Silicea In Ruckert’s “Klinische Erfahrungen” I find Silicea was a favourite remedy with Hahnemann himself for fistula* takes a very high rank.
1. A boy. two year and a half old, was to have been operated on for fistula, but two doses of Silica cured it within three weeks- Altmuller.
2. A tender- skinned, fair-haired young man in whom scabies had been twice got rid of with ointment, and who had been twice rid gonorrhoea by injection, got an abscess in the perineum near the anus, that had been opened surgically, but this would not heal up.
The consequence was a fistula of the anus, accompanied with debility. emaciation, cough, and fever. Large doses of China were given him in vain. His general condition was much ameliorated by sulphur, and in about a week there was a tickling sensation at the aperture of the fistula, with an increased discharged of pure Sulphur was repeated every sixth day. Afterwards three doses of Silica, whereupon the fistula was completely cured within three weeks from the time of its being first administered.
Here again we have the causal treatment in the first place- antipsoric for psora.
Ruckert then mentions, at second hand, six cases of fistula-in and cured by Yeldham and report in the “British Journal of Homoeopathy,’but the remedies are not given.
In the ” Transactions of the homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York,”vol. ix 1871, Dr. Alfred K. hills makes (interalia) the following remarks, to which I partially subscribe:-
Hamamelis in fistula.- A certain physician, in prescribing for a patient remarked that it was strange he could not hit the case for rarely a patient came to him the third time without some relief. After racking his brain for a moment, he says, This case must be one of disease of the internal canal. so I will give nitrate of sliver.’ It is evident that the prescription was made upon a supposed pathological condition alone and not upon the totality of the symptoms. In one of our journals is reported a case of fistula-in-ano. It is stated that the case was treated by a physician prejudiced in favour of high potencies who failed to ascertain the pathological condition and there was no improvement under his statement. The writer says that when the case came into his hands, and examination revealed what he expected, viz, fistula. Hamamelis 1 was prescribed and shortly the cured. Now what do we gain by the statement that Hamamelis is good for fistula-in-ano? And shall we prescribe it for every such pathological condition? I cannot see that we add in the slightest degree to our knowledge of therapeutics by such generalization, and if we expect Hamamelis to cure every case of fistula-in-ano we shall be sadly disappointed.
A patient present himself to us suffering from headache, and states that it is made much worse from motion; now, when we hear this Key-note, note, we must no feel satisfied that Bryonia is the remedy from this characteristic symptom will find himself as much mistaken, many times as the man who prescribed upon one objective symptom, or the morbid anatomy and pathological show alone, regardless of the others, instead of the totality of the symptoms.
Bryonia will not cure every case of disease aggravated by motion, for other remedies have the same symptoms (Belladonna, Nux vomica, Sanguinaria), neither will Hamamelis cure every case of fistula-in-ano, for there area number of remedies possessing marked symptoms in this direction,
What Dr. Hill here says is what I am trying to say throughout this little treatise, viz., that there is fistula and fistula and what will cure one will not cure another.
The real reason, however, why ( for instance Hamamelis will not cure every case of fistula -in-ano, is not”because there are a number of remedies possessing marked symptoms in this direction,” but because the fistula state or disease is not qualitatively (aetiologically and pathological) the same in all persons having fistula.
Hamamelis will cure the hamamelis- like fistular compliant, because like cures likes, and when the fistula state of an individual is Silicea -like of course Hamamelis is no good, but silicea is the remedy, and also conversely. But Hamamelis would also not cure all cases of fistula even though we had no other remedy whatever “possessing marked symptoms in this direction,”Homoeopathicity to the case to be cured is the pharmacological desideratum here as elsewhere.
