ACUTE INFANTILE DISEASES OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM



Euphrasia.-An important remedy of coryza. Abundant mucous discharge with lachrymation. Nasal discharge is not excoriating while the discharge from the eyes is excoriating and acrid (opposit, All cep.) Aggravation in the bed, in a hot room, in the evening, by humidity and in open air. Coryza, rhinopharyngitis, conjunctivitis.

Ferrum Phosphoricum.- Very important in the treatment of children. It should be known well clinically. It has its place between Aconite and Belladonna when the differenciation between the two does not seem very clear. Less nervous than Belladonna. Less plethoric than Aconite. Aconite, Belladonna and Ferrum Phos, are the trio that are used in fever of the infancy. They should also be thought of when from the onset the disease seems serious. Non-resistant child. Easily prostrated, soft pulse, rapid easily becomes irregular. Congestive heat with alternating red and pale face. Aggravation in the second part of the night, by movement, by noise, by cough. Amelioration by cold application. It is indicated at the beginning of all fevers on the clinical symptoms: adenoiditis, otitis, rhinopharyngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, capillary bronchitis.

Gelsemium-Tendency to cold, to influenza by humid heat when hot season changes into cold. Sensation of fullness, obstruction at the base of the nose, often one-sided, specially the left one. Photophobia. Fever with shivering and need for being covered hotly. Rhinopharyngitis, trachitis; heaviness of the limbs, slow pulse, absence of thirst desire to remain alone.

Hepar sulphur.-The least cold causes coryza, with obstruction of the nose. Aggravation by cold air. Loss of voice, worse in the morning.

Hard barking cough, very much aggravated by cold, by uncovering, in the bed, by putting out the hands from ulcer the covers. Easy sweat, specially at night, which does not cause amelioration. At the end of respiratory diseases or in chronic cases Hepar sulphur is characterised by thick acrid mucous, having the smell of rotten cheese. Hypersensitiveness to cold, to touch, to contrariety (irascible character). Coryza, rhino-pharyngitis, false croup, tracheo-bronchitis, hypertrophy of tonsils. Used generally in all catarrhal inflammation of the respiratory system, specially of the larynx and trachea in scrofulous subjects. Children with short neck having tendency to spasms of glottis, easily suffocated (F. Bernoville).

Iodium.-Clear discharge with swelling of the mucous membranes. Excoriation Crusts and obstruction of the nose, loss of smell, aggravation by cold, dry and painful cough (the childs holds its larynx) preferably in the morning. Hepatisation of the right lung, upper lobe. Fever with chill, great internal and external heat. Redness of the cheeks, agitation. Great thirst with abundant sweat, Adenitis, coryza, tracheo-bronchitis, pneumonia, pleuritis, tracheobronchial adenopathy.

Ipeca- Nasopharyngeal catarrh in fat and chubby child. It may be used in two ways in cough. Lower dilutions 3x & 6 act like an expectorant, fluidifies the bronchial mucous and of the alveoles and favours elimination. In high dilution, 30 it acts as antispasmodic and stops expectoration. A very important remedy which is to be applied in violent suffocating cough. The bronchi are full of mucous, the face is bluish. There is persistent nausea with vomiting which does not ameliorate nausea; often diarrhoea with watery and greenish stools.

The tongue is clear. Laryngo-trachitis. Bronchitis, whooping cough, pneumonia, capillary bronchitis, asthma, haemoptysis.

Kali bichromicum.-Viscous, thready nasal catarrh having the tendency to become localised in the rhino-pharynx. Pain in the root of the nose at the place of sinus. Hard, greenish, ball like mucous difficult to detach. Often there is ulceration after expulsion. Scraping cough, yellowish expectoration, abundant in the form of stingy filament, difficult to expectorate and which can be seen extending from the throat. Amelioration in the heat of the bed. Sinusitis, rhino-pharyngitis, bronchitis, whooping cough. It is besides a remedy with Pulsatilla, to be applied when the acute diseases of the respiratory system are on the decrease (bronchitis, whooping cough, pneumonia) when the cough and expectoration do not ameliorate at par with the general symptoms.

Kali carbonicum-Lymphatic children, less resistant, chilly, easily fatigued. Cough with transfixing thoracic pain, localised at the base of the right lung. Aggravation by movement. Chronic cough with bad general condition as a consequence of an acute affection of the respiratory system. Aggravation by cold Amelioration of all symptoms while bending forward.

Kali iodatum.-Abundant discharge from the eyes and nose. Irritating discharge with sneezing. Raucous cough with dyspnoea oedema of the larynx. Amelioration of general symptoms in open air, but aggravation of the coryza. Syphilitic ground. Acute coryza, trachitis, bronchitis.

Lycopodium.- Crust and obstruction of the nostrils causing the patient to sleep with open mouth. Chronic thick discharge. Dry cough with dyspnoea, aggravation from 4 to 8 p.m. Fanning of the nostrils. Fever with chill followed by sweat. Small pulse, general condition is bad great irritability. The child becomes angry if one approaches it, thwarts its encourage and cries. Cough with grayish expectoration with the tendency of becoming chronic after pneumonia. Long lasting dragging broncho-pneumonia changing seats.

