Anaemia


A case of Anaemia and Bronchitis of an infant managed with homeopathy presented by J.T.Kent….


Little Helen, seven years old, presented the appearance of a very sick child when seen.

Jan.16. Blood on the pillow, on fingers and in mouth. (Sulphur) Has passed threadworms. (Sulphur) Very hungry by spells. Headache frontal. Vertigo in the morning. Abdominal pains. Faintness. Thirst more than hunger. (Sulphur) Aversion to milk. Craves meat and sweets. Has never thrived but has been running down in general health during past year.

Aversion to milk: Calcarea, calc. p., carb. v., cina, LAC. D. NAT. C. nat. s., nat. p. phos. sep., sil., stan., sulph. Craves meat: Sulph., Sulphur 10m.

Feb. 13. Generally improved; symptoms all lessened. Return of some symptoms in mild form occasioned repetition of the remedy -first in 10m, then 50m potency on Feb. 28, April I and May 1; the last time all symptoms reported absent except aversion to milk. She was robust and rosy as a child should be.

This patient presented scarcely anything but common symptoms, yet the prescriber was able to find the characteristics of the patient suffering lack of nutrition, in the abnormal appetite. The most peculiar symptoms of other parts were found to be in harmony with the peculiarities expressed through the stomach and the remedy met the requirements of a successful prescription.

A SERIOUS CASE

C. R. W. aged three years. Parents and grandparents living and healthy. Patient has been fed on modified milk which was invariably sterilized. Teeth appeared slowly but without much trouble. Previous illnesses: Capillary bronchitis soon after birth, for three days; has had it several times since; easily “takes cold,” lungs most affected. Whooping cough began when ten months old, very severe for two or three months. Occasional croupy cough since: two or three coughs at a time, mostly at night. Circumcised four months ago. Adenoids from pharynx, after which colour, sleep, etc., were improved. Depression about the size and shape of the bowl of a table spoon at ensiform cartilage.

Fell on the carpet several months ago, Partially dislocated the hip-joint. After a few days of quiet appeared quite well. At times since that has pain in the knee of the affected side. Strength good last summer. Had rectal injections a few times. Of good appearance and fairly developed.

March 5, 1903. Coryza five or six weeks ago; nose obstructed; restless in sleep; tired and sleepy frequently; grinding teeth in sleep; was better and worse again. Sick following a sleigh ride ten days ago: temp. 101 or 102 degrees; pulse 130 or more. Urine scanty (three to five oz. in twenty four hours), smoky, high coloured, sp. gr. 1028, albumin plentiful; no appetite; sluggish bowels, feces pasty, white. Was treated with a purge, kept in bed, and given milk-diet. Attempts to give him lithia water failed. Nasal discharge continued only one day. Third day, hot fomentations to kidneys gave some relief. Fourth day, vomiting the milk; unable to retain it in any way it was modified; milk toast vomited in two hours. Cooked rice, milk, and oatmeal were retained. Fifth day, urine slightly increased in quantity, colour improved, sp. gr. 1028, less albumin granular and hyaline casts, epithelial casts red and white, no blood corpuscles in casts. Until this time sleep poor; fever and rapid pulse continued. Glands on both sides of neck enlarged when he had croupy cough; size of hen’s egg on left side, very painful; numerous other lymph glands enlarged, resembling small string of beads. Oedema of face and eye lids noticed slight; none now. Past four or five days has rested comfortably at night, except that the glands on right side and the ears are painful, ameliorated by hot applications; worse early part of night. Fever absent; pulse 90 to 100, during sleep, more rapid as soon as he stirs. Tongue slightly coated; urine gradually increased in quantity until nearly normal; no thirst since fever ceased; albumin absent or nearly so, sp. gr. 1020, colour good; plays in bed during the day. Respiration no more rapid than accounted for by fever; easy during sleep. Fair skin face rarely flushed; dark hair and eyes; loving disposition. Tonsils not especially enlarged; adenoids visible in pharynx. Bowels fairly active. Fears entering an elevator or strange toilet room since his sickness, fears having temperature registered or a poultice applied. Fears something will hurt him and wonders if others are not afraid of the things he fears. Past two days animal broth added to his diet. Takes plenty of nourishment and appears stronger in many ways. Has much earache or R. side, ameliorated by heat; face appears swollen about the cheeks; stomach and abdomen larger than normal though always had prominent abdomen; abdomen not hard or sore to touch, but child dreads being touched, in fear of being hurt.

Aversion to being touched: Agaricus, ant-c., ars., calc., camph., CHAM., chin., cina, iod., kali-c., lach., mag-c., merc., mez. plb., sanic., sil., thuj.

Timidity. Arsenicum, CALC., chin, iod., KALI-C.. merc., plb., sil.

Enlarged glands; swelling of neck. CALC., Iodium, KALI- C., MERC., sil.

Subject to earache: Calcarea, kali-c., MERC., sil.

Enlarged abdomen: CALC., SIL.

Grinds teeth: Calcarea

Calcarea 10m.

The subsequent reports entered on this record reveal that the remedy was equal to the demands. It altered the child in every characteristic, restoring order and nutrition.

The chief interest is in the method of selecting the remedy. The characteristics of the child, revealed in the mental realm, are the basis for study. From that basis it proceeds, selecting the symptoms that express the general character of the disturbances, and there is no tedious work before the list is narrowed to one or two remedies.

He who knows the characteristics of the remedies in our Materia Medica will quickly realize that the entire case is most similar to Calc-c.

Subsequent treatment, of course, included the use of this remedy in a series of potencies, as improvement progressed under its influence.

James Tyler Kent
James Tyler Kent (1849–1916) was an American physician. Prior to his involvement with homeopathy, Kent had practiced conventional medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He discovered and "converted" to homeopathy as a result of his wife's recovery from a serious ailment using homeopathic methods.
In 1881, Kent accepted a position as professor of anatomy at the Homeopathic College of Missouri, an institution with which he remained affiliated until 1888. In 1890, Kent moved to Pennsylvania to take a position as Dean of Professors at the Post-Graduate Homeopathic Medical School of Philadelphia. In 1897 Kent published his magnum opus, Repertory of the Homœopathic Materia Medica. Kent moved to Chicago in 1903, where he taught at Hahnemann Medical College.