Moreover, there is another point to which I would direct attention. Dr. Hill says,- “The writer says that when the case came into his hands, an examination revealed what he expected, viz., fistula. Hamamelis 1 was prescribed, and shortly the case was cured. Now what do we gain by the statement that Hamamelis is good for fistula-in-ano? And shall we prescribe it for every such pathological condition I cannot see that we add in the slightest degree to our knowledge of therapeutics by such generalizations, and if we expect Hamamelis to cure every case of fistula-in-ano, we shall be sadly disappointed.”
Now I think we again a great deal when we know that, for instance. Hamamelis can cure fistula-in-ano. In the first place we gain the positive knowledge that at least sometimes, fistula- in-ano can be cured by medicines. We gain thus a direct proof of the truth of the general proposition as to the medicinal curability of fistula. Is that nothing? Let those suffer from fistula decided And furthermore, we gain the very important information that Hamamelis must stand in list of our medicines of fistula. This must necessarily be always our first point de depart in all drug therapeutic. What Dr. Hills should say is this;We want not only that Hamamelis will cure fistula, but we also must know what constitutes the special indications for its use, so. I enter into the point because this kind of seemingly sapient, yet really shallow criticism is often levelled against published cases of cure. We must, of course, aim at the bull’s eye of fine pharmic differentiations, but if we do not begin to shoot till we can certainly hits the bull’s-eye, we shall never hits the therapeutic bull’s-eye at all.
Your superfine critic is commonly very sterile himself. I fancy I once read in a copy-books, pour Bien parler, il faut commencer par MAL Parler.
Solanum nigrum is recommended as a local application”in most fistula.” This quality it no doubt has in common with so many of the solanaceous plants.
Aurum in Fistula.-Just ten years ago I published a small volume on the general use of this great remedy, entitled “god as a remedy in Disease etc.(pg.106,107). Pliny already speak of it (qy. in ano?).
Case of fistula-in-ano.- Young man, twenty-one of age, bilioso- sanguine temperament. For five months fistula-in-ano, excrescences on scrotum ( eight month after primary symptoms). Cured with five grains of the perchloride of gold, all the symptoms had disappeared with the third grain (Clinique of M. Lallemand, in Legrand, p. 188)
Another – Young man of bilious temperament, twenty-six years old, of strong constitution, had chancres, fistula-in-ano, for five months.
He was cured with five grain of the of the perchloride of Gold, In that kind of anal fistula for which Kali carb is such a classical remedy,Aurum does not suggest itself to my mind, but rather in that dependent upon a specific taint, and notably after Mercurius.
Prof.E.M.Hale (Homoeopathic materia Medica of the New Remedies,” 1867 )mentions Collinsonia, hydrastis, and Sanguinaria as probable remedies in fistula of the anus.
Of Phytolacca decandra Hale says:- Dr.Paine (eclectic), after asserting that the Phytolacca will cause burning in stomach, tenderness of the bowels, heat in the rectum, tenesmus, and bloody discharge, dysentery and haemorrhoids, gives his experience in its use.’ I have treated a large number of cases of ulceration of the rectum remarkable success. A physician of note who had treated himself, and had been treated by other with all the ordinary remedies for what was called a cancerous affection of the rectum, applied to me some two years, since and Placed him upon one-half grain doses of Phytolaccin every two or three hours, together with nutritious diet…. and enema of warm water everyday.
This treatment was continued for two or three months, and resulted in a complete cure.”
Fissure, prolapsus recti, and piles have also been cured by Phyto. dec. Prof. Hale compares it to Acid and Mercurius, and probably few know more of drug action than does Hale.
CASE OF FISTULA-IN-ANO.
On May 17,1889, an unmarried city gentleman, thirty year of age, came under my observation for fistula0in-ano. Four or five years previously he had an abscess he had an abscess on the edge of the anus. It burst and healed. Fourteen months ago another one in the same spot. It burst with the aid of poulticings and healed up (?). some moisture and blood ooze therefrom ever since a small opening to an incomplete fistula.He also complained of “feverishness” and indigestion.
Rx Tc. Pyrozenium 5, five drops in water and morning.
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.