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NEURALGIA
Mrs. G., age 35, a farmer's wife, called to get some medicine
for neuralgia, stating that the whole right side of the head was
involved. The pains would come and go gradually at very
irregular periods, shoot into the ear along the side of the neck
and under the eye, and were always made worse by putting
anything cold in the mouth. To the question if the pain was
relieved by putting anything warm in the mouth, she answered :
"Oh, no ; that makes it a great deal worse." The pains, although
mostly confined to the right side of the face, were moving about
frequently, often after leaving the head appearing in the left
leg or heel ; she was always chilly, easily moved to tears, and
felt decidedly better in the open air. I gave her Pulsatilla 30,
two powders, to dissolve one in four teaspoonfuls of water, and
take one every two hours. The neuralgia was cured with the first
powder and remained so ; she had no need of the second. (F. H.
Lutze.)
SUPPRESSED
MENSTRUATION
Emma G., aged about 30 years. Has been an invalid for years,
under the care of an allopathic gynæcologist, who treated her
for ulceration of the cervix. He had succeeded in healing the
ulcers by local cauterizations, etc., but the canal had become
so narrow that for a year he had been obliged to introduce a
catheter to draw off the menstrual fluid. Finally it became so
closed that the could not introduce the instrument at all. Then
the patient passed another year having great pain and fullness
in the uterine region at every period, which confined her to the
bed for days, but no appearance of the menses. I was called to
the case and prescribed Pulsatilla routinely. Visited her when
she was due the next month. Found her suffering as usual, and no
relief in any way from the remedy.
Then I sat down and wrote out her case in toto.
I found a history decidedly scrofulous or psoric, and among a
quite long list of symptoms the following :
Frequent flashes of heat all over the body followed by sweat and
debility.
Much burning of the feet, has to put them out of bed.
Weak, faint spells, especially in the forenoon.
These with the psoric history decided the prescription.
I gave her Sulphur c. m. (Fincke), a powder, dry on the tongue,
once a week (Sac. lac. in solution between), with a promise that
I would come up the next time when she was due, and if she was
no better would make an examination. So when the time came I
took my wife and went up prepared to do so.
Found the patient instead of upstairs in her bed as usual down
in the parlor entertaining some lady friends who were calling.
She came out where we were, and I said, How about that
examination ? Oh, said she, I am so glad it is not necessary. I
am menstruating perfectly easy, and feel so well. She never
failed afterward to menstruate regularly, and was restored to
perfect health. (Nash.)
LEUCORRHA
Mrs. W., age 25 years, married, and has two children : the last
was born fifteen months before I saw her, from which time she
has suffered from profuse yellow leucorrha with violent
pruritus vulvæ ; worse at night. She has at the same time great
bearing down of womb, perfectly incapacitating her from standing
or walking or doing her household duties, such as ironing and
washing.
Most violent chronic headaches, of a throbbing and tensive
character, and arising from the least worry or fatigue, with
habitual constipation. Has been, under allopathic treatment two
years without benefit. The keynotes to the cure were as follows
: Heat and pressure on vertex ; throbbing and tension ;
headaches more or less constant and worse before the menses ;
worried by trifles, and memory impaired. Flushing of face ;
fainting spells without cause ; sinking, empty, exhausted,
craving for food ; worse at eleven o'clock in the forenoon ;
intense icy cold feet ; worse when the head is bad.
Sulphur, one millionth potency (Boericke), in one dose of five
pellets, cured permanently every symptom, constipation,
leucorrha and sensation of prolapsus included and without
repetition. (Skinner).
DIARRHA
I., aged 12 months, had had diarrha for nearly a month. Her
flesh was soft and flabby ; open fontanelles ; tongue coated
white at the back. She was thirsty and drank a good deal of milk
and water. The diarrha was worse in the morning, beginning
about 4 A. M., continuing more or less until the afternoon. It
was dark yellow, watery, occasionally greenish white mucus,
coming with a gush early in the morning, almost involuntarily
during the day when standing. Child cried a little before bowels
were moved. There was also a cough, worse on lying down at
night, sometimes causing her to vomit ; child slept with eyes
only half closed.
