It was also about the same time that I was at the house of a patient in London, the wife of a general officer and the conversation fell upon the general`s heart affection, and also upon that of their charwoman. I learned that the lady of the house took a certain interest in her charwoman because she had seen better days and had an invalid husband depending on her labour more or less. This charwoman was, it was said, suffering from an incurable disease of the heart, causing her terrible distress; on rising in the morning she would have to fight for her breath, so that it would take her often three-quarters of an hour to get dressed, having to pause and rest from the dyspnoea and its effects, nevertheless she persisted in thus getting up and dressing, and did as much charging as she could get. Her pride would not allow her to beg of her friends. Such was the story, and I really felt curious to see the charwoman, and promised to do what I could, though from the account given to me by the general`s wife, I certainly thought it quite a hopeless case.
Calling a few days later, I saw the lady and the charwoman, and having duly examined the latter, I promised to cure her! She was to come to my city rooms, and report herself every fortnight. On returning from the bedroom to the drawing room, the general wife accused me of cruelty in thus raising the poor old woman`s hope “when,” exclaimed she, “you must know it is impossible.” I tried to explain that it was a case of enlarged spleen, and not the heart disease at all, that the charwoman was suffering from, and that the palpitations and fightings for breath were the mechanical sequels of the splenic engorgment, but my patient evidently did not believe it, for she wound up by saying, “As you will treat her for nothing, i hope you may succeed, and it is very kind of you, but you must know that the poor woman has been under various doctors, and all have declared it incurable heart disease, and I merely wanted you to tell me of something to relieve and ease the poor old thing.”
This was towards the middle of October. A careful physical examination showed that the heart-sounds were normal, but there was much beating visible in the neck, and the heart`s action was labored. In the left hypochondrium there was a mass corresponding to the position of the spleen, and a dull percussion note was elicited not only in the left hypochondrium, but also in the right, and all across the epigastrium, or pit of the stomach, from side to side. The following notes were put down at the time: “Heart- sounds, normal; apex beat, exaggerated; splenetic dulness extending up to the left mamma; the whole region very tender, so much so that she cannot bear her clothes or any other pressure.” The prescription was: Ceanothus Americanus lx 3ij, five drops in water three times a day.
November 14.-Has been taking the Ceanothus five weeks to- day, and has taken altogether three bottles of it viz., 3vj. It has nearly stopped the pain in the left side, which had lasted for quite twenty-five years. This pain came on suddenly, especially if she drank anything cold. She would get an indescribable pain under the left ribs, and she would have to fight for breath, and the dyspnoea would be so severe that it could be heard in the next room, frightening everybody. She had ague thirty years ago in Northamptonshire. Repeat.
November 29.-Not much pain left; the cold feeling still there, but nothing as it was. Repeat.
December20.-Has the pain in the left side, but very little; has not had any of those attacks of fighting for breath; she can walk better, and the side is much smaller, which she knows from her dress. In her own opinion she is less in the waist by two inches. Before taking the medicine, for very many years she was compelled to pause in the morning when dressing, and lie down on account of the beating of the heart, but this has all gone; on examining by palpation and percussion I find the dulness diminished by four inches in the perpendicular, and by about the same from side to side. However, there is still some tenderness on pressure, and the swelled spleen can still be felt towards the mesian line and inferiorly. She can now do her work (charring) very much better. R. Tr. Ceanoth.-Am. 1. four drops in water three times a day.
January 10.-The pain is gone; has now no pain in walking, and she is a great deal stronger and better. The coldness in the pit of the stomach has gone. Repeat.
February 7.-In the left hypochondrium there is now nothing abnormal; the old ague-cake has disappeared, there being no dull percussion note. Her own conception of the size of that portion of the enlarged spleen that used to stretch across the pit of the stomach to the liver is thus expressed by her: “I used to say it was as big as a half-quartern loaf.” Not only is the lump gone, but she is much stronger; she now weary stays again, and fastens her clothes stronger; she now wears stays again, and fastens her clothes with comfort. She again gets some cold feeling in the pit of the stomach, but not much. Her liver seems considerably enlarged, and there is still too much beating of the blood- vessels (veins) in the neck. In my opinion the condition of the blood-vessels calls for attention. But what I wanted to bring out was the specific affinity of Ceanothus Americanus for the spleen, and its consequent brilliant effects, as the simile only grounded on the homoeopathic specificity of seat, which some say has no existence.
This poor woman thus took Ceanothus during about four months in small appreciable doses; at first the Ix and then the I centesimal.
The existence of the hypertrophy was ascertained by percussion and palpation; and subsequently I ascertained by the same means that it had ceased to exist. Although patient took the drug for four months I could not find that it affected any other organ-liver, kidney, bowel save and except the spleen.
The dyspnoea and palpitation were cured certainly, but these arose, I submit, from the engorged condition of the spleen itself.
As far as I could ascertain, the secretions and excretions were not affected in the least degree; the remedial action must therefore, be considered specific. My conception of the cure is simply this, that the specific ceanothus stimulus persistently applied restored the spleen tissue to the normal. This Homoeopathic specificity of seat suffices only in simple local disturbances; it is only a simile, not a simillimum. The latter would, I apprehend, have affected the liver also and the right heart, and I should then not have needed further detail treatment.
This charwoman continued to attend at my rooms for some months and ceanothus and other indicated remedies cured her of her “incurable heart disease,” and I saw no more of her for some time, when one day she was ushered into my consulting room. She came up to where I was sitting told me she was perfectly well, could do any work with ease, and then occurred one of the sweetest things in my whole professional life the old lady (and what a lady) put a tiny packet on my desk, tried to say something burst into tears, and rushed out!
I never saw her again and have often since wished I had kept that particular sovereign and had it set in diamonds.
SUPPOSED CONSUMPTION: CHRONICALLY ENLARGED SPLEEN
The case I am about to relate is not without practical interest. The subject is a fine young Anglo-Indian of about 21 or 22 years of age, who a couple of year age since, commenced preparing for the study of medicine in London. His father was my patient, and told me, as he left for the EAst, that one of his boys whom I had casually seen, was going to remain in London to study medicine as a profession, rather than as a hobby, as said father has done for many years.
Two years elapsed, and then my patient returned from the EAst, and came to see me on his own account, and I incidentally inquired about the medical student. “Ah! he is better now but he had to give up the study of medicine, as the professor said was going into consumption. He had spitting of blood, and they sent him to America. He has returned, and is better; but I am still anxious about him, as his breath is very short. He looks very well.”
The young man came in due course, and a very careful percussion and auscultation of the chest revealed nothing but a very large spleen filling up the left hypochondrium, and clearly impeding both lungs and heart in their action.
I ordered Ceanothus Am. I in five drop doses. He took the drops for a month or so, and came again on the 16th of February, 1887m telling me he breathed easily and comfortably, and demonstrated to me that he was inches smaller round the body, by showing me his waistcoat and trousers that were previously tight, but now uncomfortably loose, so much so that he laughed at their bagging. Evidently his pulmonary symptoms had never been phthisical at all, but were merely mechanical from the engorgment of the spleen.
SPLENALGIA
A lady came to me complaining of the following series of symptoms:……. Pain in the left side corresponding to the region of the spleen, so bad that she cannot lie on the left side; with this pain in the side there are two other disturbances, indicating that kind of vascular turgescence an orgasmus humorum underlies the whole, viz, palpitation of the heart and piles. With these also some indigestion, and a feeling as if the visceral contents of the abdomen were being pulled down.
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.