Graphites- evolution of the mental picture

Dr Vaishnavi AS

Carbon is one of the first elements to be discovered. It is a non-metallic element belonging to group 14 of the periodic table, along with silicium, germanium, stannum, and plumbum. It is one of the softest minerals and is opaque and black. It is the sixth most abundant element in the universe, has been known since ancient times. It is most commonly obtained from coal deposits, although it must be processed into a form suitable for commercial use. There are nearly ten million known carbon compounds out of which many thousands are vital to organic and life processes. Some of the most common carbon compounds are: carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), chloroform (CHCl3), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), methane (CH4), ethylene (C2H4), acetylene (C2H2), benzene (C6H6), ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) and acetic acid (CH3COOH).

Graphite is a crystalline form of carbon and is found as a naturally occurring mineral in many locations worldwide. It is one among the three naturally occuring allotropes of carbon along with amorphous form and diamond.

In general, the mental picture of the carbon group is that they are very timid, anxious and get offended easily. They feel very insecure which makes them materialistic and money minded, they usually do not spend money. They tend to be dull, sluggish and slow, have issues with concentration and comprehension and they have difficutly in grasping. They also have a confusion and weakness of memory. Sluggishness is also seen in the physical level which makes them prone for various diseases relating to the skin such as coldness, abcess, ulcerations, gangrene.

As described by Scholten, the element carbon can be compared to the “ descent of the foetus and the engagement process” from which there is no going back. It describes the moment of decision of the foetus to either have an independent existence or fear the existance which makes them doubt their own capabilities. Due to this, there is a vicious circle of being non reactive, hyperactive and reactive leading to complete exhaustion. This conflict with separation becomes one of the important feature that decides the pathology of graphites.

CHILDHOOD:
A graphites child usually develops in a situation where the father is usually away from home either due to work or when the father is no more. This child is not aware of what exactly they are or what their personality is. This leads to lot of uncertainities in life and brings their esteem down.

In such a situation, the child is being pampered by the mother who is the only parent, by overfeeding which gives them a certain amount of comfort. So these children are usually impudent, they laugh at reprimands, ignore the admonitions, prowl around, man handle doors, tease others, overall they can be such a nuisance.

Mind- insolence, children in
The overfeeding also leads to the obesity, which they can accept if they recieve encouragement or this could also make them become very nervous and shy. This hinders them from forming relationships including romantic ones. They can also be mannish.

Generals- obsesity

Mind- mannish women
Graphites picture can also arise due to the early separation of the child from the mother when they are taken to the NICU, where they do not get the warmth of the mother. This also can make them very shy, withdrawn and cautious.

Mind, ailments from, neglected, being mother, by ones

ADULTHOOD:
Into the adulthood,they can be down to earth and straight forward, uncomplicated without being stupid. They are usually family people, very caring and giving, very innnocent. For them, family is everything as they are dependent on them for advice, support and stability. They can be loving parents who even though being artistic, they always choose family over job and do not make a career out of it. They take life as it comes as they don’t have anything to prove.They can work in order to find social acceptance and also because they have a firm material base. They are also fastidious and become fidgety and restless during work if things are not in place.

• Mind- simple persons
• Mind- unrefined
• Mind- restlessness- sitting while, work while at

The less confident graphites personality tend to be very dependent and also have a constant fear of losing their loved one.

• Mind, ailments from, discords friends, between one’s
• Mind, ailments from, discords parents, between one’s

They are irresolute due to their timid nature, anxiety. They are unable to make the simplest of decisions of even buying a dress. They have difficulty in concentration and understanding due to which they can repeat verbatim a lecture they just heard but they will not be able to explain it in their own words. The memory can still be intact until later stages. They are unable to plan and analyse. There may be several problems in life, but when asked, they can only narrate about the silliest problem forgetting the bigger problems.

• Mind- timidity
• Mind- abstraction of mind
• Mind- concentration- difficult
• Mind- trifles- important, seem

This makes them highly anticipatory which makes them feel uneasy and fretful. They have a feeling of impending misfortune,as if something bad will happen, thinks himself to be unlucky. These fears and anxieties tend to be transient.

• Mind- anxiety- waking on
• Mind- anxeity- future about
• Mind- unfortunate feels
• Mind- frightened easily

One of the striking features is the easy excitablity, which is usually compared to a tuning fork which vibrates from the slightest jerk and rests only when this vibration is transmitted to something else. They are easily disturbed and emotionoally very vulnerable and they start weeping for no reason, or when they listen to music, watch movies. They feel much better by weeping and after they narrate in detail the occurences to the ones they are close to. They cannot keep anything to themselves be it doubts, fears, love, hate. They can have despair from trifles. They are easily angered but forgive easily if the other person is willing to meet half way as they do not like disharmony. So, even in anger, they cry rather than shout. They have changeable moods.

