From The Journal of the American Institute of Homoeopathy.
WHEN medical literature regarding the mortality of pneumonia treated according to orthodox methods still shows a high mortality, averaging 30 per cent, and over, for certain types, and one scans the January number of the Journal of the American Institute of Homoeopathy and finds an article on the treatment of pneumonia rejoicing in a mortality of 35 per cent., once is astounded at the lack of progress made in the treatment of this bacterial infection. But 10! If one investigates further, the discovery is made that homoeopathic medication is ignored in both sources mentioned.
One finds that regular homoeopaths still maintain that the average death rate of pneumonia when treated by unsoiled methods according to the principle of similar is seldom over 5 per cent. and some maintain a lower rate.
My experience when in general practice brought me in contact with a number of orthodox physicians and they all acknowledged their inability to cope with pneumonia, which is one of the shining examples of homoeopathic therapeutic success.
Our treatment of pneumonia was carried on along hygienic, dietetic, hydrotherapeutic and homoeopathic lines.
For the older dyed-in-the-wool homoeopaths, the following recital of personal experiences may be trite reading, but for the younger groups, now groping around for light, it may stimulate and encourage them to adhere to a medical system, which has proven its worth for over a century.
CASE I.
After conducting a funeral service at an open grave on a cold fall afternoon, our pastor reached home with a heavy chill and promptly went to bed. His usual remedy for an acute chill or cold was hot lemonade and some quinine pills, which were taken with no results. Late in the evening the patient with the exclamation “You are too late this time_ I am going to die-I caught cold once too often.” The temperature was 103 F., pulse hard, fast and strong, respiration laboured and voice affected. Skin was hot and dry. Examination showed flatness on percussion on right lower lobe and dry rales.
Here were presented a group of symptoms:
(I) Chill after exposure to cold wind.
(2) Anxiety-fear of death.
(3) Fever with fast, hard pulse.
(4) Dry hot skin.
(5) Hoarseness and dry cough-little or no expectoration, unable to collect specimen for diagnostic purposes.
This was a picture of Aconite.
Ten drops of Aconite 3x were given in a glass of water with orders to give a teaspoonful of this dilution half hourly until improvement set in.
Fruit juice were ordered. The family had some home-made raspberry juice which was diluted with water and administered frequently as it relieved the cough.
The next day the patient was better and at the end of the week the pastor was in the pulpit and praised God for his prompt recovery. Hahnemann should have shared the glory!.
CASE II.
While attending to my daily service at Broad Street Hospital, New York City, the superintendent was taken with lobar pneumonia and placed himself in the care of the medical chief, an orthodox physician of diagnostic ability.
All the staff regularly inquired concerning the condition of the patient and after more than one weeks illness the attending physician accosted the writer in the hall and stated, “I am afraid the superintendent is slipping away; his pneumonia is not resolving, his cough, temperature, respiration and pulse are unsatisfactory. Have you as a Homoeopath anything to suggest?” The chart showed that the patient had been ill ten days, had received codeine for the cough, digitalis to support the heart and whisky as a diffusible stimulant. Beef tea and other inappropriate foods were in the dietary.
He was placed in a semi-recumbent position to help his respiration and had excellent nursing care.
An examination of the chart showed the typing to be III and this knowledge appeared to dampen the spirits of the attending physician.
We advised suspending the codeine, digitalis and whisky at once.
The particular symptoms presented by this patient for homoeopathic analyses were the following: .
(I) Patient was anxious and nervous, scolding about his food, claiming it was not satisfying-always hungry.
(2) He had dyspnoea, a dry cough with sharp pains when coughing. Stethoscopic examination showed complete involvement of the right lung.
(3) Patient craved air, wanted the bed clothes lifted and aired, he objected to being warm. The indicated remedy, Iodine, was selected on these symptoms.
Two drops of the tincture of iodine in a glass of warmed raw milk to be given thus every two hours until further notice.
Sectional sponging of the body with hot mittens, twice a day was advised.
Fruit juices were offered hourly to increase the alkalinity of the blood plasma.
The patient responded and in one week was ambulant.
Two McGill University interns who were attending to the usual details approached the writer after attending convalescence with their little notebooks in which they had written: Dr. Dieffenbachs treatment for pneumonia: “Two drops tincture of iodine in a glass of raw milk every two hours”.
The writer was obliged to disabuse the interns and inform them that some other remedy might be indicated in the next pneumonic infection, but this philosophy was not appreciated by these physicians with orthodox training. The regular attending physician refused to admit that Homoeopathy had anything to do with the recovery, but the superintendent believes otherwise.
CASE III.
Late one evening the telephone bell rang and a voice at the other end requested the writer to come to Rye, N.Y., some distance from the city, to visit a former patient who had developed pneumonia after la gripe and was attended by a a Johns Hopkins graduate. The latter had announced to the family that after battling for twelve days for his patient, he believed the end to be near and that they should prepare for the worst. After this pronouncement the call was sent to me, as the former family physician. On arrival at midnight, three nurses were found walking about in fur coats with all windows wide open. The doctor presented the chart, on which was noted a mixed pneumonic infection, with type II predominant.
The medication noted was morphine, 1/8, whisky, digitalis and urotropin. The patient was semi-conscious, muttering and unable to respond to my greeting. A rapid examination of the confirmed a bilateral involvement. Consolidation especially in the right side.
Patient was delirious at times, picking at the bed clothes and extremely restless. Head was hot and congested.
Temperature at time of visit, 104 F., pulse irregular, but fairly strong. Incontinence of urine and faeces had supervened.
After discussing the situation with the Johns Hopkins graduate he suggested that I use any method familiar to me as he was prepared to sign the death certificate the next day.
I prepared to spend the night at the home and as a first measure ordered all windows closed to prevent chilling of the body and ventilation was secured indirectly. The nurses were shown the technic for hot, sectional ablutions and were ordered to keep up this measure for several hours to increase elimination of toxins through the skin.
The remedies morphine, urotropin, urotropin, digitalis and whisky were set aside and ten drops of Hyoscyamus niger 3x were given diluted in a glass of water-one teaspoon of this dilution every half hour until improvement set in. This remedy was suggested by the following symptoms:.
(I) Congested head (pia mater); delirium; semiconsciousness; chattering; muttering.
(2) Attempts to uncover-picking at the bed clothes.
(3) Shallow breathing. Dry cough.
(4) Incontinence of faeces and urine.
(5) Difficulty in swallowing.
Fruit juices and dilute Kalak water were offered frequently to combat the acidemia.
The attending physician admitted he had never heard of the use of Hyoscyamus in pneumonia, but did not interfere with any of our suggestions. He said he was through. On his visit the next day he confirmed that the patient had improved. The patient recognized the visitors and spoke a few words. His temperature as compared with previous mornings was better; his toxemia appeared to be relieved.
The hygienic measures, the alkaline water and fruit juice were continued and the Hyoscyamus was suspended.
It had done its work!.
The next day phosphoric acid controlled the incontinence of faeces and urine and this was followed by indicated remedies and convalescence was had in ten days.
The John Hopkins graduate in discussing the result attained attributed it to the hydrotherapeutic measures which relieved the toxemia and ignored the value therapeutically of the homoeopathic remedies selected.
some six months later on meeting a member of the family, I was informed that this physician had himself died of pneumonia a short time previously, no doubt under orthodox auspices.
CASE IV.
A recent patient, a member of the family, aged 89, was afflicted with an cute cold which developed into broncho- pneumonia.
There was a fairly high fever, dry cough which sometimes brought up blood-streaked mucus. The pulse rate was not increased and the condition relaxed and weak.
