(From The Homoeopathic Recorder, July, 1890).
CASE No. 1. A gentleman, a broker, aged about 45, had Otorrhoea from infancy, affecting both the ears. In March, 1884, he had an attack of Syphilis, with buboes. He had mercurial treatment at the hands of an Allopathic physician. After the cure of the primary-sore and the buboes, symptoms of secondary Syphilis, affecting mostly the mucous-surfaces, made their appearance, on account of which the patient had sore mouth, sore throat, and sore in the nostrils. He had Iodoform application in the nostrils for about six months, with no benefit whatever.
On the contrary the sores in the nostrils, mouth and throat, which almost prevented his swallowing even liquids, continued increasing. The Otorrhoea, which was in existence from infancy, also increased so as to threaten deafness. The brain, too, seemed to me to have been affected, on account of which the patient felt dizziness in the head, and Vertigo constantly. The gentleman consulted me in the beginning of March, 1887.
On hearing the history of his case, I prescribed Nitric acid 1x, in water, in one-drop doses; three such doses daily. After a week I saw the patient again, when I found sore mouth much improved, and the sore in the nostrils much better; but the Otorrhoea remained in the same state as when I saw him first. The nose and the ears emitted such a foetid smell that one sitting by him would be inclined to nausea and vomiting, not to speak of the great annoyance which the patient himself felt on that account.
The discharges from the ears and nose continued as profuse and foetid as before. I ordered Nitric acid 1x again, as before. After a week I saw the patient again. On examination I found no sore mouth, no sore throat; but the Otorrhoea and ulceration in the nostrils continued in the same state as before, in spite of the above treatment. I now prescribed Aurum met. 6, in water, three doses daily. There was no improvement either in the nostrils or the ears even after two weeks treatment with this agent.
I now prescribed Aurum met. 30, three doses daily, for two weeks. No improvement still. On the contrary, the nostrils became blocked up by the dried-up foetid discharges, on account of which the patient could breathe only through the mouth. The Otorrhoea also remained in the same state as before. Upon this I prescribed Aurum met. 200, a dose every other day, at bedtime at night. I found no change whatever for the better, either in the ears or in the nose by this treatment even in four weeks.
But one hopeful sign, which I noticed, was that the disease did not increase. I then thought of giving the case up as hopeless, and accordingly told the relations and friends of the patient my opinion and at the same time told them to change the treatment if they liked. But the patient who seemed to have been much disgusted with Allopathic treatment would not change the treatment, in spite of the very strong remonstrances from his friends and relations, and he insisted upon my treating him for a couple of months more. I now prescribed Aurum met. 2x trit., in 1/2 grain doses, thrice daily.
On the eighth day I saw the patient again, and, on examination, I found Otorrhoea much better; ulceration in the nostrils much better, no foetid discharges either from the ears or the nose; the discharges having changed into a thin matter which was very small in quantity. The patient now felt no difficulty in breathing through the nostrils. He took his food well. He now felt little or no inconvenience either on account of the ears or the nose. I ordered Aurum met. 2x trit., again, a dose every other day, at bedtime at night.
After a week, I saw the patient again. I found there were no discharges from the ears or the nose or any ulceration in them, but the patient complained of much general debility, so much so, that he was quite disinclined to speak even a word, and he wanted his friends and relations near him to let him alone. I stopped the medicine, and prescribed Cod-liver oil and generous diet, consisting chiefly of home-made bread, meat, some vegetables, disallowing him milk altogether, as, I believe, milk induces an increase in the pus-forming elements of the blood. Four weeks after this I saw the patient again, when I found him quite well.
His weakness had gone, he had felt no pain, no inconvenience, either in the ears or the nose, except a little hardness of hearing in the left ear, and a little of nasal tone while speaking. He continued the Cod-liver oil and the diet for six months more. I saw him last in August, 1887. Since then he did not see me, because I was away from Calcutta for a year and a half. He saw me here in October last, when he said he had nothing to complain of except a little nasal tone during speaking and a little hardness of hearing in the left ear.
