In truth it is but the eliminative process, for when the discharge is suppressed, a secondary stage of the disease develops, characterized by stasis to internal organs, more manifest in the pelvic inflammation of women-a field so fruitful of late, to the work of the modern surgeon. Should the disease not be cured by constitutional treatment, it will by no means end with the secondary stage, but usually within a period of from one to three years, it passes into a tertiary form (or true Sycosis), which if not cured, may last the entire life of the patient. Quite frequently, however, the disease runs into some malignancy, such as scirrhus of the different organs of the body, or cystic degeneration, fibrous growths, stasis in internal organs, chronic rheumatism, and gouty condition. This last may be shown by gouty concretions of the joints, gout of the heart, stomach, or any of the internal organs. Mania, insanity, and many other mental aberrations can be traced to a suppression of this miasm. In fact, out jails and our prisons are filled with these poor unfortunates, far out numbering the victims of Syphilis. Sycosis is more potent than Syphilis as a cause of mental diseases, of moral insanity, and of those degenerative processes which form a basis for much of the criminality of our own country as well as that of Europe.
Sycosis may be said to be the most venereal of all venereal diseases, as it is seldom contracted (outside of gonorrhoeal ophthalmia) in any other way than through sexual congress. It is a disease of lust in the broadest sense of the word, hence the appearance of the mental phenomena in its early history. That monarch of the mind, the Will, is overthrown. *He thinks, he wills, he acts, and out of that false triune develops the lust disease. A precept of the decalogue is broken, and man falls by virtue of the breaking of that genetic principle which is an epitome of the character of his Creator, after whose image he was formed. He at once becomes a victim to the false and disintegrative power of broken law and the true physiological process at that moment ceases, and a false one is set up within that organism. Yes, all its processes, whether moral, spiritual, mental, or physical, are interfered with, and in some measure they at once take on a retrograde metamorphosis; the miasm (Sycosis) becomes a force co-existent with the life force; therefore, the *life forces are from that moment propelled forward in the direction of its influence and power which is always unfavorable to the good of the organism. What was at first a mental process, an unholy thought, implants the seeds of death within the physical organism and its presence with the life force is first manifest in the members that violated that divine precept. At first the disturbing element is functional as it is in all disease, to become later on an organic disease, and the fons et origo mali of many of the diseases of today.
So generally is this miasm, Sycosis, distributed among adult males that it is estimated that fully eighty percent are affected by it. Of course this estimate includes the latent as well as the active forms. No wonder that so many of our women are sufferers from pelvic affections, rheumatism or chronic gout. This large proportion is without counting heredity, for the disease is congenital, as is Syphilis and Psora. This will be understood more fully as we proceed in the study of the subject.
The majority of married women suffer in some way from Sycosis, either from the suppressed or imperfectly cured forms. Children born of such parents invariably show some form or manifestation of the disease and not infrequently ophthalmia neonatorum. If they escape this dread disease, they suffer with colic almost from the moment of their birth; not the ordinary flatulent colic, but one of severe and specific nature, continuing often from one to three months after birth. The sufferings that these children have to undergo is simply indescribable; they writhe and twist and squirm with pain, drawing up their limbs and screaming often for hours at a time. The pain usually comes in paroxysms, or it is of a spasmodic nature, sometimes relieved by pressure or by the child lying upon the stomach or by being carried about in the arms of the nurse; again shaking or rocking gently seems to modify their sufferings. Heat gives temporary relief, but all foods greatly aggravate, even the mother’s milk; although food when first taken seems to give relief for the time being. Gas is frequently expelled from the stomach or bowels with great force, and is often quite pathognomonic of sycotic colic. Many times I have relieved these little sufferers with a few powders of Lycopodium or Argentum nitricum. Both these remedies seem to the frequently called for in these cases.
Again if they should be fortunate enough to escape the colic, other manifestations of the disease are met with, such as indigestion, catarrh of the bowels, vomiting of food without apparent nausea; diarrhoea, the stools being smelling, acid and excoriating the infant about the perineum. Quite often these children escape the gonorrhoeal ophthalmia and have in its place, snuffles, which makes its appearance a few days after birth. The mother or nurse will tell you that the child has taken a cold in the head, so closely does the disease resemble the ordinary coryza, yet on examination of the nasal passages, we will find a specific form or rhinitis, known as the snuffles. The nose is dry and has a stuffed up feeling; quite frequently the child will scream with anger in it attempt to breathe with its mouth closed; this is more noticeable when the child nurses. The disease may last a few days, or it may continue for some time, but is usually displaced by something else of a more severe nature, especially if local measures are applied to relieve it.