• Mind- despair- trifles from
• Mind- weeping, anxiety after
• Mind- weeping, music from
• Mind- weeping, causeless
• Mind- fear- weeping, amel

This highly excitable state can progress into a blandness as the pathology progresses. They reach a stage where nothing bothers them any longer and no impressions from the outside can penetrate inside. There is no deep mental pathology and they usually live upto the oldage with just blandness. At this stage, there is a difficulty in establishing real contact with the patient as they tend to answer superficially. There is loss of memory for recent events as well.

• Mind- memory- weakness of memory
• Mind- prostration of mind

ACCORDING TO GERMAN NEW MEDICINE:

The epidermis covers the underlying corium skin or the dermis. The epidermis is predominantly responsible for sensory perception such as temperature, pressure, and touch. Most cells in the epidermis are keratinocytes that originate in the deepest layer of the epidermis, called the stratum basale. Keratin is also the main structural component of hair and nails.

The biological conflict linked to the epidermis is a separation conflict experienced as a loss of physical contact. Some of the examples where it can be seen practically:

• Newborns suffer the conflict when they are separated from the mother at birth (put in an incubator, given up for adoption).
• A separation conflict can already occur intrauterine, for example, because of ultrasound procedures. The ultrasound noise drowns out the heartbeat of the mother, which can be highly traumatic for the fetus; each ultrasound test triggers a conflict relapse for the unborn. For an infant the mother is the most important attachment figure; the mother protects her child and can prevent conflicts from happening.
• Children also experience separation conflicts when they are scolded, punished or abused.
• When a new sibling is born and to whom gets more attention is given
• When the parents split up,
• When they are not allowed to see their friends,
• When they have to separate from a favorite doll, teddy bear, stuffed animal or pet they like to cuddle
• When the mother goes back to work, when they are put into daycare, kindergarten or to relatives, or when they are left with a sitter or nanny.
• Similarly, the elderly feel separated from the “pack” when they have to move into a nursing home or after the death of a life-long spouse or companion. The fear of losing touch or contact with someone (the threat of a divorce, a difficult long-distance or weekened relationship, the fear that a loved one might leave, move away, or die) or feeling rejected by a person, because of a disagreement can evoke the conflict.
• Pets suffer separation conflicts, for example, when their master leaves or dies or when they are put in a kennel.

CONFLICT ACTIVE PHASE:

During the conflict-active phase the epidermis ulcerates at the area(s) associated with the separation. The ulcerations are microscopic and usually go unnoticed. With continuing conflict activity, however, the skin becomes dry, rough, flaky, pale, and cold from poor blood circulation. Eventually, the skin begins to crack causing fissures that may bleed. If an intense conflict persists for a long period of time, the skin opens at the ulcerated area.

CLINICAL CONDITIONS:

• Ichthyosis, a skin condition characterized by fine scaling similar to fish-scales, is also an indication of long and intense conflict activity.
• On the scalp, the flaky skin shows as dandruff.
• Deep ulceration of the epidermal skin causes hair loss (alopecia).
• Babies develop dermatitisaround the mouth and on the cheeks when the mother stops breastfeeding too abruptly. The separation conflict is brought on by the loss of contact with the mother’s breast.
• Erysipelasis a skin condition characterized by a painful rash with a sharply demarcated border. The affected skin looks very similar to cellulitis linked to a self-devaluation conflict.
• Keloidsare an overgrowth of scar tissue at the site of a wound, for example, after burns which form as a consequence of long-lasting healing phases due to continuous conflict relapses, particularly during the scarification phase. The recurring repair leads to the thick, raised appearance characteristic of keloidal scars.
• Blepharitis of the eye, indicating the healing of a visual separation conflict associated with a partner or to his/her mother or child.
• The biological conflictlinked to the fat tissue is a light self-devaluation conflict or loss of self-worth- obesity

LOCATION– An unwanted separation (not being able or allowed to embrace or hold a beloved person or a pet) typically presents as a skin rash on the inside of the arms, hands, fingers, or legs.

MIASM- Miasmatically, graphites belongs to the psoro-sycotic miasm.

OTHER CLINICAL CONDITIONS: 

•  Amenorrhoea.
• Breasts, indurated; cancer of.
• Cancer.
• Chlorosis.
• Constipation.
• Dysmenorrhoea.
•  Fissures.
•  Glandular swellings.
•  Influenza.
•  Leucorrhoea.
•  Menstruation, disorders of.
• Ovarian tumours.
•  Paralysis.
•  Uterus, cancer of.
•  Vaccination, effects of.

REFERENCES:

• Vermeulen F. Prisma Materia Medica
• Vithoulkas G. The Essesnce of Materia Medica
• Scholten J. Homoeopathy and Minerals
• Sankaran R. The soul of Remedies
• Bailey Philip M. Homoeopathic Psychology
• Structure- Experience with the Mineral Kingdom by Sankaran
• Clarke J.H. Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica
• https://learninggnm.com/SBS/documents/skin.html#Epidermis_Top
• https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Carbon#section=Information-Sources
• RADAR software

Dr.Vaishnavi A.S
MD part 2
Department of Materia Medica
Government homoeopathic medical college and hospital, Bengaluru