(From vol. v, 2nd edit., 1826.)
(Acetate of Lime)
Experience, and experience alone, but not baseless conjecture, can and dare pronounce respecting the power of drugs to effect alterations in the health of human beings.
From the earliest times it has been firmly accepted as a maxim in ordinary medicine, that calcareous substances introduced and taken into the human body are useless and powerless. It was, no doubt, conceded that they absorbed and neutralised morbid acids present in the stomach, but even in such cases the calcareous neutral salt thence resulting was held to be unmedicinal.
In the ordinary condition of the stomach there is no free acid in the gastric juice, and likewise none in many of its morbid states, and hence pure calcareous earth, considering its nature, may perhaps not be a medicine capable of altering the health of human beings; but the inference from this as to its non-medicinal character in a state of solution, without an appeal to experience on the subject, is like all inferences a priori in medicine, which are not based on facts, to say the least, extremely permature and dogmatic, like most of those in ordinary medicine.
Some cases of great disturbance of the health following the ingestion of pure carbonate of lime in persons who were manifestly suffering from morbid acidity in the stomach induced me to institute experimentswith it in a dissolved state, and I found it possessed of great medicinal power, as the following symptoms show.
In order to obtain pure calcareous earth dissolved in pure acetic acid, I boiled crude, well washed oyster shells for an hour in a pure spring water, then broke them into fragments without using any metal instrument, and dissolved these fragments in distilled vinegar, which I heated up to the boiling point in a porcelain vessel until complete saturation was gradually effected. The filtered solution was evaporated to one fifth in a similar vessel, and with this fluid neutral salt, without the addition of alcohol, the following experiments were made.
It has a dark-yellow colour, and after a time precipitates a dark coloured glutinous substance, whereby the solution obtains a lighter yellow colour. The addition of some alcohol, about half as much by measure as the quantity of the solution, perserves the preparation from becoming mouldy, and makes it fit for medicinal use.
A drop of this is not seldom a too large homoeopathic dose. Ten to twelve globules the size of poppy seeds moistened with it are usually sufficient for a full dose.
Frequent very small doses of camphor allay the action of this medicine when it acts too violently in irritable subjects.
[HAHNEMANN was assisted in this proving by FRANZ, HARTMANN, LANGHAMMER, and WISLICENUS.
No symptoms are taken from old-school authorities.
The 1st edit has 255 symptoms, all “observations of others.” This 2ndedit has 270, 236 only being observations of others, while 34 are HAHNEMANN’S own. In the Chr. Krank the symptoms of calc. acet., reduced to 253, are incorporated with those of calc. carb., but distinguished by a sign.]
CALCAREA ACETICA
Vertigo, as if the body did not stand firm (aft. 6 h.). [Ws.]
Attack of stupefying vertigo, the head tended forwards to the left side when at rest and when moving (aft. ¾ h.). [Lr.]
Slight transient giddiness in the head (aft. ¼ h.). [Htn.]
When walking in the open air vertigo, he inclined to fall to the right side (aft. 2 h.). [Lr.]
5. Headache as from much rapid turning round – as if stupid in the head, from 3 a.m. till 4 p.m. (aft. 25 d.).
Every time he stopped sensation on the right side of the head, as if pains in the head commenced (aft. 6.1/2 h.). [Htn.]
Aching stupefying pain in the forehead, as in vertigo, when at rest and when at moving (aft. 1.1/4 h.). [Lr.]
In the left side of the occiput jerking pressing outwards, which extended to the nape (aft. 14 h.). [Htn.]
Aching pain in the forehead, especially over the left eye-brow, when walking in the open air (aft. 3 h.). [Lr.]
10. Violent pressing outwards in the whole of the left half of the brain (aft. 12 h.). [Htn.]
Aching pain darting through the occiput, which only goes off gradually (aft. 3.1/2 h.). [Htn.]
Pressive pain in the right temple, close to the eye, as if something hard pressed upon it (aft. 5.1/2 h.). [Htn.]
After stooping for some time, when standing, heavy headache, with perssure outwards in the whole forehead, but especially over the left eye (aft. 5.1/2 h.). [Htn.]
Aching pressing pain in the whole head, especially in both teples (aft. 9 h.). [Htn.]
Hahnemann's three major publications chart the development of homeopathy. In the Organon of Medicine, we see the fundamentals laid out. Materia Medica Pura records the exact symptoms of the remedy provings. In his book, The Chronic Diseases, Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homoeopathic Cure, he showed us how natural diseases become chronic in nature when suppressed by improper treatment.
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