of her children and husband, and would always keep the house most clean, provide the best food, etc. That is why pregnancy is one of the major exciting causes for Sepia. It emphasises the lack of confidence in the ability to be a real wife and mother and have a family."1
• "Sepia is often said to suffer from a loss of her femininity, as indicated by her aversion to men, her indifference to her children, and her aggressiveness. All of these do occur, but they occur not so much because Sepia has lost her femininity, but rather, because she has surrendered her independence. Sepia is naturally very feminine, but her femininity is of a special kind, being intuitive, and sensitive to life and the body. She represents one pole of Womanhood, whereas Pulsatilla represents the other, more nurturing, passive pole. It is when Sepia is pressured by her upbringing and her society to deny her own form of femininity that she becomes aggressive, and ultimately may come to hate men." [Bailey]
• An outstanding Sepia symptom is the flushing or blushing, conspicuous at puberty or menopause. Groddeck observed that 'Changing colour, blushing or growing pale is associated with a feeling of shame and a desire to hide. More primitive people than ourselves may have realised that in blushing a woman disguises her weakness by the show of strength, for a man who reddens in anger is terrifying to the timid, so the It of the timid woman imitates him and behaves as though it were the dangerous male.'"2
M < CONSOLATION. M > OCCUPATION; when busy.
M Independence - dependence.
• Healthy Sepia women stand their ground with men in our society, but they do not usually try to compete with men like Natrum and Ignatia women, since they honour their feminine wisdom, and prefer to explore it quietly. They may fear the brutality of men, but they seldom allow their fear to coerce them into conforming to men's expectations." [Bailey]
• "Sepia seeks to emancipate herself from the burden of love by moving into a world comparatively devoid of personal emotions, into a profession. ... This intellectually and emotionally fulfilled woman is usually between 25 and 55, with a strong will and penetrating mind, whose life-style exhibits a striving for self-realization. The remedy is frequently encountered in feminist champions of women's rights. Whatever her field of professional endeavour, she is efficient, well-organized, and intelligent. Her clear intellect thus contrasts with the better-known symptoms: 'mind is dulled, thinking is a great exertion, thoughts flow slowly, words come slowly,' etc." [Coulter]
• "There is a feeling of dependence in Sepia. ... She feels forced to accept situations against her will, because of her feeling of not being good enough. This makes her miserable and she feels unfortunate. There is one side of her that says: 'Do what you want to do, be independent, occupy yourself.' ... But if she is too independent she will lose her support and will not be able to keep her husband and children happy. The dependence may be emotional and/or financial [fear of poverty]. ... A successful Sepia is one who is independent right from the beginning. But in various life situations she will be dominated or forced to do things she does not want to do. So there is divorce or separation, or the patients remain spinsters. Many of them join the Women's Lib." [Sankaran]
M Fault-finding, fretful, sarcastic, spiteful, striking.
< Before menses. • "It has been called the washerwomen's remedy and it has many queer symptoms associated with it - one of the strangest being a kind of tendency to blame all their physical troubles on their nearest and dearest - which they begin to dislike, if not actually hate."3 M Flight. • "The Sepia patient is often so apathetic and at the same time inimical to her environment that it is difficult to make contact with her, and she answers brusquely the questions which are put to her. Why is that so? The world has become too strong, too overpowering for the Sepia patient. She has been overcome by the world, and finds herself defeated. The light is too bright, the sound too loud, the children are too noisy, the husband is too rough; everything is stronger than she, and constantly attacks and overcomes her. The world has become nothing but an attack; and now she needs Sepia as the cuttlefish and kraken [octopod] need it when they want to protect themselves from the importunity of their enemies. They darken the waters because then the enemy can no longer see their figures; then they are as safe as their brothers, the snails, who can hide in their houses, and like the mussels which breathe safely within the protection of their shell. Sepia discloses in its mental symptoms the 'mollusc quality' which is inherent in this remedy. It strengthens the mind's defensive tendencies, hardens the power of resistance against an environment which is growing too overwhelming, and helps to restore the balance between man and his surrounding world. When the water darkened by the sepia ink gradually begins to clear up again, the enemies have disappeared; courage has been restored, and a new attempt can be made to exist. Cinderella, sitting alone and in despair among the ashes in the kitchen, faced with the impossible task of separating the grain from the chaff, is suddenly surrounded by a flock of doves who protect her and help to finish the task. This is what Sepia does, if it is used in the proper way."4 G PHYSICAL STASIS. [circulatory disturbances; constipation; bearing-down sensations; emptiness in stomach; great lack of energy] G Ailments related to HORMONAL changes. [menses, pregnancy, menopause, puberty, postnatal, the pill] Tendency to scanty menses or amenorrhoea. Menses and great exhaustion [< mornings]. G Never well since the PILL. G Very CHILLY. < Cold in general. < HEAD becoming COLD. G HUNGRY. • "Constant hunger, chiefly for sweet things and meat." "Hungry feeling in stomach as soon as 2 hours after a meal." "Very hungry, but after a little food was satisfied, and stomach felt full." [Hughes] G Craves ACIDS, pickles, and vinegar. G Aversion to FAT. G > EVENING.
