NOTES FROM DOCTORS CASE BOOK
BY A HOMOEOPATHIC DOCTOR IN THE PROVINCES.
THE man who knows nothing of homoeopathy most likely will exclaim, “What on earth has homoeopathy to do with surgery?” Such a query is a perfectly reasonable one until it is realized what Homoeopathy can accomplish. It is here that one great distinction between the old school medicine and the new is so marked. Homoeopathic remedies can be of great use to the surgeon, both before and after operations. In fact, many instances are on record where the indicated homoeopathic remedy was sufficient to cure without any surgical interference. The records of cases which follow these introductory remarks are given with the object of showing what homoeopathy can do in case where there seems to be nothing for the patient but the surgeons knife.
CASE I.
Mrs. B., aged 56 years, complained of a swelling “towards the front”, which caused some discomfort on sitting. On examination a cystic swelling was found in the perineum. There was no suggestion of anything inflammatory about it. An operation had been advised by some medical adviser, but the patient declined. Calcarea carb. 200, three doses, spread over two months, cleared up the swelling.
A year or so after this, the married daughter of the above patient, aged 35 years, complained of a similar swelling. This also cleared up under Calcarea carb.
CASE II.
Mrs. D., aged 36 years. Four months after the birth of her baby the left breast became painful and inflamed. There were a number of irregular nodules in the breast and definite areas of fluctuation indicated the presence of pus. This was a case where the surgeon certainly seemed indicated. The patient declined any surgical interference, as she felt that homoeopathy could cure it. A series of remedies were given, including Silica, Sulphur and Graphites, and the breast was finally cleared up with Calcarea carb. 200, followed later by one dose of Calcarea carb. cm. (100,000).
There will probably be some among your readers who will condemn the treating of an abscess, and especially a breast abscess, at that, without using the knife. That criticism is perfectly correct if a man knows nothing about homoeopathic remedies and can only travel on the old orthodox lines. Listen to what Professor Kent says on that subject. “But in thinking from the old standpoint the physician who knows nothing about homoeopathy, and the wonders of our homoeopathic remedies, would hold up his hands in horror.
Why, if you produce a resorption of that pus into the system you will have blood poisoning and death. But under Calcarea this resorption does take place in some manner, and the patient improves”.
Improvement certainly did take place in the case we are quoting. Eight years after the breast remained to all intents and purposes normal, as the patient had had, during that time, two more babies which she suckled without any further trouble in the breast.
CASE III.
Mrs. T., aged 80 years. A hard lump in the right breast which had been present for some years; the knowledge of which she had concealed from every one. Phytolacca 30, given at intervals over some months, restored the breast to its normal state.
THE cases that now follow are taken from the records of the Southport Homoeopathic Cottage Hospital during the Great War. The first batch of wounded that arrived at that hospital were Belgian soldiers, whose wounds had not been attended to or dressed for three days; foul and evil-smelling were most of the injuries. Calendula used as a lotion worked marvels cleaning up and sweetening the foul wounds.
In cases where the dressing of the wounds caused much pain a few drops of Hypericum tincture added to the Calendula lotion enabled them to be dealt with with very bad case where there was a large area of muscle exposed in the upper and front part of the thigh, and below one portion very thinly covered was the Femoral artery pulsating. This wound had hitherto been dressed under an anaesthetic, but with Calendula and Hypericum there was no longer any need for anaesthesia.
CASE 1.
J.B.V., Corporal, Belgian Army, aged 21 years. Admitted to hospital with gunshot wound of the right hand. The bullet had passed through the hand shattering the third metacarpal bone. On the front and back of the hand was a nasty foul-smelling wound streaming with pus. Four hourly fomentations of Calendula were applied to the hand and Merc. sol. 6 was given twice daily.
This was on October 15th, 1914 and by the 26th of that month, the hand was so much better that dry dressings were applied. On October 28th, Hepar sulph. 6 was given two hourly to clear up some slight discharge that remained. This man regained the use of his hand and although not fit to be sent back to the firing line was eventually sent for duty to a wireless station in the Belgian Congo.
