Yet others emphasize that its action does pile up in the patient to a most dangerous degree. This danger being known, it is little short of wickedness when this is not stated as a warning. The following are brief extracts from a number of standard orthodox medical works:.
“There is no evidence of benefit from Digitalis in pneumonia, except in a possible 5 per cent. of cases. There is actual harm to the patient if the drug is given until its toxic symptoms appear. There is no justification for its routine use as is the custom in so many hospitals. There is considerable danger in prescribing Digitalis. Digitalis requires the greatest caution to avoid toxic (poisonous) symptoms. (From Massachusetts Board of Health warnings to the profession.).
Blumers edition of Billings-Forcheimer (Therapeutics of Medicine, Vol. II, p. 782 et seq.), frankly advises thus: “It is sufficient to Digitalize the heart (which flatly contradicts the warnings of the former authority and these contradictions appear throughout orthodox medical works.).
At this point I must quote what a very great homoeopathic author and college professor had to say about Digitalis. In his materia medica Dr. J. Tyler Kent pictures the drug thus: “Digitalis has done more mischief in orthodox hands than any other drug. Every patient who has a fast beating heart or anything the matter with the heart is given Digitalis. It has caused more deaths than any other drug.
The orthodox call it a sedative; yes, it is a sedative. It makes the patient very sedate. You have seen how sedate a patient looks after he has been in the hands of an undertaker and has on his best clothes.” That is what Digitalis does and yet it is one of the three chief drugs of the orthodox for pneumonia.
When an average orthodox doctor thinks he dare not give another drop of Digitalis he turns at once to Strophanthin, or Strophanthine. It is mentioned in all their medical works.
Strophanthine (Massachusetts Board of Health advice, page 148). This drug is warmly advocated by Meara and others, but it should not be given in a case of pneumonia when Digitalis has been given JUST PREVIOUSLY, as instances of sudden death following its use have been recorded.
The action of Strophanthine is but little more prompt than Digitalis and because of the danger attending its use it seems to be of little value, etc.” Keeping in mind and having to guess at what is meant by “not just previously” I turn to the Quick Reference Book of Medicine and Surgery, by Dr. Rehberger of Johns Hopkins University, sixth edition and read that “it must not be used for at least two days after Digitalis has been administered.
It may cause paralysis of the voluntary and involuntary heart muscle by direct action (and this is printed notice is found under Strophanthine, yet under Digitalis there is no word of warning that Strophanthine must not follow on Digitalis. Here indeed is a very great danger and who waits “two whole days” in any pneumonia case to give the next dose of medicine?.
In this connection one more quotation is absolutely necessary and if anything I suggest that it almost puts the last two authors in the “criminal negligence category.”.
I read in Blumers Billings-Forcheimers Therapeutics of Internal Diseases, Vol. II, p. 792. “Never give Strophanthine to those who have had Digitalis. Cases of death follow. Strophanthine should under no circumstances whatever be given if Digitalis has been employed any time within at least a week.” Here are some death dealing eros in standard orthodox professional works having International sue and very large sales.
My dear orthodox colleague please explain to me, what happens to all those thousands of patients who get the two drugs after “two days interval”, whilst the number who have had the combination of these two drugs though “not just previously” whatever that may mean, why – God help them and the orthodox men who follow that advice.
If the authority who demands that “full seven days must elapse between Strophanthine and Digitalis or they will kill” is correct then many have been just “plain killed-by-misadventure-or- ignorance” and perhaps this explains the 30 per cent. death rate in some degree.
Having quoted from American authorities, I must now quote a British source, as this is mainly fro a British reading public. Turn to The Principles and Practice of Medicine written by the late Sir William Osler, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University and formerly of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and later at McGills University at Montreal, professorships which proclaim his pre-eminence in orthodox matters. Recent editions are by Dr. McCrae. It has run to the eleventh edition with well over a quarter of a million copies sold.
