International Journal of Homoeopathic Sciences

Paederus dermatitis is a rare and peculiar type of irritant contact dermatitis caused by a Rove beetle belonging to the genus Paederus. This insect does not bite or sting, but releases a coelomic fluid when accidentally brushed or crushed on the skin. If not washed immediately, the chemical leads to form blisters on that exposed area. Doctrine of signature is the relation between the external physical characters of the drug substances and the signs and symptoms of the medicines produced during pathogenetic trial on healthy human beings. In Homoeopathy, the Doctrine of signature is one of the sources of Materia medica. Even though Doctrine of Signature is a source, every homoeopath should take the case thoroughly and use repertorization to prescribe the simillimum.

Case Summary: A Male aged 27 years, came with complaints of Blisters on the neck due to crushing the Rove beetle (Nairobi fly) on his neck. After considering Doctrine of Signature along with detailed case taking and repertorization, he was prescribed CANTHARIS 200. The Blisters and the scar marks got completely reduced in a very short span of time. This shows that Homoeopathic management with the help of doctrine of signature and repertorization can treat the rare conditions like paederus dermatitis.