Girl P., 3 years.
On my return from a journey, the doctor who was working in my place informed me that he is very much anxious about a girl since four days. The girl is suffering from a grave form of bronchopneumonia. I knew the child, who, last winter was attacked by the same disease and I had great difficulty to cure her.
I found the following symptoms: high fever, small, rapid thready pulse. Paleness of the face and cyanosis of the extremities, general coldness, cold sweats. Fanning of the nostrils. Nausea, incontinence of stools and urine. By auscultation, the two lungs are full of rales of all types, the seats of the rales have the character of gurgling. The cough has become rare, expectoration impossible. Thirst for cold water. Complete anorexia. The parents have lost one girl who suffered from bronchopneumonia three years ago.
On the mothers side there is the history of serious tubercular antecedents: a brother had been discharged from military service and was given pension because of a double pleuropneumonial congestion, followed by sero-fibrinous pleurisy of the right lung. Had since then condensation of the lung and asthma in the winter. Two brothers died of tubercular meningitis when young. The mother herself suffered from repeated bronchitis, had slight attack of asthma at the age between 16 to 20 years. Had suppurated adenitis in the second infancy. If I believe in the antecedents, I thought the prognosis should be grave.
Prescriptions: Antimonium tartaricum 30, two granules every three hours.
On the following day, slight amelioration of the appearance and of the general symptoms. Stethoscopic symptoms are stationary.
Aviary 100 one dose.
Antimonium tartaricum, 30 every three hours.
Immediate amelioration. I replaced Antimonium tartaricum by Ipeca 6, alternated every two hours with Bryonia.
The fever subsided. The condition of the heart is better. Auscultation reveals a considerable diminution of the rales, the child expectorated while vomiting, grayish sputum, having a bad smell. It can sit up on the bed alone and asks for food. It is irritable, pushes its mother and the doctor. Lycopodium 30 is added to Ipeca and Bryonia, one dose in the evening.
Two days after, the girls is in full convalescence. Pulsatilla 6, Sulphur iodatum 6, are prescribed for five days. Cure without further complication.
Inspite of the gravity of the case I made a strict homoeopathic treatment without the help of a cardiac tonic, of a colloidal metal or injections of oxygen.
Case II.
A child of 13 months, male, of a camp. March 1931.
The child is suffering from asphyxia; it was in a deplorable hygienic condition: in a poor filthy condition, in an icy barrack open on all sides. The mother refuses to hospitalise it. Generalised capillary bronchitis. Cold sweats, collapse, liquid diarrhoea with incontinence. Death seemed inevitable.
Carbo vegetabilis 30, to be taken as early as possible.
Camphora 6, to be taken every hour.
Antimonium crudum 30, every two hours.
Next morning the child has better respiration. Same treatment.
In the evening the fever rises, but the respiratory condition is clearly better. Some coughs with small expectoration. Agitation alternating with prostration. Thirst for small quantity of cold water.
Aviary 100 one dose.
Ipeca 6.
Arsenicum album 30.
Bryonia 6.
Progressive amelioration. Cure within four days.
Case III
A child of 6 months, male. February, 1932.
Parents came to my chamber after 19Km of journey, in an insufficiently closed coach. The child was covered in heaps of covers, Snow was falling since two days, penetrating cold, eastern wind.
They informed that since the morning the child has 40*.5 fever, that it is coughing and suffocating. The child is agitated, burning with fixed eyes. I scolded the parents for having subjected the child to make such a long journey in snowy weather. Their answer was that they wanted their child to be treated by me and they found no other way but to come directly to me.
By auscultation: Tubular sound of the base of the right lung with some crepitant rales. I told my diagnosis to the parents and I prescribed.
Aconite 6, granules every two hours.
I saw the child next days at noon. Temperature 38.2*. The rale is more soft, tubular sound is diminished. Cough, nausea.
Ipecac,
Phosphorus 30.
The next day the temperature is 3.5*. Cure in 43 hours.
Case IV
Girl, 11 months. December 1932.
Broncho-pneumonia both sides affected. Familial tuberculinism. Pauperism. Bad hygienic condition; psychological misery. Slight fever (loss of defense reaction), small pulse, rapid. Prostration and delirium. Weak cough superficial respiration. Fanning of the nostrils. External coldness. I had not great hope to cure the child.
Treatment: Pyrogenium 30.
Phosphorus 30.
Antimonium tartaricum 3x.
The next day, the condition is stationary: however the pulse has become more rapid. The child is less prostrated.
