VACCINOSIS AND ITS CURE BY THUJA


These are the simple facts of the case, though they look very like piling up the agony. Now for the remedy. The resources of allopathy had been exhausted,and moreover, I have no confidence in them anyway; Homoeopathy-and good Homoeopathy, too, for the men tried knew their work-had also failed. Do-nothing, now much in vogue, had fared no better.


Observation VI.

This case (which came under observation on January 9th, 1882) is one of considerable interest on various accounts. Its subject, a lady of high rank, over fifty years of age, had been in turns, and for many years,under almost all the leading oculists of London for this neuralgia of the eyes, i.e. terrible pain at the back of the eyes, coming on in paroxysms and confining her to her room for many days together; some attacks would last for six weeks. Some of the neuralgic pain, however, remained at all times.

Her eyes had been examined by almost every notable occulist in London, and no one could find anything wrong with them structurally, so it was unanimously agreed to be neuralgia of the fifth nerve. Of course no end of tonics, anodynes, and alternatives had been used. The oculists sent her to the physicians, and these back again to the oculists. The late Dr. Quin and other leading homoeopaths had been tried, but “no one had ever touched it”.

Latterly, and for years, she had tried nothing; whenever an attack came on, she would remain in her darkened bedroom, with her head tied up, bewailing her fate. To me she exclaimed, “My existence is one life-long crucifixion !”.

I should have stated that the neuralgia was preceded and accompanied by influenza. In the aggregate these attacks of influenza and post-orbital neuralgia confined her to her room nearly half the year. in appearance she was healthy, well- nourished, rather too much embonpoint, and fairly vigorous. A friend of hers had been benefited by homoeopathy in my hands, and she therefore came to me “in utter despair”.

These are the simple facts of the case, though they look very like piling up the agony. Now for the remedy. The resources of allopathy had been exhausted,and moreover, I have no confidence in them anyway; Homoeopathy-and good Homoeopathy, too, for the men tried knew their work-had also failed. Do-nothing, now much in vogue, had fared no better. I reasoned thus :

This lady tells me that she has been vaccinated five or six times, and being thus very much vaccinated, she may be just suffering from chronic vaccinosis, one chief symptom of which is a cephalalgia like hers, so I forthwith prescribed Thuja (30). It cured, and the cure has lasted till now. The neuralgia disappeared slowly; in about six weeks (February 14th, 1882) I wrote in my case book “The eyes are well !”.

As I have not heard from the patient for some time, I am just writing a note to her to know whether the neuralgia has thus far (December 30th, 1882) returned. The reply I will add.

Of course it does not follow that because Thuja cured this case of some twenty years standing that therefore the lady was suffering from vaccinosis; that Thuja DID cure it is incontrovertible, and my vaccinosis hypothesis led me to prescribe it. More cannot be maintained. At least the case must stand as a clinical triumph for Thuja (30)-this much is absolute.

In reply to my enquiry, I received the following :. ” . . . I have been in very much stronger health ever since I crossed your threshold, and excepting one or two attempts at a return from the enemy, I have been quite free from suffering. .

This lady continues quite free of her post-orbital neuralgia at the time of going to press. After the disappearance of the neuralgia she had several other remedies from me for dyspeptic symptoms.

I shall probably never have a more severe case of what I conceive to be vaccinosis than the one just related, or one that had lasted longer. Twenty years may be considered enough to declare it en permanence, and its gradual cessation within six weeks from the time of commencing with the Thuja stamps it as an undoubted drug-cure.

However, the following is not uninteresting.

Observation VII.

CHRONIC HEADACHE.

of nine years duration.

Miss G.-,at. 19, came under my care on March 12th, 1881, complaining of bad attacks of headache for the past nine years. She said it was as if the back of her head were in a vice, and then it would be frontal, and throbbing as if her head would burst. She was very pale, and her forehead looked shiny and in places brown.

These “head attacks” occurred once or twice a week.

Tendency to constipation; menses regular; poor appetite; dislike flesh-meat; liver enlarged a little; had a series of boils in the fall of 1880.

Feet cold; used to have chilblains. For years cannot ride in an omnibus, or in a cab, because of getting pale and sick; skin becomes rough in the wind; lips crack; gets fainty at times.

To have Graphites 30.

April 13th. Appetite and spirits better, but otherwise no change; questioned as to the duration of the head attacks, she tells me the last but one continued for three weeks the last, three days. Over the right eye there is a red, tender patch; has two or three white-headed pustules on her face.

