PATHOGENESY.
No. 1. A woman, 46 years old, of nervous temperament, very impressible, but in good health.
One dose of Murex, fourth, was taken in six spoonfuls of water. The first spoonful was taken January 5th, in the evening.
Twelve hours after taking the medicine, acute pain in the right side of the uterus, which crossed the entire body and extended upward to the left breast; extreme feebleness of all voluntary motions, the legs bend under her; irresistible necessity of remaining seated; confusion of ideas, repugnance to conversation, deep sadness.
At six P.M., palpitations of the heart, and throbbings of the arteries in the neck.
In the evening, excessive fatigue, somnolence, heat of the hands; pulse 80. Pains in the knees; pains in the loins, sensation of excoriation and of burning pain, as if broken, in the chest. The night was good.
January 7th. The second spoonful, in the evening, Sharp burning pain under the false ribs of the left flank, toward the vertebral column, in paroxysms; somnolence and sadness; difficult evacuation of faeces, stool requiring an enema of tepid water. The stitch in the side has lasted the whole day. In the evening, painful tension in the right hypochondrium. Dry, infrequent cough. Dyspnoea. Voice is changed and hoarse. The heaviness is much diminished. No leucorrhoea since the first spoonful.
The third spoonful on the evening of the seventh.
8th. The night good. On awaking, feels well. The stitch in the side has disappeared. Sensations of dryness and constriction in the uterus. The heaviness has disappeared. No leucorrhoea.
The fourth spoonful was taken on the evening of the eighth.
9th. A good day. Natural stool. FIfth spoonful, evening.
10th. Very good day. Sixth spoonful.
11th. In the morning, a sensation of heaviness and of dilation in the labia majora. The urine has a white deposit.
Expulsion of a small quantity of bloody mucus, after passing water.
12th. A good day. In the evening the menses appeared abundantly. Stool natural.
13th. Pain in the uterus, as if wounded by a cutting instrument. This sensation has been habitual during the menstrual flow for many years.
No. 2. A woman, aged 38years, of a sanguine temperament, sound mind, judicious of powers of observation, good health.
First day. The leucorrhoea having disappeared entirely, pain in the occiput toward midday, pain in the arms below the elbow.
Second day. On awaking, headache, which disappears on getting up. During the day pains in the left temple, coming and going. Toward the close of the day, tightness in the occiput; I involuntarily raise my hand to the part affected, when the tightness passes from left to right; I raise to the head the hand of the opposite side to that which is the seat of the pain; I bend my head backward because it seems to me that this motion relaxes the nerves of the occiput and of the neck; constant desire to urinate during the day; at three o’clock in the afternoon, great desire to sleep.
Third day. Headache as the evening before, and relieved in the same way; sleep with troublesome dreams; I fled from a troubled sea and found myself again in a meadow with water; during the day momentary heaviness of the head; at five o’clock my right cheek was burning; in the evening, twice, I had a very violent stitch on the left side of th abdomen, downward; it ascended perpendicularly and lasted one minute; at nine o’clock, violent sleepiness. During the day, pains in the legs from time to time, tightness in the head on each side above the ears; pains in the breasts.
Fourth day. Painful dreams, headache on waking pretty severe colic; hunger during the day appetite pretty good in the morning, but not a dinner; pains in the breasts,
Fifth day. I will explain to you. The prover has not dared write all that she felt in the region of the genital organs; excessive sexual desire, an excitement which will and reason could hardly control.
Sixth day. The left cheek burning. Hunger during the day: in the evening headache with pain, lasting about an hour.
Seventh day. Troublesome dreams; waked with a start, in fear; in the morning, leucorrhoea, very scanty, but greenish; in the evening, flatulent colic. This is the seventh day of medication, and since the second day I have been very much constipated; to-day I could not go to stool; in the evening I had headache in front of the forehead. I have forgotten to say that, during the first days, in the morning before breakfast, I coughed several times. In the evening, when breathing, I had wheezing in the chest; for several days, I experience, during the day, paroxysms of anguish, of fear and dread.
No. 3. A woman, aged 39 years, of sanguine-lymphatic temperament.
First day. At two o’clock and at four, I have had sharp but transient pains above the cerebellum. Less of leucorrhoea, but always mixed with blood.