Mercurius solubilis.-Watery, irritating nasal flow with photophobia, worse in hot room. Stinging pain of the tonsils, of the pharynx which are red. Tendency to excoriation and ulceration of the nostrils. Cough worse at night with abundant sweats having bad smell, which does not ameliorate. Humid tongue, salivation, great thirst for cold water. A good remedy of coryza after the stage of Belladonna.

Mercurius Corrosivus-Same modalities as that of Merc sol. but irritation, photophobia, excoriation are more marked.

Phosphorus.-Hoarseness worse in the morning. Cough with burning in the larynx, sensation of heaviness behind the sternum. Aggravation by cold. Painful points in the chest. Fever with chill without thirst with red and dry tongue. Pharynx red and dry, varnished, loaded with adhesive mucous.

Sensation of burning, spasms and suffocation. Rusty expectoration. Rapid pulse with accelerated respiration, fanning of nostrils. It is the most important remedy of pneumonia and broncho-pneumonia. It is given in the 30th after the onset at the moment when hepatisation begins. Its action is centrifugal and it often causes the absorption of the exudation in 38 or 48 hours. If its action is complete we should wait for two days and then we should repeat it. One of the best remedies of Infantile Asthma.

Pneumonia broncho-pneumonia, pulmonary congestion, asthma. It is dangerous in tuberculosis.

Pulsatilla._ It is indicated in the period of effervescence of an acute affection of the respiratory system when there is easy cough with abundant and sweetish expectoration. Aggravation in a hot room. (Viscous thready expectoration better in hot room (Kali bich.). In some chronic catarrhs with thick yellowish sputum; loss of smell, with nasal obstruction, amelioration in open air. Finally because of its deep anti-tubercular action, it is often used during convalescence after acute infections in children.

Rhus toxicodendron Rhino pharyngitis, influenza after being exposed to humid cold. Adynamic form of influenza or of some broncho-pneumonia with dry tongue, covered with a dark coating, with triangle at the tip of the tongue. Great thirst, agitation at night. Stupor, mild deliriums, mutterings. Dry skin, hot, often with abundant sweats. Dark red face.

Rumex crispus.-An interesting remedy of trachitis. Incessant violent cough, aggravation by cold wind by pressure in the sternal hollow.

Tickling of trachea causing cough. Amelioration by heat, in a hot room. Persons who cough by the least cold will always try to keep himself hotly dressed, even the head well covered.

Sabadilla.- Nasal discharge with noisy sneezing, frequent, spasmodic. The pricking in the nose often passes from the right to the left. Amelioration by head, drinking hot water or drinks Aggravation in open air, during full moon. It is a remedy of coryza of spasmodic type. It may check an asthmatic attack that begins from the nose. Coryza hay fever, asthma.

Sambucus.-An important remedy of spasmodic affections of the respiratory system. Suffocating cough, coming suddenly towards midnight; dryness and obstruction of the nose and sudden suffocation. The child wakes up in a start, sits up on the bed, has the need for fresh air. Cannot breath, face becomes violet. Fever with profuse sweat. It is afraid of being uncovered. Bad temperament, anxiety. Better while sitting on the bed, by movement. False croup asthma.

Sanguinaria canadensis.-Great sensitiveness to smell (of flowers) Abundant, corrosive coryza, that becomes thick and may stop giving rise to diarrhoea. Right sidedness, with burning pain in the conjunctiva. Continual weakening cough with burning sensation in the chest, oppression, constriction. Aggravation at night. Circumscribed redness of the face, often one sided (Cham), distension, of temporal veins. Rusty sputa. Feet are burning, searches for cold place. Amelioration in fresh air. Pulmonary congestion, pneumonia (right sided), asthma.

Mauritius Fortier-Bernoville
Mauritius (Maurice) Fortier Bernoville 1896 – 1939 MD was a French orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy to become the Chief editor of L’Homeopathie Moderne (founded in 1932; ceased publication in 1940), one of the founders of the Laboratoire Homeopathiques Modernes, and the founder of the Institut National Homeopathique Francais.

Bernoville was a major lecturer in homeopathy, and he was active in Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis, and a founder of the le Syndicat national des médecins homœopathes français in 1932, and a member of the French Society of Homeopathy, and the Society of Homeopathy in the Rhone.

Fortier-Bernoville wrote several books, including Une etude sur Phosphorus (1930), L'Homoeopathie en Medecine Infantile (1931), his best known Comment guerir par l'Homoeopathie (1929, 1937), and an interesting work on iridology, Introduction a l'etude de l'Iridologie (1932).

With Louis-Alcime Rousseau, he wrote several booklets, including Diseases of Respiratory and Digestive Systems of Children, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Rheumatism, treatment of hay fever (1929), The importance of chemistry and toxicology in the indications of Phosphorus (1931), and Homeopathic Medicine for Children (1931). He also wrote several short pamphlets, including What We Must Not Do in Homoeopathy, which discusses the logistics of drainage and how to avoid aggravations.

He was an opponent of Kentian homeopathy and a proponent of drainage and artificial phylectenular autotherapy as well.