A weak feature in this work is that “may be tried is used, as also “may be given” which sounds like experiments on the sick. For pneumonia this work advises Optochin, a Quinine derivative, explaining that “experiments on the sick. For pneumonia this work advises Optochin, a Quinine derivative, explaining that “experimentally on mice its value is encouraging but scarcely good enough.” Further an overdose of this drug causes disturbances of vision.
Bleeding is again in fashion (orthodox) to be done. “late in the disease”. If my memory does not play me false, Sir Clifford Allbutt (Regius Professor or Medicine at Cambridge University) suggests bleeding early. So the profession may toss up, having equal authority, early or late, whatever happens.
Oslers book advises Serum,contrary to many U.S.A. authorities. Vaccines are of no value “now”, though they had their experimental rage a few years ago.
Here is a jar for the profession (and some patients). Osler and McCrae advise Digitalis and Strophanthine for pneumonias in adjoining lines (page 105, eleventh edition) with absolutely no mention of any dangers. There is, moreover, no mention of any cumulative power and danger when speaking of Digitalis, and as their dose of this drug when given is XV minims three or four times daily, one must wonder what has happened to thousands of pneumonia cases so treated.
To quieten the nervous system Osler and Co. advise Bromides, Chloral hydrate, Morphia, Barbital (so recently sternly warned against by Sir William Willcox). Osler and Co. also advise Codein, Heroin, and Morphia to quieten the cough and they warn that “expectorant drugs upset the stomach”. There is not much comfort to be gained from a survey of this book which has been sold well in excess of 250,000 copies.
THE DEADLINESS OF ORTHODOX INCOMPETENCE.
I will now describe some homoeopathic remedies for pneumonia with a clearness of detail absolutely unknown an any orthodox medical work. I think a few orthodox medicos may read these lines. To such I say: Have you every watched one of your own family die, feeling that the illness need not, should not, have ended in death? Did you ever, in the chill silent hours of a long sleepless night wonder what those homoeopaths would do for such a case which was weighing you down ? Perhaps you even cursed your orthodox Materia Medica teachers and all your medical works. Well, you can learn what the homoeopaths would do and have done.
To the laity I say: Whilst you are waiting to obtain a professed homoeopathic doctor study homoeopathy seriously and “HEAL THYSELF” will help you. With care you cannot lose half the cases that the orthodox practitioner does. Shun all “fever-breakers”. They kill. The heart burdened by a pneumonia cannot stand the extra load of a fever-breaker not Digitalis, Strophanthine, Heroin, etc.
The following homoeopathic remedies help us to keep our death rate at under 5 per cent. in public hospitals though in private practice I thoroughly believe the death rate is very much lower.
Aconite (3x, 6x to 30). At the first possible moment, when it is thought that a chill has been contracted, which may turn into many things and when shivers and shudderings are first noted, take doses of Aconite every fifteen minutes. As favourable reaction is felt take every two hours.
Stop medicine the moment the patient feels better. Let the drug work on. It may be found in a few hours that the chill has been conquered and the normal restored. So always have a bottle of homoeopathically diluted Aconite on hand. When a chill is more serious, besides the shiverings some fever will be felt. Continue the Aconite until it is felt that there is some local congestion, when another drug must be considered whose symptoms compare with the new disease symptoms.
The new and local symptoms will fix the attention of the patient or the attendant so consider them at once. It is not necessary to wait until pneumonia is apparent. This cannot be told well under twenty-four hours, when precious time has been lost, but of Aconite has been taken immediately the slightest chill has been felt any threatened trouble will have been reduced in severity or thwarted entirely.
The most common serious symptoms requiring Aconite are as follows. Mind: Great fear and anxiety; fears he will be ill a long time, very restless. Head: Fullness, heavy, hot, bursting pain, burning heat, vertigo, worse on rising and in extreme cases the mind may wander even to some delirium. The eyes feel hot and dry. Face is red, hot, flushed, or one cheek is red and the other pale (this is more often seen in the very young). Chest: oppressed breathing, shortness of breath, hoarse dry cough, with all symptoms worse at night and after midnight.
