My understanding of Merc-sol
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2003 Jan / Feb VOL V NO 1.
Dr Rashmi Nagar
'Merc

Short Case I
Some years back, an eight year old boy came to me with excessive salivation at night. Mother added that it left yellow stains on the pillow. Rest of the history was not very contributory. There was F/h/o hare lip and cleft palate.
Based on this syphilitic background and the characteristic salivation, a few doses of Merc-sol 200 were given, which completely cured his complaint within one week.

Case II
Another recent case is of a 10 year old boy with chronic recurrent tonsillitis. He was advised surgery as allopathic Rx has not helped him.
Chief Complaint: Recurrent tonsillitis
High Fever - 101 to 102oF
Cough < night with every attack
Appetite-N Thermals-N Bladder/ Bowels-N Sometimes soils undergarments

Past History cold, cough
Family History Mo - Thyroid
Personal History
Sleep-N. Dreams-N
Perspiration-N
FTND, Thermals-extremes of weather
All vaccines given
Mile stones = N
Mind: He is a quiet, obedient child, intelligent with good school grades. He is very helpful to people and affectionate at home. Fears water because of breathlessness due to respiratory affections. His hobbies are cricket and other games.
His file was thick as he had undergone a battery of investigations done under various paediatricians. All investigations were normal.
O/E He had large tonsils with red throat. No fever, sinusitis or chest congestion.
Various routine tonsillitis medicines came to my mind till the mother said ‘Doctor he keeps washing his hands frequently, I don’t know if it is psychological.’
This led me to the prescription of ‘Merc-sol’ as a miasmatic antisyphillitic medicine.
He was given Agraphis-neutans 200 as he used to breathe through the mouth and Merc-sol 200 one dose as miasmatic.
However his complaint of washing hands still remained. On consulting Kent’s repertory, there are only 2 medicines for ‘washing hands frequently’ under generalities - Syphilinum and Phosphorous.
Since the mother later said that he soils his undergarment, probably he feels dirty and washes his hands often. One dose of Phos 200 was given.
4 days later, he did not have dirty garments and he did not wash his hands all the time!
He is still under observation, but the initial result is very encouraging.
Phosphorous is also mentioned under ‘anus wide open’and it is complimentary to Merc.

My understanding of Merc-sol
Whatever the complain, but if we have indications of
a) syphilitic miasm/traits
b) night aggravation
c) extremes of weather <
d) chilly patient
e) mostly present with common c/o salivation, gingivitis, dysentery or tonsillitis, Merc-sol surely helps.