CASE NO. II. A woman, aged about 20, had an attack of Syphilis in February, 1885. She said she was treated by a Nature Doctor, attached to a Coolie-Depot, who, I understand, gave her Mercurial preparations, both externally and internally. The Primary Sore was cured in one month. In May, 1886, she consulted me. She said that she felt as if she had sores in her mouth, throat and the nose, with much foetor from the nose, which annoyed her and the people around her very much. I at once prescribed Nitric acid 1x, in water, in one-drop doses; three such doses daily. On the fourth day from the commencement of my treatment the patient came to me.
I examined her and found the sores in the mouth and throat much better. I ordered the continuance of the Nitric acid 1x as before, for a week. On the twelfth day the patient came to me again and said that she felt as if she had no sore in the mouth or the throat; but the sore in the nostrils grew worse and emitted a very foetid smell, which made her sick, and the discharges, which were very thick and profuse, almost blocked up the passages of the nostrils, on account of which she could breathe only through the mouth, which again, on account of the foetor, induced nausea and even vomiting. She also felt a depression at the bridge of the nose, which distorted the organ.
I prescribed Aurum met. 2x trit., in 1/2 grain doses, thrice daily, for two weeks, after which she came to me again, when I found, on examination, no discharges from the nose, nor any foetor from it; but thick crusts, formed by the drying up of the discharges, obstructing the passages of the nostrils, which again obstructed breathing through the nose, and she felt a kind of burning and tensive uneasiness in the nostrils.
I advised the application of a piece of lint, soaked in Olive oil, to the nostrils and to see me the next morning. The next morning, on examination, I found that the crusts were softened. By means of a pair of forceps I took off the crusts form both the nostrils and found that the ulceration there had almost healed up. I continued Aurum met. 2x trit., a dose daily at bedtime, at night, for a week, after which the patient came to me. I then found no ulceration in the nostrils and the patient said that she felt no pain or inconvenience whatever, except a nasal tone, which she felt during speaking and that she felt very weak.
I advised her to take Cod-liver oil, three drops at noon and three drops at night, after meals. She continued Cod-liver oil till June, 1887. I did not see her till September 12th last, when she came and told me that the object of her present visit to me was “to thank” me for a very “marvellous cure” of her “disease”.
On the 8th of October last she came to me and said that she felt much pain in the region of both the Ovaries and that the pain she felt was of an intermittent and throbbing character, and it troubled her so much that she said she often thought of committing suicide during its paroxysms. On examination, I found the ovaries much swollen and indurated, feeling like a Chondroma. She also felt much tensive uneasiness in the eyes. On examination, I found that she had Conjunctivitis, looking like what we generally see in Syphilitic patients. On inquiry I learned that she had this complaint since the attack of Syphilis.
She also complained that she was “gradually getting blind”. I sent her to the Ophthalmic Hospital of the Medical College here for a careful examination of her eyes. After examination the hospital authorities granted her a ticket in which I saw it stated that her case was one of “Chronic Conjunctivitis and Opacity of the Cornea”, “probably of a Syphilitic origin”. She also complained of bone-pain, especially at night, and also a shooting pain in the regions of both the kidneys which tormented her beyond measure. The eyelids were found oedematous. This last symptom led me to suspect the presence of Albumen in the urine. On a careful examination of a morning urine, I detected a very appreciable quantity of Albumen.
Now, on a careful study of the Pathogenesis of Aurum, I found that the symptoms of the drug almost corresponded with the symptoms which the patient complained of. So I at once prescribed Aurum met. 2x trit., in one-grain doses three such doses daily. In two weeks time all the trouble she complained of was over the Opacity of the Cornea had gone, and no pain or inconvenience was felt in the eyes; there was no pain, hardness or swelling in the ovaries; the menstruation which remained suppressed for a long time, reappeared; the bone-pain (I think Periostitis) also disappeared.
