The Chronic Miasm Sycosis

- BENERJEE.P,

Sycosis

Of all the miasms Psora is the most widespread, but Sycosis is the most insidious and dangerous. Psora is the most widespread, because, it is the original miasm, and as such, everybody has it, and without it, there could have been no other miasms and no diseases at all. It therefore follows, if there is Sycosis there must be Psora. We have already discussed the characteristic indications of the existence of Psora, and let us now study those of the existence of Sycosis.
 First of all, we must take up the manifestations in the mind. Here it expresses itself in various forms, and the first and foremost of them is a peculiar tendency for making a secret of everything. Sycosis is ever anxious lest his secrets are out, lest he is found out, as it were. Again, just as he is himself anxious to keep his mind from others, he thinks that others are also of the same mentality and are trying to keep things from him. Thus, he is necessarily suspicious. He suspects that others are not plain enough towards him. If he is ill, he would go to several doctors one after another and yet he would not be satisfied. If he places himself under one doctor, he would change him in a few days and go to another. If he makes a statement of his symptoms, he would have it corrected repeatedly, as he thinks that the correct idea has not been expressed. If he writes something he would read it over and again and make changes every time. He always suspects that the idea has not been correctly laid out.

 In the second place, Sycosis has a tendency for brooding over things. If he is ill, he is ever thinking of it. If he has done anything, he is ever thinking of it. He cannot shake off the tenacious thought from his mind.
 Sycosis is again, the most mischievous of all the miasms. He is ever bent upon mischiefs and misdeeds. The Sycotic mind is so grossly debased. Sycosis makes the victim devoid of all sense of righteousness. It makes him a liar and a vicious scoundrel; makes him destitute of all love and affection for others; makes him mean and selfish. All the vicious individuals on earth-thieves, robbers and murderers are the products of Sycosis. It makes a beast of a man.
 The memory also does not escape the brunt of this miasm. It makes the memory, weaker and weaker, particularly in respect of names and dates. From the above it will be seen that out of the three functions of the mind-affection, intelligence and memory, the effect of Sycosis is more prominent on affection and memory. To sum up, the mentality of Sycosis is-suspicious, mischievous, mean, selfish and forgetful.

 In the sphere of the physical body too, there are specific manifestations of Sycosis, and the most important of these, is condylomatous growths of various sizes and colours. Some of them are often like cauliflowers. Some of them exude an offensive discharge, and are dry at times. Besides these growths, all kinds of tumours and tumourous growths also are Sycotic, and in fact any unusual fleshy growth in any part of the body is Sycotic. Piles is also a Sycotic manifestation.
 If you can remember the mental and physical indications of Sycosis, it will not be much difficult for you to diagnose its predominance in any case. But I will yet give you some more specific indications in the specific parts of the body. The temper of Sycosis, is extremely irritable, and this irritability of temper again, is worse on the approach of, or during a storm or rain. There is another very important symptom which is also most noticeable at that time, and it is the tendency for frequent urination. As soon as a storm or rain is approaching or has set in, the Sycotic feels repeated calls for urination. The increase of mental irritablity and the increase of urinary calls on the approach of rain and storm is a variation in keeping with the atmospheric temperature, and it has actually led some of our leading Homœopaths to give to the Sycotic, the title of a "Living Barometer." Besides these variations in mentality and urinary call, there is another important symptom noticeable, and it is a desire to move about during rain and storm,-as if he cannot keep still. The above three symptoms are so very prominent in the Sycotic that you would hardly fail to detect them in your case. If, therefore, there are these symptoms in your case, you may at once set it down that the patient is Sycotic.

 While writing or speaking, the Sycotic is unable to collect his thoughts, or he is unable to decide which would be the most appropriate word, and hence the slowness in speaking and writing. In the Psoric, the case is however quite the reverse. Because when he (Psora) speaks or writes, he does it very quickly; there is such a flow of thought that he can hardly follow it with his tongue or pen.
 In delirium, Psora talks of a hundred and one things; there is no want of subject or of language, but Sycosis continually harps on the same thing and perhaps in the same language. In the Sycotic there is a poverty of language and thought.
 Besides the above general indications, there are some specific indications of Sycosis, and these can never be there unless there is Sycosis. These indications would also therefore furnish materials for unerring diagnosis. They are-inflamation of the testes; hydrocele; orchites; rheumatism; cold and catarrh in any part of the body e. g., nose, throat, lung, stomach, intestines, uterus etc; anæmia; emaciation in any part of the body; all urinary troubles. Of urinary troubles there are many classes, e. g.-diabetes, hæmaturia etc., etc. All uterine and ovarian troubles of the females are Sycotic. Teething troubles of children, sweating of the head, sour diarrhœa, infantile cholera are also Sycotic in origin.