Case IV. Babu Siris Chandra Ghose, aged 22, a student, had an attack of purging and vomiting on the 22nd January 1883. An allopathic physician prescribed chalk and opium which did him no good. The stools were exactly choleraic, there were cramps of the arms and legs, pulse scarcely perceptible at the wrist, features sunken, voice husky. I prescribed Ricinus 6 after every evacuation and Cuprum Met. 12 every hour till the cramps abated. He was much better after taking two doses of Ricinus and two of Cuprum. At midnight I was summoned to see his brother who had an attack of cholera from 10 A.M. I saw him rolling on the bed very restless from pain in the abdomen. In this case I prescribed Ricinus 6, which did him no signal service. After three hours’ trial I changed the medicine, and gave him Veratrum 6. My former patient was all right. From Veratrum 6 this patient got permanent relief. These two cases are very instructive. In painful cases Veratrum gained the laurel. But in most painless cases Ricinus truly deserves a high place. Formerly, in these latter kind of cases we generally used Podophyllum, but not with very satisfactory result. On the contrary, where vomiting was predominant, Ipecac. or Iris Vers. gave us some help. Ricinus, I hope, will probably supersede them all. Its action is very prompt and permanent. I hope some of our colleagues will give it a fair trial and report the result in some homoeopathic periodical. I have four more cases in my note-book which shall be reported at the earliest opportunity.
To these cases I shall only add the remark, wherever, in what has been described before as diarrhoeic cholera, vomiting is predominant, we may at the beginning, derive far greater benefit from Jatropha than from Ipecac. or Iris.
Master Mookerjee, aged 16, student. The patient’s mother came to bathe in the Ganges and took a lodging at Kidderpore. Cholera cases were then cropping up here and there in the vicinity. A servant of the family got the disease and died. They were very much panic-stricken and wanted to go home. The next day, however, the son got the disease and the mother had to abandon the idea. The attending physician had given him Camphor at first and then some other homoeopathic medicines. I was called at 1 A.M. The stools were watery but yellow, passed without any pain, cramps in the extremities, thirst for large quantities of water; vomiting now and then. The patient was naturally of very weakly constitution and his pulse was very weak and thready. I gave him Euphorbia Corolata 3x one drop after each stool.
In the morning I found the patient same as in my first visit. A different dilution of the medicine was given. On my enquiry as to how he was, he said that in spite of all we could do he was sure to die. He said that the servant’s case was much milder, yet he succumbed to the disease. How could he then possibly survive the attack of a far worse nature? I saw him again in the evening and finding him worse, stool watery, containing a little yellow mucus, pulse almost gone, and cold perspiration, gave him Ricinus 3, after each stool, and Carbo Veg. 30 every hour.
In the morning I found him decidedly better; pulse much improved, no perspiration, stools thicker in consistence and less in number, thirst still troublesome.
Ricinus 3 every three hours.
In the evening he had passed urine and was in a fair state of convalescence. No medicine.
27th March, 1883.
Dass, a young man of 20. Had come to Calcutta only a week ago. Got the disease at 9 A.M., and was treated by the allopaths. When I saw him at 1 P.M., collapse had already set in, stools like liquid barley without any pain, cramps and restlessness, thirst and perspiration. Pulse hardly perceptible at the wrist.
Ricinus 6th one drop after every stool.
I got the report at 5 P.M. The very first dose of the medicine had proved efficacious; perspiration and cramps ceased; had become quite and the stools also were being passed at longer intervals. The medicine was advised to be continued every three hours.
At 1 A.M. I was called in hurry to see the patient; tympanites had supervened and the patient had again become restless. The allopathic doctor had given Chlorodyne. At my first visit he was rather drowsy. In the evening the drowsiness had almost gone, but not entirely. Nux Vom. 30 was given and Ricinus stopped. In the morning he was doing well. Passed urine in the afternoon. At night he became delirious and restless, thirst for large quantities of water and constant. Rhus Tox. 30 brought on prompt relief.
