There is a limit to the amount of work one can put into a case. And, as a matter of fact, the more you put in, i a heavy mechanical, painstaking way, the more you are likely to be landed with a big choice of remedies, and the less likely you are to find the one. Homoeopathy has to be mixed with brains.
But Hahnemann discovered, as we all discover sooner or alter, that there are cases were the most careful symptoms covering does not carry us through. Patient improves again and again, but health is not re-established.
In a simple pneumonia you cover the symptoms and abort the case, or, if it is more advanced, you carry it through with a minimum of distress, to early resolution.
Whereas other case, even of such an acute disease as pneumonia, hang fire. Why is this? Does not out experience teaches us that there are patients that cannot throw off even a pneumonia without one of Hahnemann’s “antipsorics”-Sulphur Lycopodium, Calcarea-or where there is a T.B, history Tuberculinum.
Much more is the case with chronic disease; that is to say, with those who, year out, are ailing; who improve only to slip back.
Hahnemann got to work on this problem, and involved from it his CHRONIC DISEASES.
I doubt, if any of us pay enough attention to this part of Hahnemann’s work and teaching. We are apt to be more than content when the miracle works in simple cases, and to classify the rest as old chronics, as if thereby all has been said.
Not so with the wise old healer. He had not been content with old school medicine. He has not content with homoeopathy if in some cases, it failed to completely restore patient.
“For years he had been employed, day and night to discover why such homoeopathic remedies as were then known did not effect a true cure of certain chronic miasmatic disease.” He says, “All chronic miasmatic diseases are so inveterate, after they have become developed in the system, that unless thoroughly cured by art, they continue to increase in intensity till death. They never disappear of themselves, are never diminished, much less conquered by vigorous constitution, regular mode of life, strictest diet.
“All chronic diseases, “he says”, are based upon fixed chronic miasms, which enable their parasitical ramifications to spread through the human organism, and to grow without end”.
“The chronic miasms are semi-vital, morbid miasms of a parasitical nature.” And he says that, in his opinion “miasmatic infection, in acute as well as in chronic disease, takes place in a moment, provided the moment is favourable to the contagious influence.” For “miasms,” read “micro-organism” and see how Hahnemann was on the spot 100 years ago, (“The Chronic diseases” was published in 1828).
Hahnemann realized, then, that there are life-long conditions following some acute disease of long ago, even of centuries ago, that may have to be taken into account in prescribing.
He worked on three of these:syphilis sycosis or gonorrhoea, and psora. (The last much derided by those who have never taken the trouble to understand it, but coming into this own now as scientific,” so I am told, in Germany.) These diseases he met with remedies, homoeopathic to their manifestations and symptoms, the greatest number to the most widespread, hydra-headed, PSORA.
His sycotic remedies were Thuja alternately with Nitric acid.
Alternately? What? Did Hahnemann himself alternate?
Yes, when symptoms changed. And observe! alternately with Hahnemann, never meant alternate sips from two tumblers are a few hours interval all day, because the physician cannot make up his mind which is best indicated.
These are Hahnemann’s directions in alternating:- “Gonorrhoea may be cured in the most thorough and durable way by the internal administration of a few globules of Thuja 30, which must be allowed to act from 15 to 40 days. After that time, give an equally small dose of Nitric acid letting it act during an equally long period.
And here we have, since Hahnemann’s day, another magnificent weapon-Medorrhinum or Gonorrhinum. And in Kent’s repertory there is a little rubric, “Gonorrhoea,” with some other remedies that have been found useful in that disease where symptoms agree.
Such remedies as Medorrhinum, Syphilinum, Tuberculium are on Hahnemann’s own lines, who used Psorinum for Psora, and who recognised variola, or inoculations by variola, as curative in conditions-ophthalmia, deafness, dysentery-such as are often the sequelae, he says, of small-pox. (Hahnemann says by the way, that small-pox will extinguish the less virulent cowpox, while cow-pox will lessen the virulence and danger of small-pox.
Hahnemann’s great remedy for syphilis is Mercury. He found the 30th potency to act better than the lower ones, but if several doses were needed the lower potencies might be employed.
