(From the Journal of the American Institute of Homoeopathy.).
PNEUMONIA is one of the most serious of the acute diseases. It has been known to be “Captain of Death,” killing more of its victims in a single year than any other disease whether acute or chronic. Considering this record it becomes obvious that a remedy that will cure pneumonia is as a priceless pearl to the human race.
When a diagnosis of pneumonia has been made the patient is struck with fear ; members of the family burst into tears ; the doctor feels an increased tension of responsibility ; even the atmosphere and surroundings seem changed. Spurred on by these conditions the Old School of medicine is redoubling its efforts to discover a serum that will cure pneumonia.
Several years ago I had in consultation, on a case of pneumonia, an allopathic physician who was a noted lung specialist. To a few nurses and myself he made some remarks about the disease in which he said : “Pneumonia is an acute inflammatory disease of the lungs which must run its course. If the patient has the strength to with stand the onslaught of the disease he lives ; if not, he dies.
All the doctor can do is to keep the patient as comfortable as possible by controlling the pain ; by regulating the diet ; by keeping the bowels open ; and doing whatever needs to be don. As far as any medicine is concerned, there is no remedy on earth that will shorten the disease one day or one hour”.
Every follower of Hahnemann knows, however, that there are remedies that will cure pneumonia and cure it very quickly. If the proper remedy is given, the disease will be cut short and never reach a crisis. On the fourth or fifth day the inflammation will subside and the temperature will return to normal by lysis. The all-important thing is to know how to select the remedy.
The Organon teaches over and over again that one must prescribe for the patient instead of the disease. Pneumonia will cause every patient to reveal certain characteristic symptoms peculiar to himself that must be known or the correct simillimum cannot be found. To prescribe on common symptoms will always meet with failure. Take time enough to write out all the symptoms of the case.
Hahnemann, the master, did that. Then eliminate all of the disease symptoms and the remaining symptoms will point to the correct remedy. If the remedy cannot be seen offhand consult the Materia Medica or work the case out in the Repertory. If you work according to Hahnemanns Organon of Medicine you will seldom see a crisis in pneumonia. I dont think that any doctor should take the credit for curing a case of pneumonia if the case goes on to a crisis. Nature effected the cure.
Our Homoeopathic Armamentarium for pneumonia is very rich and full eighty-nine remedies in all. Eighteen of these remedies are in black-faced type in the Repertory and are very frequently indicated in this disease. Fifty-five remedies are in italics and have second place in the Repertory. The remaining sixteen remedies are printed in common type and occupy third place. Any one of these remedies may be needed to cure the patient afflicted with pneumonia.
Arsenicum album is a medicine that is very often needed to cure pneumonia. When this remedy is indicated the first thing we see in the patient with great fear of face. He is an anxious, restless patient with great fear of death. The fear of death is sometimes concealed from the doctor, but the patients family is aware of it. He has a fear of being alone ; wants someone in the room ; someone holding his hand or in bed with him. Company drives away his fears. He is very chilly and cold ; loves heat ; wants to be warmly covered. Heat relieves all his pains except the pains of the head which may be better from cold.
If he is hot, kicks off the covers for relief, Arsenicum will do him no good. Aggravation from heat will rule Arsenicum out of any totality.
The patient says, “I am sick. I have never been as sick as this before. I am so weak that I can hardly turn over,” but he does turn and he keeps on turning. Weakness is a strong general symptoms. At night his delirium comes on and he talks and talks. He is generally worse after midnight from one till two oclock and in the after-noon from one till two. The morning relieves him and the delirium passes away.
He always has thirst, generally for small quantities as in Bryonia. If Arsenicum album is given in dynamic form ; say in the two hundred one. M, or ten M potencies in repeated doses, there will be improvement on all fronts, just as Hahnemann says, “in a few hours” and the case will go on to rapid recovery.
Bryonia is probably more frequently indicated in pneumonia than any other remedy. The first thing to meet the eye is the dark, dusky, venous face, and the stillness of the patient. He has a terrible dread on motion. Every moves causes pain. His inflammation is generally in the right lung and he lies curled up in bed on the painful side. He screams out with every cough or deep inspiration and tries to hold the chest with his hands to prevent the sharp sticking pains.
The Bryonia patient is very morose and irritable ; he wants to be left alone. Vertigo comes on if he rises up in bed. Nine oclock in the evening is his worst time of the day. His delirium will begin at nine oclock and run through the night. He talks of his work and always wants to go home. He is always so worried because he is away from home. His mouth is dry, his tongue is brown and he has thirst for large quantities of water at long intervals, his breath is short and panting, and he generally raises a little rusty sputum to cinch the diagnosis. He is a very easy patient to take care of because he doesnt want anything done.
Mercurius becomes the priceless pearl in many pneumonia cases. As a rule, when mercury is indicated, you will detect the mercurial odour. The mercurial sweat which does not relieve will also be present. Add to that the thermometer-like changeability of the patient ; he is either too hot or too cold, first covering up, then uncovering. He is aggravated from lying on the right side ; his cough will invariably be worse from lying on that side. Given such a case as this and mercury will most surely cure.
Phosphorus, one of our greatest chest remedies, is very frequently needed to simplify and clear up a case of pneumonia. It is especially useful in the hepatization stage. When Phosphorus is indicated there is a great deal of pain in the chest, weakness, constriction, tightness, a tight cough ; and the cough is worse from lying on the lift side. The patient holds the chest with his hands during the cough as in Bryonia.
There is much prostration. anxiety and burning. If he has also a violent thirst for ice-cold drink it is a Phosphorus case, and nothing but Phosphorus will cure. Ipecacuanha is a remedy that is indicated now and then for a case of pneumonia. It will be recognized by its continuous and constant nausea, its coarse rales in the chest, and thirstlessness during fever.
Lachesis is a remedy that is very often needed in a pneumonia. There is the well-known Lachesis aggravation during and after sleep, which is always present ; the to spread from the left to the right ; the venous congestion the dusky face, the loquacity, the aggravation from heat, and the tendency to choke and smother from warm drinks and during sleep. Lachesis is a deep-acting medicine and is capable of curing any case if the symptoms agree.
We have one remedy handed down by Samuel Hahnemann that will cure more cases than any other remedy after the case has gone on to hepatization. That remedy is Sulphur. The Sulphur patient is thirsty, delirious, restless, and covered with sweat. The nurse finds it impossible to keep his feet covered. It is surprising how quickly Sulphur will turn a case such as this back when it seems to be going towards a fatal issue.