Was vaccinated at three months, re-vaccinated at seven years and again at fourteen. Had small-pox about ten years ago.

Thus here was a case that had had small-pox ten years ago, or thereabouts, for she could not quite fix the date, and had been vaccinated three times besides, once subsequent to the small- pox.

R tc. Thuja Occidentalis 3iv. 3x. To take five drops in water twice a day.

May 13th. Much better; has only had one very slight headache lasting an hour or two; the frontal tender patch is no longer tender; no further faintness at all. Lips crack. The pustules in the face gone and skin quite clear.

To have Thuja 12, one drop at bedtime.

June 17th. Was taken ill yesterday with soreness of stomach; fever; nausea and perspiration. Subsequently spots broke out like pimples eight on the face, one each on the thumb and wrist, one on the foot, and two on the back they filed with matter, were out five days, became yellow, and then died away. Her mother days the symptoms were just the same when the patient had had the small- pox. Her headaches were well just before this bout came on.

Just 1st. Continues well.

July 27th. The headaches have not returned.

February 24th, 1882. The cure holds good, for she has had no headache and is otherwise well. She had subsequently some other remedies for the little tumour on her eyelid and for a small exostosis on lower jaw, but she had received nothing but Thuja when the cephalalgia disappeared and it was two or three weeks before the next medicine followed.

Some months after this date this young lady was brought by her mother merely to show me how well she was, and to take final leave of me; two years later I learned from her mother that she continued well, so the cure is permanent.

An interesting feature in this case is the curious attack which came on at the beginning of June. My reading of it is that it was really a proving of Thuja, or a general organismic reaction called forth by it; and this sent me often up to the thirtieth dilution in my subsequent use of Thuja, though I have occasionally found the third decimal dilution answer better than the thirtieth.

But this is no the point of my thesis, for this case was evidently cured by the low dilution, and when the low dilutions cure, and cure promptly, even though not very agreeably, but well, it cannot be necessary to go up any higher, especially as ones faith is sufficiently on the stretch without it.

Observation VII.

ENLARGED GLANDS. APEX CATARRH.

Master C., aet. 11+, came under my care on August 18th 1881, complaining of a cough, worse at 7.30 p.m.; he also coughed by day and through the night, but it did not wake him. He perspired fearfully, worst on the head, and worse during the night. Over upper half of left lung one heard moist crackling rales. The cervical lymphatic glands at the top of the apex of left lung were indurated and distinctly “feelable”.

He weighed 5 st. 4 lb. The vaccination scars were on the left arm, and the glands over the apex of right lung were not indurated. Induration of the lymphatics on the left side of the neck (the vaccination being performed on that side), is the rule after vaccination, as anyone may observe for himself if he will take the trouble to examine a healthy child just before vaccination and any time thereafter. I say any time thereafter, for the thing generally persists for a very long time unless cured by medical art.

R Thuja 30, m.ii. Sac. lac. q.s. Fiat pulv. Tales xxiv. One three times a day.

August 27th. Is well of cough, but the sweats continue. To take no medicine.

September 6th. The most careful examination of chest reveals no rale; there is no cough; the sweats have quite ceased; the said cervical lymphatics can be found. The boy now weighs 5 st. 8 lb., so that he has gained 4 lb. in weight since he got the Thuja.

Discharged cured.

The boy had been at school, and was sent home to his parents by the school physician on account of his obstinate cough, and because his general symptoms excited alarm. To me it appeared to be the first stage of phthisis. That the boy should increase in weight at home just after returning from school is, of course, not necessarily due to the medicine; home life, too, would improve his nutrition generally, and would perhaps also account for the disappearance of the apex-catarrh, cough and perspiration. But what is to account for the disappearance of the induration of the cervical glands ?.

James Compton Burnett
James Compton Burnett was born on July 10, 1840 and died April 2, 1901. Dr. Burnett attended medical school in Vienna, Austria in 1865. Alfred Hawkes converted him to homeopathy in 1872 (in Glasgow). In 1876 he took his MD degree.
Burnett was one of the first to speak about vaccination triggering illness. This was discussed in his book, Vaccinosis, published in 1884. He introduced the remedy Bacillinum. He authored twenty books, including the much loved "Fifty Reason for Being a Homeopath." He was the editor of The Homoeopathic World.