Page 15 - Summer 12

Medusa
a homeopathic remedy made from the Common or Moon Jellyfish By Cheryl Sears, UK
Spark talk given at the BAHVS Congress 2012.
In the David Lilley tradition let us look at the Medusa in the context of Greek Mythology.
Medusa was a Gorgon. She was one of three sisters, her siblings being Stheno and Euryale. Medusa was the only mortal daughter of the ancient marine deities Phorcys (or Phorkys) and his sister Ceto (or Keto), chthonic monsters from an archaic world.
According to the Roman poet Ovid, Medusa was originally a ravishingly beautiful maiden and a priestess in Athena’s temple. Medusa was caught being raped by Poseidon (Lord of the Sea) by the temple and this enraged Athena who transformed Medusa’s beautiful hair into serpents and made her face so ugly that the mere sight of her would turn onlookers into stone.
Another version says that Medusa lived in the far north where the sun did not rise. She was desperate to see the sun and asked Athena’s permission to travel south. Permission was refused. Medusa accused Athena of refus- ing because she was a greater beauty than her. In a jealous rage Athena turned Medusa’s hair to snakes.
Medusa’s death was at the hands of Perseus who had in his possession a mirrored shield from Athena, gold winged sandals from Hermes, a sword from Hephaestus and Hades’ helm of invisibility. As Medusa was mortal her
reflection showed in the mirrored shield and Perseus was able to behead her.
At this time Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon and when Perseus beheaded her Pegasus, a winged horse and Chrysaor a gold- en sword wielding giant, sprang from her body. As Perseus flew over Northwest Africa with Medusa’s head he laid it down on the sea shore. Here droplets of blood spilled onto sea- weed and it is said gave rise to the corals of the Red Sea.
Medusa or Aurelia Aurita – The Common or Moon Jellyfish
Kingdom: Animal Phylum: Cnidarian Class: Scyphozoa.
The Common Jellyfish are bell shaped trans- parent jellyfish with short tentacles that are ringed with stinging cells that are used to paral- yse and kill their prey.
The stinging powers seem to vary accord- ing to the geographical location of the jellyfish. Moon jellyfish span the globe and are the most widely spread specie of jellyfish, adapting and surviving in a great range of temperatures.
The body is a double layered sac of tissue composed of 95% water covered with a protec- tive layer of secreted mucus. Mouth and Anus are one. Breathing is by diffusion of oxygen from the water through the thin body tissue.
There is no specialised circulatory, respiratory or excretory system.
Movement is in a horizontal plane near the surface of the water and is by pulsing the bell. Impulses to contract are sent via a nerve net- work. Moon jellyfish pulse through the water carried by the ebb and flow, taking advantage of natural currents in order to feed effectively.
These jellyfish have special centres for sensing light (ocelli), gravity (statoliths) and touch that allow it to control the pulsations of the bell.
Predator attack or stress may cause the jel- lyfish to lose their tentacles, but they have the ability to grow replacements.
Feeding is passive, live food collects on the surface of the jellyfish in the mucus layer and is stunned by poison before pulsating hairs trans- fer the food to the mouth. Food is plankton fish eggs and other forms of microscopic life.
Reproduction is by both sexual and asexual methods.
Medusa The Homeopathic Remedy
The homeopathic remedy is made from a tinc- ture of the living animal taken in the summer (Murphy).
Experimental studies include a woman with stomach disease and leucorrhoea who drank two cupfuls of a warm decoction which rapidly produced oedema, anxiety and speech difficul- ty. The ability to urinate returned after being
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