The patient's appearance suggested Calc. carb., which was
prescribed ; no benefit resulting, Sulphur 6 was given ; the
italicized symptoms being very characteristic of the drug. The
diarrha ceased, and her health greatly improved in a few days ;
no other remedy being needed. (A. E. Hawkes.)
CHOREA
Chorea of eight years' standing, affecting right side only
excepting the face, all the muscles of which were affected. Ign.
and Caust. failed. Sepia 55,000 and 100,000 relieved for a few
days each, but Sulph. 6,000 given on account of "weak, faint,
hungry spells" about 10 A. M. was followed by immediate
improvement. (Goodno.)
DEAFNESS
Mrs. A., age forty-nine, deaf in right ear for twenty years, in
left ear for five years. Hears no conversation except upon a
high key, and that only when very near. Sensation of heavy
pressure and heat at the vertex, extending to both ears with
soreness of the brain. Soles burn at night, hot flushes on the
face followed by cold sweat ; constipation, faintness at 10 or
11 A. M. Sulphur300 for twelve days, with but little
improvement. Sulphur 6,000 was followed by restoration of left
ear and relief from soreness and pressure at the vertex. The
hearing in the right ear was slowly restored. (Hoyne.)
METRORRHAGIA
Was called to visit Mrs. -----, æt. fifty-two, June 6, 1879.
Found she had been suffering from metrorrhagia, constipation and
concomitants for about ten years. She stated that her medical
adviser had always been an allopath. He who last attended her,
after a protracted and unsuccessful trial of his individual
skill, had accompanied her to New York to consult a now emeritus
professor of surgery of an allopathic medical college, who had
made for himself an enviable reputation as an operating surgeon.
The emeritus professor, after obtaining a history of the case
and making his examinations, endeavored to console the lady by
informing her that his wife was in about the same condition as
herself ; that he sent her to this retreat and that watering
place, all of which resulted in little if any benefit ; and
intimated that she might, if she thought well of it, do the
same.
She concluded not to think well of it, and so returned as she
went, like the door upon its hinges, unprofited.
Her physician, after an attendance of several years, during
which his patient became gradually worse, abandoned the case.
She had the assurance, however, to inform me that if he had only
persevered in his attendance she supposed he would have relieved
her.
She gave me to understand, moreover, that it was at the instance
of some of her friends that I had been called, and not because
she had any confidence in Homopathy.
Her metrorrhagia, which had been exceedingly prostrating and
annoying in many ways from its incipiency, had continued
constantly for the last six months with the exception of two
weeks, and was of a passive or active character, accompanied by
very little pain.
At time it consisted of a slight oozing, the discharge
presenting a dark appearance ; at others it passed in
considerable gushes, and was a bright red color, with very few
clots.
To procure alvine evacuations, it was her custom to resort to
enemata or cathartics. She complained bitterly of painful
hæmorrhoids. Her general appearance was bloated, and her
extremities dematous. She had an annoying bearing down
sensation, especially when on the feet, so that she moved about
with difficulty. She had occasional stitches from right to left,
across the epigastrium, and was quite sensitive to a jolt or
jar.
The symptoms which led to the selection of the similimum were
the following : Frequent hot flushes to the face ; feet
habitually cold or burning soles. (Feet so cold she must sit
with them in the oven of the kitchen stove, or soles so hot at
night that she must put them from under the bedcovers to cool
them). Heat in the vertex. An empty, faint sensation at the
epigastrium about 11 A. M., rendering it necessary to partake of
some food. Unable to lie on the left side or back ; must lie on
the right side. (Lying on the left side was followed by
intolerable unrest, on the back by nightmare). Drinks much, eats
little.
During treatment the importance of keeping quiet was not
enjoined upon the patient, but she was allowed to exert herself
in any way she deemed proper, nor was she restricted in the
least in regard to her diet.
