I will now give an instance of what may be done with homoeopathy in cases that are in themselves hopeless. It frequently happens that cases of cancer are attended with constipation, and this may become the chief difficulty of a case. I have seen cases of cancer of the rectum relieved again and again by homoeopathy when purgatives or local treatment were quite out of the question. The case I will now relate was a case of cancer, but not of the rectum.
CASE XXXII. EXTREME CONSTIPATION COMPLICATING CANCER OF VAGINA
On Sept. 25, 1875, I was consulted by Miss, aged 50, who had been ill since the previous June, when she began to be troubled with a vaginal discharge. She took medical advice, and a cancerous condition of the passage was discovered. Three weeks before I saw her, some part of the growth had been removed by operation, and since then she had suffered so much pain that she had no rest night nor day. Bowels much confined; has had piles very badly since this illness came on. The periods had ceased for over a year. I found a very extensive cancerous growth in the vaginal wall, with a copious fetid discharge. The patient had a very bad family history, her father having died of cancer of the bladder. Whenever she sleeps she lies on her face. The last symptom, with others, pointed to Nitric acid, and I gave that medicine in the 12th attenuation every four hours, with doses of Scirrhinum at intervals. In a case which had developed so rapidly and to such an extent, it was not possible to hold out any hope of cure, but I thought much might be done to relieve.
The treatment was followed by great relief to the pain from the first dose of the Nitric acid. The offensive odour diminished very greatly. Slept well. At first the bowels were confined, and then they acted so much more easily that her friends thought the enema might be omitted. This was an error of judgment, for the trouble became worse afterwards.
About this time the patient having heard of the Cinnamon treatment of cancer, I was asked if I had any objection to her undergoing it. I replied that I had none, as I thought patients were justified in trying anything in desperate cases of the kind.
On Dec. 9, the friends came to me again and reported that though the cinnamon quieted the pain, its effect on the bowels was most unfortunate. They could hardly be got to act at all. The motions were like stones, and white as chalk. Piles very bad.
Rx Alumen 30 every four hours. Scirrhin. at bedtime.
Dec. 12. Bowels wonderfully relieved on 9th and 11th; does not complain of any pain only a soreness all over. Has slept well these two nights. Continue.
Dec. 16. Not had any pain since 9th. Has slept well, and had proper relief. Only obliged to have enema once.
She died very peacefully on January 15, having been unconscious eleven hours. She had no more pain and no trouble with the bowels to the end.
CASE XXXIII. INVETERATE CONSTIPATION.
Mr. H. D., an unmarried gentleman, 47, consulted me on November 30, 1903, for constipation of thirteen years duration. He has to take every night one or two, and sometimes three, cascara tabloids. He had been farming in a southern colony for twelve years, prior to 1890, and latterly had lived in the Channel Islands. When at school he had gone a fortnight on one occasion without an action. He had once had influenza; had been vaccinated three or four times, the last being in 1881. He felt well at sea. He was of fair complexion and bald. For twenty-four years he has had more or less nasal catarrh. He was subject to noises in the ears, and what troubled him most was an extraordinary sensation in the head at nights just as he was losing consciousness a sensation and sound as if clock-work went off in the head. This was very bad in the Colony, and began in 1884.
Rx Sulph. 30 on rising. Nux vomica 30 at bedtime.
I instructed him to leave off the cascara and use an enema if necessary, or a glycerine suppository, but not to trouble about getting an action every day.
Dec. 22, 1903. Bowels act a little better. Had to use enema once or twice.
Repeat. Jan. 15, 1904. So far remedies seem to have some effect, but to- day was obliged to use a suppository.
Rx Nat. mur. 30 every evening at bedtime.
Feb. 11, 1904. Since last writing had a motion every morning, though used a suppository on one occasion, as the stool was rather small and hard.
July 27, 1904. Bowels act daily but not quite so well. Stools lumpy of late.
Sulph. 30, and Nux 30, were now ordered. This was followed by Nat. mur. 30, Thuja 30, Antim crud. 30. All helped him, the last more especially, and this was repeated on July 26.
Sept. 8, 1904. Have again been constipated, but had a stool practically every day.
Nat. mur. 6x, gr. vi. 4, at bedtime.
Oct. 13, 1904. Since last report has had no attack of the sensation in the head till a week ago. For twenty years has never gone so long without an attack.
Rx Lycop. 30 at bedtime.
Dec. 21, 1904. “Every morning have had a perfectly satisfactory stool, not in the least constipated.
K It is fifteen years since this happened consecutively.”
Repeat. Feb. 18, 1905. His final report is as follows:- “It is now two months since I gave up taking any medicine, and I have had no return of the constipation, so I feel I am really cured”.
