V. Having regard to the following communication that Dr. Maramba made in the Academy of Medicine (Henri de Parville:, the correspondence, No. of the 10th May, 1888, p.571) we should very often administer to children a preventive and even curative treatment of drunkenness. In fact, according to the researches of this doctor, the drunkards below 20 years are almost always as numerous as the adults. The difference is only 10 Percent. On 100 subjects, persons having less than 20, 64 are addicted to drinks. It is therefore from the very infancy that one should fight alcoholism either by education, or by special measures and I will add, at the sametime by medicines used without their knowledge.
What above all contributes to the spread of alcoholism in France, is the disappearance of the vineyards. In fact M. Lunier has noticed that alcoholism is developed specially in the areas where, following the absence of gathering grapes, the alcohols of grains, beets etc. are consumed in much greater quantity. The Government which allow the multiplication of the number of cafes, cabarets, kiosks, contribute implicity to the spreading of alcoholisms and the injurious consequences, the criminality and misery.
The military service to-day obligatory for all young people is, I repeat, for a very great number among them, a school of drunkenness and of debauchery. I am consulted many times for the drunkards, even of rich family, who have begun to get the habit of alcoholism while in military service.
VI-After having said higher up, the differential medication of curative remedies of drunkenness, many readers will believe that they will be able to cure within a short time number of drunkards of different kinds. They are mistaken, either because of proper knowledge of drunkards and want of complete knowledge of the properties of medicines, the choice of the latter is often difficult. This is what the two dear doctors affirmed who served me as my secretaries to write down the cases of drunkards treated in my chamber, and this is order to help me in a great number of consultants in the shortest possible time.
I am often asked within what time I cure the habit of drinking. I reply that I do not know. In fact among the drunkards, there are hardly two cases which are similar by their temperament, character, sensitiveness to the action of the remedies. Since each of them thinks, acts according to his own way, each of them should therefore be treated according to his own way, which is not that of an other. It is specially in psychic treatment, the doctor should regulate his conduct according to these two judicious advices of Hufeland, “In order that the treatment may be good, it is necessary that the doctor should not copy or imitate but the he must invent a new one because the great talent consists in the generalising as much as possible the diseases and individuals as much as as possible the patient. Hahnemann teaches similarly that each patient must have his own remedy, which has produced the same symptoms in a healthy man, the totality of psychic and somatic symptoms presented by the subject to be treated. This individual rule should surpass all the general rules which Savine gives, by showing different diagnosis of medicine indicated against drunkenness. In a word for a doctor the art will surpass the science. All these give a glimpse to the difficulties of the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions.
VII.It will be seen among the effects of medicines numerous individual diversities, even some of them are contradictional. Thus for example, under the influence of Nux vomica 200 a drunkard who becomes drunk by a single glass of wine, will be able to drink several glasses of the same without being drunk; another one who required two bottles of wine for being drunk, will become drunk by a single glass of wine and he will not be able to bear more.
After having taken this remedy without his knowledge a drunkard will have no more the thirst which forces him to drink, another will feel a dislike for that drink and he will want to drink pure or sugared water. A third who wished to stop drinking, will not change his character, a fourth on the contrary, after having been cured of drunkenness will become loving and serviceable towards his wife and children. All that precedes shows the numerous modifications of individual character happening daily under the influence either of cessation of the habit of drinking, or by the action of the remedies given.
I will not be able to related here, the cases, of more and more numerous men and of women of all classes whom I treat every day for their drunkenness.
In order to prove to my readers what psychic treatment can do against this addiction I will limit myself to cite some cases where drunkenness was cured rapidly or gradually, by one, two or many remedies and other cases where the drunkenness was ameliorated, cured momentarily and relapsed for being cured anew by a second treatment, or not at all cured when further treatment was not followed.
Case II
A young lady of 25 years old, used to get drunk since six years with eau de via, to such an extent that her husband wanted to ask separation in the court. She had contracted that habit during her first pregnancy and since then she was continuing it. I gave 6 to 7 globules of Nux vomica 200, which should be dissolved in one-third of glass of water for quarter of an hour; then this mixture, well shaken for 8 to 10 minutes with a teaspoon, should be poured in a soup, which will be shaken by a teaspoon. This soup is to be taken as her whole meal and no other food is to be taken immediately before or after the soup. This solution may also be poured in a cup of milk, cocoa or chocolate, coffee or tea, in some decoction, in a glass of pure or sugared water even in a glass of wine or brandy. This single remedy that I gave to this lady cured her without her knowledge, cured her completely or her drunkenness.