Treatment : Antimonium tartaricum 3x.
Arsenic 30.
Progressive amelioration. Two days after I repeated Phosphorus 30 and replaced Antimonium by Ipeca and now Arsenic 30 once a day and in a week I obtained the cure.
Treatment during the convalescence: Arsenicum iodatum, pulsatilla and later on Marmoreck.
Case V.
Child of 2 and a half month, male. November 1932. Breast fed. Familial tubercular and syphilitic antecedents. Fifteen days ago series of asthmatic fits. Child is puny, pale, nervous and does not sleep. Chill while changing clothes after a diarrhoea. Capillary bronchitis with suffocation, violet colour of the face, agitation, want of air.
Treatment: Sambucus 3x, gtt. III every two hours.
Antimonium tartaricum 30, 2 granules every two hours.
Marmoreck 30 one dose.
The child struggles between life and death for 48 hours, then his condition becomes better. The symptoms of capillary bronchitis diminished, but at night towards 1 O’ clock it has fits of asthma with suffocation.
Treatment : Sambucus 1x.
Arsenicum album 30.
Ipeca 6.
The fits diminished and finally disappeared after a week. I continued the treatment for 3 months and I was able to avoid all dangerous pathological conditions.
Case VI.
A girl of 7 months. December, 1932.
A young mother came to me and told me with tears the following facts: her baby of 7 months (mixed feeling) was attacked with whooping cough clearly confirmed since about 10 days. Treatment: Vaccins (neodmety’s, Clin’s Vaccin) and soothing potions. Since. four days, a broncho-pneumonia is declared. Three doctors met and they declared that the child was lost, and gave no prescription. At one glance I found that the condition of the child is what one calls ” It has only last breath if life.” Coma, closed eyelids, pale with spots of cyanosis, preagonical coldness. It seemed that the child will lose its last breath by the slightest movement. Told the mother to take the child in arms so that I may examine it. Temperature 30*. Imperceptible pulse cannot be counted. Short, jerky respiration. Bilateral bronchopneumonia with multiple points of hepatisation of different maturity. Excessively rapid heart. Embryo cardiac rhythm.
I confirmed the prognosis of my colleagues and said to the mother that the child is moribund. Perhaps I will not be of any help. Nevertheless I did my duty and prescribed the homoeopathic remedy of agony Carbo vegetabilis 200, one dose. I told the mother to inform me next morning if the child was not dead. Early in the next morning I was called in the phone and was told: Doctor please come soon, my baby is living, it is moving its feet. The child seemed in fact less moribund. It is covered with cold sweats, it was moving its lips. Respiration seemed deeper when the mother fans it. It has sipped a few drops of water.
I repeat Carbo vegetabilis 30, accompanied by Camphora 6 one dose.
In the evening the child opened its eyes; it is very much violet, slight cough. Temperature 38.5
Treatment: Antimonium tartaricum 200 one dose.
Carbo vegetabilis is stopped
On the following day apparent amelioration. The child opens its eyes move its extremities, drinks some water and mother’s milk. Less cyanosed, less asphyxiated.
Prescription: Antimonium tartaricum 30 every two hours.
In the evening, temperature is 39*. I told the mother that the child is saved because I found that with better febril reaction, there is amelioration of all the symptoms. Added to my treatment:
Arsenic 30, one dose.
Pertussin 30, one dose the following day.
The whooping-cough appeared. Auscultation revealed some signs of bronchitis. The fits of whooping cough are 20 during 24 hours. The child vomited mucous.
Treatment : Ipeca 3x.
Corallia 6.
The fever falls. Everything goes well. There is no more any question of bronchopneumonia and in eight days the whooping cough is cured.
Case VII
Child 3 years. Male December 1932.
The neighbour of the above child came to see me for the same pathological conditions. A whooping cough maltreated by vaccination for the three weeks. No more prescription, for hygienic adjuvant, becomes complicated with broncho-pneumonia. The condition is less grave than that of the preceding case. It is child of two years, robust with a massive seat blocking the whole lower lobe of the right lung. It has suffocation and is completely asphyxiated. Lying on its back, cyanosed, with dilated pupils. froth in the mouth, complete incontinence of stools and urine. Temperature 41* It was an evening towards 6 O’clock. I prescribed Antimonium tartaricum 200, one dose. The following day at 11, I saw the patient. It was lying calm and breathing more freely. After the dose of Antimonium tart it vomited a great quantity of mucous, thick, mixed with frothy matter. Temperature 39*. Treatment Ipeca 6.
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.