Baptisia is suitable for acute diseases. It is principally a short-acting medicine, suitable for complaints that are not long lasting. So far as we know it is not an antipsoric, does not go deep into the life. All of its acute diseases and complaints have the appearance of zymosis, like scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid, and gangrenous complaints. There is one thing that is unusual about it, it brings on this septic state more rapidly than most other remedies. The zymotic complaints of Ars., Phos., Rhus, and Bry., are much slower in their pace. But Baptisia is suitable for typhoids that, come on rapidly, and hence it is not so often suitable in idiopathic typhoids. When an individual comes down suddenly from cold, from malaria, from drinking poisonous waters, and from any zymotic or septic cause he is hurled into bed in a few days, instead of going through a period of four, five or six weeks. The old idiopathic typhoid fevers come on slower. Baptisia is suitable for those blood poisons that are highly septic, such as the puerperal state, such as scarlet fever. He comes down perhaps with the appearance of a sudden violent break down, with a remittent fever. But all at once it turns continued, and takes on septic symptoms. So much for its progress and its pace. Every medicine must be observed as to its velocity, as to its pace, as to its periodicity, as to its motion, and its wave. We get that by looking at the symptoms. You take an individual who has been down in a mine, in the swamp, down in the mud, in the sewers, who has inhaled foul gases, who goes into bed with a sort of stupor, from the very beginning he feels stupid. It is not gradual, but he goes down very suddenly, and he is stupid. He is prostrated. His face is mottled. Sordes begin to appear on the teeth much earlier than in the regular typhoid. The abdomen becomes distended much earlier than in a regular typhoid; that is, one who is accustomed to observing those things knows they are postponed for a number of days; while with this remedy the third day the abdomen is distended his mouth is bleeding, and is putrid. His odors are horrible; and he is in a marked state of delirium, such as would not be expected until the typhoid is out for many days. So it has rapid running diseases. It has velocity. That is, he is going down toward death rapidly. He has fever, and if you look at him, and talk to him, and turner, and rouse him up, and make him realize that you want to say something to him---which is difficult---he gives you the impression that he has been on a big drunk. That is the first thought you will have in a Baptisia case. His countenance is besotted. It is bloated and purple and mottled. Blood oozes from the mouth. You have seen the besotted countenance of drunkards, and it is like an old drunkard.
His mind seems to be gone. He does not know what he is talking about. He is in confusion, and when aroused he attempts to say something, and utters a word or two and it all flits away, and he is back in his state of stupor again. No matter what disease that comes in no matter what inflammation is present, no matter what organ is inflamed, if that state of the blood that can give rise to such symptoms and such sepsis is present, if that state of the mind is present, it is Baptisia.
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