Many readers will perhaps, be astonished that a medicine in 200 or 10,000, thus administered in a drink may nevertheless manifest its medicinal properties. The experiments will prove them the reality of the fact and that even diluted medicine, becoming, refractories to chemical reactions, as is shown by L.L. Lambert, keeps up their power and their curative action even when given in the midst or at the end of a copious meal. I have seen this in some of my clients who, having not well understood my instructions, have taken their medicine in these conditions. One of them as for example, in a cup of coffee taken after his meal. In this client, a man of 29 years, an old military man, Staphysagria 10, 000 given without his knowledge at an interval of 3 months, produced exactly the same undisputed result in these two cases. However I avoid, as much as possible, to give the medicine under similar conditions.
Case III
A woman came to my chamber and told me: “Abandoned by my husband, I have only my work to provide for my two children. But unfortunately, I have a craze which may prevent me to fulfil this duty. While I have a wine glass in my hand, I am tempted unwillingly to drink beyond my capacity wine or liquors. Have you any medicine that will create in me a dislike for wine?
I put on her tongue 6 to 7 globules of Nux vomica 200. There weeks later she came to tell me: “I have no more thirst for alcoholic drinks.” Two to three months later she came again and told me that she has again the liking for these drinks. I gave her the same remedy in the same way to cure her of her bad habit
Case IV
A husband, 39 years, was since 10 years, a drunkard, a debauch, used to become very easily angry, quarreled and howled.
23rd Feb., 1886. He takes without his knowledge a dose of LAchesis 200.
16th March. Slight amelioration of all the defects.
6th April. Less wicked, less easily angered, but drinks always. He takes Lachesis 200.
4th May. Good amelioration of character but he still drinks a little.
2nd June. He has not drunk since 15 days and gets back home in the evening.
15th Feb., 1887. Character very good, but he still drinks a little. He takes Lachesis 200.
15th March. He drinks no more but he is more libertine.
12th April. Amelioration is manifested. 24th May. Idem.
His wife and children have left him and he does not know where they have gone. However he had neither fallen back to drunkenness or in debauchery; two vices which have been cured by a single remedy taking three times at different intervals.
Consulted by a drinker of a big village. I gave him a dose of Nux vomica 200 and of Lachesis 200. One year later, I came to know that he was so well cured of his vice, that he did not drink any more but sugared water, and he experienced such a dislike for wine that he did not even go to cabaret in order not to see others drinking.
Case VI
A woman vine dresser felt during her pregnancy the dislike for all foods except cheese with which she nourishers herself exclusively. As it was an insufficient food, she used to drink wine in order to keep up her forces or she took some bread soaked in wine. Although she did not like wine she got the habit of drinking wine more and more, unto the point of being intoxicated everyday since 18 months. Being drunk she lay down and passed thus half of the day in bed. She used to become drunk under cover. II gave her on the 11th May 1982 without her knowledge and only once 6 to 7 globules of Sulphur 5000. This remedy cured her completely of her habit of drinking. But some weeks afterwards she related after the grief that the woman experienced after having seen the hail storm destroy her harvest. Then, in order to cure her of her grief and its consequences I gave her without her knowledge on the 14th June a single dose of Nux vomica 10,000 which cured her completely of her habit of drinking.
Gallavardin set up a homeopathic Dispensary for the cure of alcoholics, often working in conjunction with priests, and he wrote several books on this subject.
Jean Pierre Gallavardin wrote Psychism and Homeopathy, The Homoeopathic Treatment of Alcoholism, How to Cure Alcoholism the Non-toxic Homoeopathic Way, Repertory of Psychic Medicines with Materia Medica, Plastic Medicine, and articles for The British Journal of Homeopathy, On Phosphoric Paralysis, and he collated the statistics on pneumonia and other cases for the United States Journal of Homeopathy, and he contributed widely to homeopathic publications.