A few pellets of Sulph. m. m. were given her dry on the tongue,
June 6, 1876, and the dose was not repeated nor any other remedy
given for four months. As she had been subjected for many years
to allopathic dosing, she was provided with the usual placebo,
with direction to take three pellets at night if she felt that
she needed them. She was also directed to call me at any time if
warranted by any change in her symptoms. On the 6th of October,
1876, being in the immediate vicinity of her residence, I called
on my patient to ascertain particulars, having heard,
incidentally only, that she was better. She soon presented
herself, exhibiting an appearance very different from that of
four months previously. Her first exclamation was, "Under God I
am indebted to you for my restoration to health." She further
stated, "A week after commencing the medicine the hæmorrhage
ceased, and has not returned. At the time the hæmorrhage
disappeared my bowels became regular in their evacuations, and
have remained so. My painful hæmorrhoids have ceased to exist.
At my monthly periods I menstruate normally for two or three
days." I inquired, "What about your other symptoms ?" She
replied, "Oh, the hot flushes to my face, my cold feet or
burning soles, the all-gone feeling at the stomach about 11
o'clock A. M., the inability to lie on the left side or back,
the disposition to drink frequently and largely, and not being
able to eat much have all disappeared, and I really feel as if I
could not be sufficiently grateful." (L. Shafer, M. D.)
CHRONIC URETHRITIS
Mrs. S-----, a married woman of fifty years of age, of light
complexion, blue eyes, auburn hair. A nervous sort of body,
complained for nearly six months as follows :
Frequent micturition day and night. Urine passed in small
quantities - about a large spoonful at once - with urgency
before, pain, smarting, burning, scalding, after each passage.
There was a sensation of pressure upon the bladder also. The
above were all the symptoms she gave, all I could get, at the
time.
The above condition was distressing and kept her from church and
social gathering. Without any comparison of remedies, for such
condition, I gave Cantharis 200, which gave some relief, but
only that. At the third call, I questioned her more closely and
found she had, in addition to the foregoing symptoms, the
following. Had much prurigo of labia, groins, upper part of
thighs : the itching being so intense she wore out her clothing
rubbing and scratching the parts.
The labia vestibulum, meatus urinarius and otium vaginæ,
together with the adjacent skin, were inflamed and the labia
majora dry and cracked. All these areas were subject to attacks
of intense itching, burning and smarting upon scratching, daily.
She was subject to frequent flushes of heat with redness of
face, followed by slight perspiration. Got chilly easily and
warm as easily. Heat and work aggravated her symptoms. Had
considerable thirst ; and less hunger. Often had burning of
feet, both day and night ; worse nights.
She had used all sorts of medicines, salves and ointments, hot
and cold water, but only to repel the local irritation from time
to time. This is what had been done, just prior to the time she
first called on me, and this accounted for the paucity of
symptoms given at first and second call. On the basis of the
last symptoms, I gave her Sulphur 500, three doses, and a
subsequent prescription of Sac. lac. At the end of a week she
was materially better, and from that time to this she had no
more trouble. The Sulphur was given Feb. 22, 1890. (Stow.)
CHOLERA
It was in 1851, on one of those unsurpassably hot mornings that
prevail here in August, that I was summoned to see a case of
cholera at a great distance. A Redemptorist Father had been with
him during the night, and finding his apparently homopathic
treatment not as successful as he desired wished further advice.
The patient was an emaciated, sharp-faced German, a tailor,
about 50 years old. He had indulged on the previous day for his
supper in blood pudding and cucumber salad. He was taken about
11 P. M. with Asiatic cholera ; he still continued to vomit and
to be purged, with violent cramp at short intervals. All of
these cramps and rice-water discharges ceased during that day,
the principal remedy had been Arsenicum ; but from that evening
till the next evening he continued to vomit, and apparently was
sinking from exhaustion.
