HOMEOPATIA . ACHERONTIA ATROPOS. The Death’s Head Hawkmoth. This moth
is easily recognisable from its skull markings visible both on the
caterpillar and moth. Case history.
In
September 2007 a 4 year old boy is brought to see me with atopic
problems and a hymenopterous allergy – especially to bee stings.
(THEME: BEES). In fact he has just come out of hospital following a bee
sting next to a swimming pool, which resulted in Quincke’s oedema and
suffocation (THEME: SUFFOCATION).
The allergy specialist in charge
of his case has taken him through a desensibilisation regime, and on
top of the bee allergy he has discovered allergies to nuts (eg almonds,
hazelnuts), and to dust mites.
He has also suffered many attacks of
bronchitis in his early infancy, and reacted badly to the numerous
vaccinations he was given then. After each one he developed a fever,
and contracted a virus.
His family life is, to say the least,
unstable. His father is no longer around, and his mother has had 3
live-in boyfriends since his departure, so he’s never had a constant
father-figure.
His real father is now living with another woman, by whom he has 3 more children. The little boy visits them every fortnight.
He
loves playing, he finds concentration difficult, and he enjoys stories
about pirates and their emblem: the skull and crossbones. He regularly
dresses up as a pirate, and keeps his sword by his bed… (THEME: PIRATE)
His alimentary preferences are strongly for honey, and sweet things.
This
young boy fits the butterfly profile because of his multiple
father-loss, which must give him a breakdown of security. His enjoyment
of dressing up is also typically butterfly.
This led to me
prescribing ACHERONTIA ATROPOS at 1M, because of his pirate fixation, a
well as the beesting allergy – since this butterfly has a strong
affiliation, in its natural life, with
bees.
Reaction
The
little boy calmed down and became more at ease. All the same, a period
of desensibilisation was agreed, against hymenopterous venoms. A month
later all allergic reaction seems to have disappeared, as has the
bronchitis.
Comments
The link of this butterfly with bees is key.
And with the young patient there is a pathological link with the
Death’s Head Hawkmoth. Put this together with the bees, the desire to
dress up as a pirate, and the cutaneous allegic reaction, and the
connection was obvious.
The characteristics of the Acherontia atropos
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Genus: Acherontia
Species: Acherontia atropos
As
with all Sphingidae, the Death’s Head Hawkmoth has a massive fusiform
body, with feathery antennae and wings which, when unfolded flat, form
a ‛‛roof” to the abdomen at a characteristic angle. The caterpillars
possess a horn (scolus) at the end of their abdomen, on the eighth
segment. The front of their body has the vaguely Sphynx-like marking
which gives the Sphingidae their name. They have miniscule, virtually
invisible bristles.
The adult moth bears the famous skull-shaped
marking on the dorsal part of its thorax, and its body is covered in
thick black and yellow hairs, like a large hornet. The skull-shaped
marking has given it a reputation for bringing bad luck, and is
responsible for its evil symbolism in films like Silence of the Lambs
and An Andalusian Dog.
The European species is the heaviest (1.5 g
for a female that has a 60 mm wingspan), and, the second largest moth,
after the Large Night Peacock. Its body measures about 6 cms in length,
for an average wingspan of 13 cms. The larvae also becomes very large –
up to 15 cm – by devouring various foodstuffs between July and October,
notably potato leaves. Evidence of its infiltration into a potato patch
can be seen by the droppings it leaves behind, of some considerable
size. Like many of the sphingidae family, the larva burrows down into
the earth for its chrysalis stage. The shiny chrysalis is a dark brown,
slightly reddy colour.
Migration patterns
The species can be
found in the Mediterranean basin, Africa – as far flung as the island
of La Réunion – and in part of Asia. The European variety winters in
the south, and migrates in summer up as far as the borders of
Scandinavia. They have become rare in urban or intensively farmed
environments.
The adults emerge from September to October, ready to start their flights south.
Reproduction
After
their early summer migration northwards, the females lay their eggs on
the underside of about 50 different plant species, but they
particularly favour the potato plant, which their caterpillars, once
born, will start to devour with great ferocity. After 20 days of
growth, during which they shed their skins four times, the larva
burrows into the earth, transforming into a chrysalis in an underground
chamber, reemerging as an adult in a period varying between 20 days and
two months.
Bees and honey
This large moth adores honey. It finds
hives or nests and penetrates them through the entry hole. Insensitive
to venom and protected by its bristly coat and wing scales, it is able
to shrug off attacking bees by rapidly fluttering its wings on its way
to the comb. Once there, its short, solid horn easily pierces the full
cells. However, occasionally, gorged on honey, it finds itself unable
to get out through the narrow entrance, whereupon it it suffocated by a
band of irate bees. In such cases the body is then covered in propolis
in order to evict the decomposing intruder.
Actually, stories of
hives being destroyed by Death’s Head Hawkmoths are fairly anecdotal in
Europe, since they have become very rare: victims of insecticides and
light pollution from urban lighting, which plays havoc with their
natural night navigation systems. This even seems, for reasons as yet
unknown, to upset their reproductive cycles (possibly having a
significant impact on their hormones…) On the African continent
however, where they do not face such threats, they still represent a
real apicultural enemy.
It is the only moth in the world which is
capable, when it is attacked, of producing an aggressive squealing
sound (up to 280 hertz), emitted by expelling a strong gust of air
across a small vibrating blade situated at the opening of the pharynx
of the adult and caterpillar.
The key paediatric symptoms of ACHERONTIA ATROPOS
1. Feeling abandoned
As with all butterflies.
2. Link with honey and bees
These children can have allergies to bee stings. They can also be mad about honey.
3. Cutaneous symptoms
Often urticaria or eczema. Also Quincke’s oedema.
4. Good remedy for mercurial, restless children, link with pirates
These
indications are found in butterfly children who suffer from attention
deficit disorder. They also love pirate stories and dressing up.
5. Suffocation
All the provers have shown signs of suffocation. (As we know, this moth can die by being suffocated in a bee hive…)
In
conclusion: knowing about butterflies in general, and ACHERONTIA
ATROPOS characteristics in particular, can lead to its prescription in
very precise cases.
It is interesting to note the common points between this moth’s life cycle and the two existing provings.
Author: Patricia Le Roux, MD.
Extracted from the book ‘Butterflies’ published by Narayana Edition.
Source: http://narayana-publishers.eu/imgs_shop/excerpts/05048.pdf
Publicado por Isidre Lara i Llobet.
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