G > EATING and COLD DRINKS.
G > PHYSICAL exertion.
> Violent exertion; running; walking fast.
> Dancing.
• "May even indulge in solo dancing in the privacy of her own apartment." [Gibson]
G < BEFORE, DURING and AFTER menses. G Periodicity: 28 days [menstrual cycle]. G MILKY discharges. [nasal catarrh, vomit, urine, leucorrhoea] G Easy fainting [esp. in warm rooms and when kneeling]. [1] Rosenthal, The Kingdom Approach in Homoeopathy; The Homoeopath No. 69, Spring 1998. [2] Twentyman, Sepia in the male, or the male in Sepia; BHJ, Oct. 1974. [3] Gordon Ross, Three Queer Fish; Homoeopathy, August 1967. [4] Karl König, Sepia; BHJ, April 1960. Rubrics Mind Anger, < colour red [1/1]. Aversion to members of family [3], to husband [3]. Colours, aversion to dark blue [1/1], desire for light brown [1], aversion to pink [1/1], desire for pink [2], aversion to red [2]. Aversion to company, avoids the sight of people and lies with closed eyes [1/1]. Consolation < [3]. Dancing > mental symptoms [3]. Delusions, someone calls him [2], he were chased and had to run backward [1/1], he is poor [2], family will starve [2], he is suspended in the air [1/1]. Mental symptoms > when eating [1]. Indifference, to opposite sex [3]. Occupation > [3]. Sadness, > thunderstorm [1/1]. Weeping, cannot weep though sad [2], < consolation [3], when telling of her sickness [3]. Vertigo When looking at a large plain [1/1]. Head Coldness, vertex, during menses [2]. Itching of scalp after headache [1/1]. Pain, with desire for coition [1/1], < thinking of pain [1*]. Eye Pain, burning, > flow of tears [1*].
Vision
Blurred, before headache [2]. Colours, black spots moving in all directions [2]; striped [2]. Dim, after coition [3], before headache [2], during menses [2]. Fiery zigzags [2]. Flickering when looking at light [2]. Objects seem to be moving backward [1], slowly backward [1/1].
Face
Pain, < thinking of pain [1*]. Stomach Emptiness, when thinking of food [3/1]. Nausea, at thought of coition [1/1]. Sensation of a stone after eating bread [1/1]. Rectum Diarrhoea, after milk [3], from sea bathing [1/1]. Chest Sensation of fulness in left axilla [1*], then in right axilla [1*]. Dreams Threats of rape [1]. Of urinating [2]. Generals Air, at seaside < [2]. Contradictory and alternating states [2]. * Repertory additions [Hughes] Food Aversion: [3]: Meat. [2]: Bread; fat; food, smell of; milk; salt. [1]: Beer; onions; oysters; potatoes; smoking. Desire: [2]: Alcohol; brandy; chocolate; cold drinks; pickles; sour; sweets; vinegar; wine. [1]: Beer; bitter drinks; bitter food; cheese; meat; nuts; pungent; spicy; tea. Worse: [3]: Tea; milk; pork. [2]: Bread; bread and butter; buckwheat; butter; cheese, old; cold food; fat; fish; fruit; hot food; potatoes; rich food; smell of food; sour; veal; vinegar. [1]: Apples; beans and peas; cabbage; cheese; cheese, smell of; coffee; flatulent food; onions; pepper; sauerkraut; sour wine; strawberries; tobacco; warm food. Better: [3]: Cold drinks. [2]: Tobacco. [1]: Hot food.
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