Second day, Friday. Since noon, the head embarrassed and a little heavy; little disposition to work; at half-past two o’clock, buzzing in the ears, and increased heaviness in the head, relieved about four o’clock; about half-past six, I was taken with a sharp pain in the abdomen on the left side. It was acute and extended over the whole abdomen; not equally intense, but felt indifferent spots, like a sharp point; the left side of the abdomen remained sore the whole evening. The leucorrhoea scanty and not mixed with blood. In bed, pains in the renal and lumbar regions, and a decided heat above the thighs persistent.
Third day, Saturday. Less heaviness of the head; but little leucorrhoea, but it is thicker; not mixed with blood; the sore spots of the left side of the abdomen are less sensitive, but are still occasionally felt; some lancinating pains; the heat of the thighs has disappeared, but that of the hip region continues even when not recumbent.
Fourth day, Sunday. This morning, on going to stool, the blood had disappeared, and up to one o’clock, blood was mingled with leucorrhoea; about three o’clock I experienced a severe pain above the right temple; a little pain in the thighs; I have remarked that since taking the medicine the pains in the loins and hips are greater. In the evening, on going to stool, the blood flowed copiously; this day, but little leucorrhoea. For two days, pains in the breasts.
Fifth day, Monday. No blood to-day; but little leucorrhoea; but, on rising, pains under the left thigh, very sensible on touching the part. This continued throughout the day. Some lancinating pains in the womb; the hips are painful; no heat of the thighs, either in bed or when up.
Sixth day, Tuesday. No blood; but little leucorrhoea. The pain below the thigh is less severe, but the part is always sensitive to the touch. The breasts have been very painful, and in bed I have had sharp and painful lancinations in them. The pains of the thighs and of the loins have almost disappeared.
Seventh day, Wednesday. During the night I waked with a start, and a violent desire to urinate. Urinated very copiously. No blood nor leucorrhoea during the night, a good deal during the day. Heaviness of the head and even dizziness, but since taking the medicine, and even before, I have not had so good a day. I have observed that since taking the medicine I lose my memory, and even find my words with difficulty.
Eight day, Thursday. Ceased to take the medicine. The day has been a very bad one. Very severe pains in the breasts, loins and thighs. Distress in the abdomen, resembling that which I feel at the approach of the menses; and we are now at the 20th of August, they should not come until the 5th of September. Desire to sleep, dullness of head; labor is irksome.
This evening, no more pain except in the thighs, always below and toward the middle. When urinating during the day blood appeared slightly; scarcely any leucorrhoea, but very thick and yellow. I have remarked that I suffer more when sitting than when walking, and the pains, which I cease to feel when walking to and fro, return almost immediately when I resume the sitting posture. Good sleep and appetite.
Ninth day, Friday. Good night; yet on first waking, and also several times during the night on waking, I had pretty severe pains, such as attend the menses; anguish.
The breasts, to-day, have been less painful; no more blood in the leucorrhoea, and at stool scarce any leucorrhoea; no pain in loins but extreme lassitude and pains in the legs and knees. No lancinations. A good day.
Headache, however, and frequent transient sharp pain in the right temple. My headache, which continues this evening is more on the right side than on the left.
Clinical Observations. No. 1. Madame J., mother of several children whom she nursed, enjoyed very good health up to her forty-fifth year. At this period she began to have irregularity of the menses and soon to complain of painful weariness in the loins, of a sensation of weight in the hypogastrium and more particularly in the rectum, all of which gave her great concern; deep sadness at the approach of the menses, which were very abundant for several days, and were attended with great pain caused by the expulsion of large coagula. Subsequently, the flow, which lasted ten or twelve days, became russet-colored and finally serous. The interval from one period to the next was only about ten day, during which the above symptoms diminished without entirely ceasing, and at the recurrence of the menstrual flow re-appeared with their original severity.
Dr. Dunham graduated from Columbia University with Honours in 1847. In 1850 he received M.D. degree at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York. While in Dublin, he received a dissecting wound that nearly killed him, but with the aid of homoeopathy he cured himself with Lachesis. He visited various homoeopathic hospitals in Europe and then went to Munster where he stayed with Dr. Boenninghausen and studied the methods of that great master. His works include 'Lectures on Materia Medica' and 'Homoeopathy - Science of Therapeutics'.