The history of the parents will reveal Sycosis that has been suppressed or imperfectly cured. The diarrhoeas of these children are usually of a greenish, sour, slimy, mucous nature. The stools of Chamomilla, Rheum, and Mag. carb. are very characteristic of Sycosis. Often the child itself will smell sour and no amount of bathing seems to sweeten it. I have sometimes noticed that a case of snuffles coming on soon after birth, would be followed by a case of purulent ophthalmia. The length of time between the suppression of Sycosis and marriage, seems to make little difference, for children born to these parents, always show forth the disease at an early age. The time to cure them is in infancy, or during childhood, as they them quickly respond to Homoeopathic treatment.
I have noticed in a number of cases that children born of very sycotic parents, complicated with gout, were affected with gouty conditions in the urethra, ears, nose and even in the rectum and vagina. These children take cold at the slightest exposure and frequently suffer from an acute coryza; the discharge from the nose becomes copious, watery and often excoriating. You are able to make a diagnosis of Sycosis in these children, you need not look for speedy cures or rapid results form your remedies; you must in some way make the parents understand that you have a deep constitutional disease to deal with. You are fighting for time, and you need plenty of it.
If the snuffles should suddenly leave and a good brisk case of colic develop, it will help you out, for you then can inform this impatient parent that the baby will suffer more or less from this for at least ninety days. If, however, you should be fortunate enough to select the right remedy you will put the colic out of business much sooner. You can easily do this, if you will study a little over your materia medica, and give a high enough potency. Give nothing lower than the 30th, and the 1m, 10m, 45 or 50m, and even cm. may be needed. It will take the highest you have to cure them sometimes, as it is a deep-seated disease. Remember that *potency means power. You have no power curative, outside of potency, with which to cure disease. Whether you believe it or not, it is the truth nevertheless, and it will stand the test of every man who applies it through the law of cure which no Homoeopath disputes. When you have found the right remedy (which will require a close study of the provings, until you get the true picture of it in your mind), give it and then wait on its action, only going higher up in the potency when the lower potencies cease to act, and so on until you have exhausted the action of the highest in your possession. You will get ten times more prompt action in this deep chronic disease from the cm. potency than you from the lower ones. In acute diseases remedies will work many of them, anywhere from the tincture upwards. Yet I have many a time stopped completely, on modified severe pain like that of neuralgia, rheumatism or pleurisy in from three to six minutes, with the hundred thousandth potency. I am not alone in making this statement; hundreds of men who use these high potencies can testify to this fact. You limit your own power when you limit the power of potency; you believe God is infinite in all things, do you not? Well then prove Him, and see for yourselves if this is not true. Let us remember that life in the beginning was but a breathing. Is it not so yet? It is not the body you are trying to cure, it is the distuned life, or that which cares for, sustains and animates the body. Disease puts it out of working order. Is snuffles the disease? Yes, to an allopathic physician, to a materialist, but not you, dear reader. We say Sycosis was the real disease, and the snuffles but the expression of its presence in the young life. But do not think for a moment that snuffles is confined to the infant alone, we find it all through the life of the sycotic individual. We see it in every cold he takes, in his many catarrhal conditions, in and in some forms of hay fever. When Sycosis is present, the nose may be clear one hour, and the next he cannot get particle of air through his nasal passages. We see it also in his lagrippe, coryzas and winter colds. You will soon become familiar with sycotic snuffles by a careful study of th disease.
J.H. Allen was a student of H.C. Allen. He was the president of the IHA in 1900. Dr. Allen taught at the Hering Medical College in Chicago. Dr. Allen died August 1, 1925
Books by John Henry Allen:
Diseases and Therapeutics of the Skin 1902
The Chronic Miasms: Psora and Pseudo Psora 1908
The Chronic Miasms: Sycosis 1908