H.B.F. Jervis THE SUPERIORITY OF HOMOEOPATHY IN VETERINARY PRACTICE. A recent graduate of one of our colleges was greatly surprised at seeing me treat cats successfully by homoeopathic measures, he having been taught by his professor of small animal practice that there were only two medicines to give a cat, one being santonine and the other mineral oil, somewhat abbreviated materia medica.
Sometimes further remedies are needed to take care of what remains. Foremost amongst these are the salts of Radium, especially Radium thor. Others that come through at times are as follows: Radium iodine, Radium chlor., Fucus ves., and others too numerous to mention in an article of this type.
In regard to diseases of the respiratory system of the horse, of course we have the usual “run to shade”. Occasionally we get a regular epidemic of equine influenza and in times past, when the horse population was much more abundant, great economic losses occurred. In place of the various serums and bacterins Homoeopathy has a vast number of curative remedies to offer.
Hahnemann was a representative thinker of the school of vitalism, and up to the announcement of his revolutionary doctrines, occupied high rank among the eminent medical men of his time, and was a highly esteemed contributor to the medical periodicals of the day.
CANINE DISTEMPER. Medicines chosen wisely and given to the expectant bitch, can benefit the coming puppies. Frequently, with the indicated remedy, anatomical and structural deficiencies as cleft palate, hare-lip, eczema, etc., can be prevented in families where such have appeared, because the taint that gave rise to them in former pregnancies has been neutralised by the timely administration of the homoeopathic antipsoric remedies.
Occasionally, in dogs, one runs into cases of diarrhoea with state if great prostration. the stools are putrid and during sleep they are involuntary and are accompanied by eructations and flatus, smelling like sulphuretted hydrogen. It is sometimes valuable in the diarrhoea of low fevers and in haemorrhage from the bowels during distemper.
Trinks says of it that it is “The sovereign remedy in all inflammations of the serous membranes which have advanced to the stage of serous effusion”. As long as the fever being still of a sharp, well pronounced, synochal character, Bryonia is of no use but at this time Aconite and Belladonna are the specific remedies which arrest the inflammation. After it has been developed to the stage of serous exudation in all cases Bryonia shows itself a remedy of quick and certain operations.
This improvement continued,and all the symptoms gaudily abated. the mucous membranes took on a normal hue,and the dog gained weight. He stayed with me until just after the new year, most of he time as a boarder and at the time of writing is holding his weight and is fit for the show ring at any time, This particular case caused a great deal of comment among my friends and clients as the dog was around the office most of the time.
Having thus far reviewed the indications which serve as the guide for the use of this drug in the orthodox school of medicine, and also its pathogenetic and toxic effects upon animals, I propose to examine some of the circumstances which lead the followers of Hahnemann to rely upon it in the treatment of disease.