Thirst was very great ; he had to drink large quantities of cold
water, and felt better afterwards, till the water became warm in
his stomach in from fifteen to twenty minutes, and then he had
to vomit it up again, to be relieved of this exhausting painful
vomiting and thirst by drinking another large quantity of water.
A number of remedies administered produced not the slightest
relief.
The symptom found by the clinical experiment in this case - cold
water drunk is vomited up as soon as it becomes warm in the
stomach - was not to be found in our Materia Medica. But there
was found, after a long search, under Phosphorus, in the fifth
volume of Hahnemann's Chronic Diseases, Symptom 745 : "In the
most terrible agonies he vainly tried to vomit ; only the
drinking of cold water relieved." Nothing could be found in a
search for a similar remedy but this symptom, and now we gave
this suffering man one dose of Phosphorus 19m. about 9 P. M.,
with the order to repeat it every two hours until he was
relieved. On the next morning we found that he had been given no
more than this solitary dose, and that he was rapidly improving.
He recovered without needing any more medicine.
COMMENTS. The case here briefly stated might be claimed to
belong to the "Causes célèbres." Ever since this case was cured
and published everybody has admitted into our Materia Medica
this so frequently confirmed Phosphorus symptom - "vomiting of
what has been drunk as soon as it becomes warm in the stomach."
Everybody knows it, and the knowing ones have and will continue
to cure this not infrequently recurring symptom with Phosphorus.
The case illustrates the manner in which our Materia Medica has
been developed ; how symptoms observed by provers only similar
to the symptoms observed on the sick as the result of disease
may be cured by a given drug, and that the confirmation of such
cures entitle this symptoms - the result of the clinical
experiment - to as much importance as if it had been observed on
a dozen of provers.
Upon reflection, the men who persistently insist in the sifting
of our Materia Medica may think the better of it. (Ad. Lippe.)
DYSENTERY
Several years ago I treated a child suffering for two weeks from
an obstinate attack of dysentery. Several remedies had failed
utterly. Counsel was called, but our combined efforts were
equally unsuccessful. At one of my visits the mother chanced to
be changing the child's diaper. I noticed that the anus was wide
open. I could have inserted my little finger to the depth of two
inches without touching the bloody mucus-lined walls. (The
tenesmus was almost continuous). Neither Jahr's Manual (snelling),
Bell on Diarrha, nor Hering's Condensed contain this important
symptom. Finally I discovered this under Phosphorus in Lippe's
Textbook. Three days after the use of the remedy naught remained
of the troublesome disease except the resulting weakness.
(Nash.)
HEADACHE
Mrs. M., æt. 30, dark hair, dark complexion, medium size,
WHENEVER SHE WASHES CLOTHES, or walks fast, has the following
symptoms : Rush of blood to the head, red face and eyes, heat in
the head, sensitiveness of the scalp to touch, sudden shooting
pains in the head, especially in the vertex. She has a permanent
hard protuberance on the left side of the head, where
phrenologists locate ideality ; also one on the metacarpal bone
of her left hand, and one on the right foot. These parts, after
washing, become very much swollen, red and hot, with shooting
pains.
There is a small ulcer on the left foot, near the little toe.
All the above symptoms are so severe, especially the pains in
the head, as to necessitate her lying in bed. The pains in the
head are also experienced when walking fast, as well as after
washing, but much more after washing. After a few doses of
Phosphorus c. m. she found she could wash or walk fast without
experiencing any return of the above symptoms. The ulcer on the
foot healed. (Compare Am. c., Ant. m., Bell., Bry., Calc. carb.,
Calc. phos., Carb. v., Clem., Dulc., Lycop., Merc., Nux m., Puls.,
Rhus, Sars., Sep., sulph. - Eds.).
