In this vast ocean of homeopathy there are large number of polychrest as well as rare remedies, which come to our rescue while treating the patient. Usually we use polychrest remedies due to their vast sphere of action on the body. But still we can’t ignore the rare and short acting remedies. Here I am presenting one such case of 50year old man treated by Aurum Sulph.

PRESENTING COMPLAINT:
 LOW GRADE FEVER since 1 month occurring only at night. Since 2-3 days, fever is also during daytime. During low-grade fever, he feels hot and sweaty.
 WEAKNESS along with fever that is felt more at night. Weakness is not felt during daytime due to work. He had taken allopathic medicines but feels as if there is no energy in body.
 He had visited an Allopath, according to whom there is infection in his body.
 SWELLING OVER LOWER EYELIDS and TREMBLING OF HANDS especially when he drinks alcohol.
 HAIR FALLING from central and frontal part of head since 2yrs.

LIFE SITUATION:
As a child, he was very active and playful. His childhood went happily getting lots of love from his parents and his 2 younger sisters. He got married at the age of 25. All the troubles started after his father’s death, who died at the age of 46. His father’s whole business collapsed. This was the most difficult part of his life. He had to handle this situation all alone. Even he had to support his family. There was a great monetary crisis. He had to develop the business as well as he had responsibility of his 2 sister’s marriage.

Patient was very much CONFUSED at that time. He started remaining ALONE. He would not tell ABOUT HIS PROBLEMS to anyone, or to his wife or mother. He would try to FIND OUT THE SOLUTION ON HIS OWN. This is the phase when he turned towards DRINKING ALCOHOL. He started drinking alcohol regularly. He used to drink in front of his wife and mother. His father was also a drunkard. During this period, one of his younger sisters opted for love marriage due to which his family was socially cut off from the society. At this time his business was also very low.

As a person he is very INTROVERT. He would NEVER EXPRESS HIS FEELINGS. He always wished that the other person who had hurt him should understand his mistake on his own. He gets angry on least trifles. When in problem, he sits quietly or goes to sleep.

In spite of all this, the atmosphere of house was such that no one would speak loudly or fight with each other. In case of any tension also no one would get irritated or fight. In this situation also he had great hopes of doing something. Initially friends didn’t co-operate him. But then he didn’t step back and manage alone to build up his business. Now after so many years of his struggle, he is able to develop his business of iron works.

PERSONAL HISTORY:
 Appetite : Normal
 Thirst : 5-6 glasses of water per day
 Cravings : Sweets, Alcohol
 Aversion : No specific aversion
 Urine : Past history of renal stone in left kidney 5 years back but now no complain
 Bowel : Regular
 Sleep : Disturbed due to tension.
 Addiction : Tobacco chewing – 4-5/day. Drinking alcohol since 20yrs.
 Thermal state : Hot patient
 Fan : Likes
 Bath : Cold water

PAST HISTORY:
Past history of Renal Stone 5 years back. But now he has no complains.

FAMILY HISTORY:
Father – had the history of Ascites.

After listening the entire case history of the patient, there were some loopholes, which have been left by the patient. So certain questions were asked to him and his wife.

(Q) How does the habit of drinking alcohol initially started?
(A) “ Initially in college days, I was fond of drinking alcohol with friends. My father and grandfather were drunkards. But after my father’s death I made it my support. I felt a little relax after drinking alcohol when I had some problem. So this is how I indulged in drinking alcohol.”

(Q) How is your anger?
(A) “I get angry on least trifles. But I will never express my anger to anyone. Sometimes I feel like slapping or scolding the person who hurt me. Even I don’t get proper sleep. But I can’t tell anything to that person. My anger calms down on its own after 1-2 days.”

(Q) Suppose if you don’t drink then how do u feel?
(A) “I feel very uneasy if I don’t get to drink. I start feeling very uncomfortable.”

(Q) How is your wife’s nature?
(A) “She is very co-operative to me. She belongs to a very rich family but then also she has never complained about anything”

Now patient was asked to sit in the waiting room and certain questions were asked to his wife:

(Q) How is your husband’s nature?
(A) “Initially he was very short tempered. But after death of my father-in-law, he has changed a lot. His younger sister cancelled her marriage. Even he beat his sister. Then afterwards she did love marriage. Only my husband and me had attended that marriage.”

(Q) What about drinking habit of your husband?
(A) “He had habit since college, but he increased it after death of my father-in-
law. He had left it in between but he had again started it.”

(Q) Does he misbehave after drinking?
(A) “No, he doesn’t say anything after being drunk. He just goes to sleep”

ANALYSIS OF THE CASE:
Here the patient is suffering from a silent grief due to death of his father. Patient is very introvert and there is indisposition to talk to anyone. This is a psychosomatic case. Also there is syphilitic miasm in background.

TREATMENT: (09/13/04)
Aurum Sulph 30 – 3 doses are given, followed by placebo three times a day and proper counseling about leaving the habit of drinking alcohol was done.

FOLLOW UP:
(09/21/04): There was no low-grade fever any more. But patient still complains about weakness. He was given Aurum Sulph 30 – 4 doses followed by placebo three times a day.

(10/01/04): Patient was feeling very much better and now he had no complains.

So this is the case of a rare remedy Aurum Sulph. This is my effort to put forward the importance of rare remedy in our practice. I hope this case will widen