“Symptoms.-A staring look of the left eye; pupil dilated and immovable; in the centre of the lens there was a slight opacity: his sight was almost extinguished.
`Treatment.-August 2, Sulphur 6; from August 9th to September 23rd, six doses of the same.
“Six days after the first dose, many pustules appeared on the face and arms; in the meanwhile his eyesight improved so much that he was enabled to distinguish large letters. From September 13th to September 23rd, furuncles on the arm made their appearance; after that the skin became clear again, and the affected eye was as useful as it had ever been before.” (Arch., 14, 5, 105. Emmerich.)
“A girl, aged 12, had been affected since her earliest recollection with flocculent cataract (probably congenital) of both eyes. She had had an operation performed about four months ago, without the least benefit; four doses of Magnes. Carb. 200 were also given, without any benefit. Five months later she received Euphras. 200, in water; a tablespoonful once a day was followed by some improvement of the left eye. The Euphrasia was continued for four months with steady improvement; as soon as the patient ceased to improve Sulph. 200 was given, followed by Magnes. Carb. 200, one dose every week for five months, at the end of which time the circumferences of the cataracts in both eyes were only just observable. Euphras. 200, Silicea 200, and Acid. Nitr. perfected the cure. The use of spectacles for cataract assisted, however, very much to increase the sight of the child.
“How much the former operation had done towards the cure, referent is not able to say.” (Allg. H. Ztg., 35, 205. Rummel.)
“A farmer, aged 50, of small stature and with light-brown hair, had suffered for the last few weeks with impaired sight; the patient had formerly been troubled with scrofula.
“Symptoms.-Patient sees with the right eye only those things which are above him, and with the left eye only those which are at his side; but in all other directions everything appears as dark as night to him.
“Partial opacities of the crystalline lenses were clearly observable; the one in the right eye occupied the larger, and that in the left the smaller half of the pupil.
“Treatment.-Cannab.2, three drops daily in water for three weeks, was given without benefit. Calcarea 3, six doses, at first one dose a day for two days, afterwards one dose every week; before the last dose had been taken, patient had entirely recovered his sight.” (Viertelj. Schr., 2, 426. Villers.)
“A priest, affected with cataract, took extract of Conium internally with benefit; finally, he became tired of taking medicine, and made a cataplasm of the bruised leaves, which he placed upon his eyes at night. This enabled him to read his breviary without difficulty, and to walk about without a cane or guide.”-(Frank’s Magazin.)
“A healthy girl, regular, aged 23, had had dimness of sight for two years, and complete cataract for more than one.
“Treatment.-She took 8 to 10 grains of Conium, increased to 25 grains, three times a day; her appetite remained good, and she seemed active and well, and the edge of the cataract seemed clearing up; she could see the window, and in October could see her hands and fingers, but all objects seemed red, and her menses became suppressed.-“(Ibid.)
These, friendly reader, are some of the cases of the cure of cataract that I have found in homoeopathic literature; I do not know what you may think now of the curability of at least some cases of cataract with properly chosen remedies; but I, for my part, must confess that the evidence in its favor is very considerable. I do not wish to persuade any one that cataract is curable with medicines, if it is not, but I have tried to bring together sufficient evidence to interest thoughtful physicians and laymen in the subject: as for the ophthalmic surgeons, I expect nothing but sapient smiles from them, and I shall not be disappointed in this expectation. All honor to their digits and their prejudices. They say, they never find anything but an operation of any avail, and this is perfectly true too. Why? Forsooth, they never try anything else! For the same reason I never find anything but medicines, chosen homoeopathically, do any good, i.e., I never try anything else. And from the good results that I have heretofore obtained, I am confident that if all our homoeopathic practitioners were to treat cataract on exactly the same plan as they treat any other constitutional chronic ailments, instead of sending them straightway to the surgeon’s knife, we should be able to do great things in a few decades.
It might be as well, perhaps, to say that I lay no claim to any special knowledge of the diseases of the eye in general, or of those of the lens, or of its capsule in particular; at the same time I am not one of those physicians who consider ophthalmology as lying without their province and within that of the ophthalmic surgeon only. On the contrary, I consider that the duty of the true physician consists in constantly seeking to limit the domain of the surgeon by extending that of the physician. The treatment of cataract concerns, first, the physicians, and, failing him, the surgeon. The field of surgery- the opthalmologic portion particularly- is wondrously well- worked: it has been most carefully surveyed, most minutely mapped out, and everything accurately named. Well may the surgeon- oculists be proud of their position and progress.
But where are our physicians-oculist? Nowhere.
In general practice I have met with very encouraging results in my treatment of cataract with medicines administered internally; but, with only ordinary means of observation, the number of cases that have come under my care is necessarily limited. Hence my own experience has occupied and will only occupy a very small space, and will principally serve to introduce the observations of others. It is to be hoped, also, that this little work will encourage many other homoeopathic practitioners to try the effects of well-chosen remedies in those cases of cataract that may come under their notice.
At any rate, let us give medicines a full and fair trial and in the end humanity and science must be the gainers. A cataract cannot be operated on until it is ripe; then why not try the medicinal treatment during the ripening process?
We are neither doing our duty to the science of medicine, nor to that branch of it called Homoeopathy, nor to our patients, nor to ourselves, unless we at all events try to cure our cataractous patients with medicines.
But before entering upon such an arduous undertaking, it is well to have a clear conception of what a cataract really is, and how it comes about, so that the trial may be an intelligent one, and founded on a scientific basis.
The attempt to cure cataract medicinally is not new; all through the history of medicine there have been cases of cataract reported as cured with medicines; but previous to the discovery of the ophthalmoscope it was not unfrequently confounded with, or included in, amaurosis, more especially some forms of it. And a facetious oculist was wont to say that amaurosis was that condition in which both doctor and patient could see nothing. That was in the pre-ophthalmoscopic days, bien entendu. But ever since Helmholz invented the ophthalmoscope, in 1851, the ophthalmologist have been busier than bees in the instrumental investigation of the eye; and now, as a well-known oculist lately informed the writer, they count over three thousand diseases of the eye. Such is the simplicity of science. I am dealing here with only one of these diseases and that will leave two thousands nine hundred and ninety-nine for the ophthalmic surgeons: hence they ought not to complain of this little poaching raid.
There are eye surgeons in plenty, and not a few of them are men of the highest attainments; we want some good eye physicians, NOT specialist but medical practitioners, who can focus their energies upon a small part of the human economy without ever for a moment forgetting that the part is qualitatively the whole and conversely. We should then make rapid strides in narrowing the limits of the supposedly incurable. To have one’s ailments cured surgically is good, but to have them cured medicinally is better.
As cataract is a disease of the lens or its coat, it will be well to inquire into the true nature of the parts involved, both from an embryological standpoint, and also from that of histology and chemical constituents.
Burnett was one of the first to speak about vaccination triggering illness. This was discussed in his book, Vaccinosis, published in 1884. He introduced the remedy Bacillinum. He authored twenty books, including the much loved "Fifty Reason for Being a Homeopath." He was the editor of The Homoeopathic World.