Note by the Editor (Dr. Geo G. Gale.) : "On receiving this
extremely interesting case, from Dr. Gale, we happened to have
on hand one exactly similar, viz., head symptoms, of a most
chronic type, in a washer-woman, rendering her occupation at
times quite impossible ; always worse when washing clothes or
walking fast, but much more after washing. Her symptoms were
identical with those of Dr. Gale's patient, which are
italicized. Considerable relief was obtained from the
administration of Pulsatilla c. m., followed, a week after, by
Sulphur m. m., Mercurius 10 m (for toothache in a carious tooth,
and faceache, caused by washing clothes), and Lycopod. d. m. for
sadness, gloomy sadness, and ill humor before menses ; severe
dysmenia, with back as if broken ; coldness of left foot. But is
was reserved for Dr. Gale to effect a speedy and permanent cure
by the similimum. Rush of blood to face and head with heat ; the
scalp is sensitive to touch, with sudden shooting pains in the
head, especially in the vertex, induced and always aggravated
when washing clothes or walking fast."
Phosphorus will cure.
On the 17th of last September a washer-woman to the family was
fairly "hors de combat" with these symptoms and the following :
Sinking at the epigastrium ; nausea and loss of appetite ;
sleepless, and when she does sleep she wakes always with a
congestive headache and giddiness. She is afraid to wash.
Phosphorus c. m. was given then and there, one powder dry on the
tongue. We did not see her again till the 21st of Sept., when
she informed us that "the last medicine had done her more good
than all the rest put together." Thanks to Providence and his
servant, Dr. Gale. We left her on the 21st of Oct., perfectly
well and healthy, pursuing her vocation in comfort. (Skinner).
PNEUMONIA
C. H. Nearing, about 30 years of age, was attacked with
pneumonia (double). The right side worst. There was great
oppression of breathing, very high temperature and quick pulse,
circumscribed redness of the cheeks, right most, not much pain,
rather apathetic, the cough (without much expectoration at
first), and oppression much worse when lying on the left side.
What little pain was complained of was located in the lower
right lobe, but the hepatization was general over that side and
in evidence to quite a degree on the left. All this condition
followed a chill at the beginning. Aconite did not do much good,
though it had a fair chance. Then I gave Phosphorus 1 m in
solution, to be repeated once in two hours.
In the night the wife came running to my office, saying she
feared Mr. N. had gone into a stupor, and wished me to come
immediately. I was at the bedside in a few moments, and instead
of a stupor found my patient sleeping soundly enough, but
quietly, and breathing quite a good deal more naturally, and
bathed in a nice warm perspiration. I awoke him and he drew a
long breath and said how much better I feel. Then he coughed and
raised easily a mouthful of bloody sputum, with great relief,
and made a rapid and complete recovery. (Nash).
.
PNEUMONIA
In the year 1876, in the course of a severe attack of typhus
fever, during my residence in Liverpool, my state, as I am told
(for I was in delirium), suddenly became very critical through
pneumonic consolidation of the right lung.
Phosphorus was the remedy selected by Drs. Drysdale, Hayward and
Hawkes, who attended me, and under its action I made a rapid
recovery. Hard, dry cough, rusty sputum ; increased at twilight
and until midnight ; < lying on left side ; > lying on right
side ; abdomen distended, sore, very sensitive to touch ; stools
offensive, bloody, involuntary ; the anus appearing to remain
open. Each one of the symptoms I have italicized is a keynote of
Phosphorus. When any of them are present (with or without
pneumonia) Phosphorus is likely to be the remedy. (John. H.
Clarke.)
DIARRHA
Mr. Van Hoesen, middle aged, very large tall man, was attacked
with a profuse light-colored, grayish-white diarrha. It poured
away from him like water form a hydrant. Every passage was
followed by a very weak, gone feeling in the abdomen. Phosphoric
acid., China, Arsenic, Verat. album and other remedies failed to
check the discharges, although they grew a little less in
quantity at each time. Looking at the stools again and again, on
the third day I discovered little white particles looking like
sago, or little lumps of tallow, floating on the surface. This
was a keynote. Then I could see Phosphorus in the whole case.
This remedy in the 3d in solution, a teaspoonful after each
stool, cured promptly. (Nash.)
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