Syphilis, uncomplicated and untreated, and in the primary stage “in 50 years” practice he had never failed to cure with the smallest dose of the best mercurial preparation” Of course, the mercuries for syphilis are pure homoeopathy. Their symptoms are often indistinguishable. The one has been mistaken for the other.
Don’t scoff at the idea of curing syphilis with unit doses of Mercury in potencies till you have tried.
Here also we have Syphilinum And Mercurius Cy. seems to be by far the most powerful of the mercuries for syphilis in all its manifestations and stages. plus And Kent has quite a longer list, with eight drugs in black type, for syphilis. Only the symptoms can decide between them.
In cases of chronic disease, complicated by the three miasms, Hahnemann gives the order in which their remedies should be used.
“First we annihilate the psoric miasm by the indicated antipsorics. Then we use the remedies indicated for sycosis. Lastly, the best mercurial preparation against syphilis. These different orders of remedies are alternately employed if necessary until the cure is completed. Leave to each medicine, he says “the necessary time to complete its action.” When we sneak in, as it were, a does of Syphilinum, or Medorrhinum, or Tuberculinum, or whatever it may be, we have a sort of guilty feeling that this is, perhaps, no part of homoeopathy-as taught by Hahnemann.
But it is! Hahnemann was very much there before us. Our only doubt was, because we did not know the fullness of our heritage.
As a matter of fact, we are only following in Hahnemann’s steps when we interpose a dose of Tuberculinum in persons of T.B. Parentage.
Or when we realize that such diseases as malaria leave chronic conditions, especially when complicated with quinine poisoning, and that these can only be successfully met by their appropriate remedies, Natrum mur: Sepia, Arsenicum, & c. That old malaria will give the casting vote, often among competing remedies.
And here in, in conclusion, I will briefly epitomize for you Burnett’s brilliant work in another chronic condition that has arisen and has to be recognised, and which he calls VACCINOSIS.
Compton Burnett’s little monograph on VACCINOSIS AND THUJA was written “to establish vaccinosis as form of chronic disease, and Thuja as one of its chief remedies.”
He contends that in vaccinating you do not make a healthy man more healthy. On the contrary, you establish a diseased state to protect, perhaps for years, from a like diseases (small-pox).
Vaccination therefore, is a form of HOMOEOPATHY-LAXIS.
He defines vaccinosis as “that profound and often long lasting morbid constitutional state engendered by the vaccine virus, euphemistically termed ‘LYMPH’, but which is, of course, pus.” “The vaccinate is one who suffers from vaccinosis. He may not be ill, but he must be in a subdued morbid state. He has been blighted or he is no vaccinate.
“Some of the worst cases of my vaccinosis were just those in whom vaccination did not take.”
“Not a few persons date their ill health from a so-called unsuccessful vaccination” “Taking’ is the constitutional reaction whereby the organism frees itself; more or less, from the inserted virus.” “If the person, did not take, and the virus has been absorbed, the taking becomes a chronic process-paresis, neuralgia, cephalagia, pimples acne, etc.!’ “The less a person ‘takes’ the more he is likely to suffer from the genuine vaccination disease in its chronic form.” But what about other and more modern forms of homoeo-prophylaxis? vaccines, immunizing, etc. Are they additions to the health of the healthy? Or are they new forms of chronic disease that will have to be reckoned with later on?
Burnett’s little book is stuffed with brilliant cases to prove his case for VACCINOSIS as a chronic disease, and for Thuja its great remedy.
And it works! Burnett says, ‘In chronic disease, when the right remedies seemed barred in their action, Hahnemann….. recommended his disciples to interpose. Sulphur as the great, most-likely antipsoric. ‘Most of us have found this a very valuable clinical suggestion.
“Similarly, I have found that vaccinosis frequently, bars the way, and then Thuja comes in with simply the beautiful effect of a genuine simillimum” I think you will agree that one has not fully TAKEN THE CASE till one has recorded for every patient vaccinations, especially and bad or unsuccessful ones, as well as any personal or family history of tuberculosis, syphilis or gonorrhoea.