A BOY, aged 9 years, got cholera and was treated by the allopaths with Chlorodyne and stimulants. I saw him at 9 A.M. He had passed a rice-water stool just before. The patient was very drowsy, eyes turned up and half-shut, thirst constant and for large quantities of water; could not ascertain satisfactorily whether there was pain in the abdomen during stool. Gave Veratrum 12 and left Ricinus 6 to be given if three doses of Veratrum would not relieve.
In the evening I saw the boy again and was told that the first medicine did not do him any good, and that at 12 noon the second medicine, Ricinus 6th was given. After only two doses the stools became bilious and the child was more comfortable and wanted something to eat. Nothing was however allowed in the shape of food. When I visited him, the drowsiness had entirely gone; stools had become thicker in consistence; the thirst was however yet very troublesome. I advised the boy’s relative to give no medicine, but to report to me should any new symptom appear. Next morning I was told that the boy had steadily improved and had tolerably good sleep at night, passed urine in the morning. As he was reported to be very weak, one dose of China 6 was given. The boy had some accession of fever in the evening for which Aconite 6th was given. At night he became very restless, thirst for large quantities of water and wild talk. Rhus Tox. 30 cured him. In the same family another boy was ill and Ricinus 6th was given, which cured. This boy also had Veratrum 6th given to him by his father, an amateur homoeopath.
A female, aged 18, came to my hands after having been treated by the allopaths with Opium, Calomel, and stimulants. Had the disease in the previous evening. I saw the patient the following morning. She was very drowsy, passing rice-water stools, every quarter of an hour, cramps in the extremities, very thirsty for large quantities of water. She was listless but at the same time restless. Cold perspiration all over the body. On my enquiry she said that there was no griping when she passed stools. Her whole body had become blue and fingers and toes blue and shriveled. Pulse thready, gave her Ricinus 6 after every stool and Cuprum Met. 12th every hour. In the afternoon I was told that the stools were being passed at longer intervals, cramps almost gone, very little improvement in the character of the pulse. Perspiration almost same.
Continued Ricinus 6th and Carbo Veg. 30 every hour. In the morning I was told that the stools had become bilious; pulse better, but perspiration not entirely gone, no urine. She was yet drowsy. I saw her in the evening, she had made good improvement, but no urine yet. In this state she menstruated and all medicine was consequently stopped.
The next morning as I was passing by the house, my carriage was stopped and I was called to the child of the previous patient; I saw the patient at 9 A.M. The child got the disease at about 3 P.M.; and a lay practitioner had given Veratrum 12th to be given after every stool. The same afternoon I saw the child again, he was just the same. In the morning both during stool and in the intervals between them, the child complained of a sort of pain in the abdomen. He did not complain of it in the afternoon. I gave Ricinus 6th after each stool. The next morning he was reported to be better.
A FEMALE, aged 23, bathed in the Ganges about quarter of a mile from her home. In the morning she did not have a satisfactory stool and she felt heaviness of the bowels. As soon as she reached home she passed a very copious watery stool; then a dose of Camphor was given and an intimation was sent to me. I arrived at 9 A.M.; she had four stools, the last one passed in the cloths. Stool rice-water, no pain in the bowels, pulse thready, thirst for large quantities of water. No cramps, perspiration in the forehead. Ricinus 6th one drop after each- stool, and also kept Veratrum Alb. 12 to be given in case the first failed.
At 2 P.M., a man came to me. She had rallied, stools became bilious after two doses of Ricinus had been given. No urine yet. She passed water at night and was all right by the next morning.
A CHILD, 5 years old, had taken some unhealthy sweetmeats during the day. In the afternoon his abdomen was noticed to be swollen. Began to pass stools from evening. His uncle gave first Pulsatilla and then Ipecac. At about 12 midnight passed two very copious fetid, yellowish stools; complained of pain in the chest and head, but nothing in the abdomen. This child had become very prostrated and was restless. He had also vomited twice. I gave Ricinus 6th and kept Veratrum Alb. 12. In the morning I saw the patient better, but had not passed water yet. I stopped his medicine. At night his uncle came to me and said that the child had passed water in the afternoon but he was not better for that. He was then a little feverish and his abdomen had become heavy and swollen; restless, thirst and drowsiness, and some delirium. I gave Opium 6th every four hours.
