Case VII
In an opusculum of 60 pages, entitled “How the homoeopathic treatment can ameliorate the character of man and develop his intelligence”, opusculum inserted in the year 1882 in the Bulletin de la societee melicale homoeopathique de France, then at the end of the volume II of my Causeries cliniques, II have reported the following case which I summarise here because it is instructive:
A sulky husband jealous, wicked, was drinking since three years every day, that is 30 days a month. He neglected his wife, his children, his business and has spend his little fortune.
The 19th November, 1879. I made him take without his knowledge Lachesis 2000 once only.
The following 17th December he is no more jealous and is beginning to be less sulky and less wicked but wicked but he drinks very often. Then he was given without his knowledge Lachesis 200 once.
The 28th January, 1880: His wife tells me that her husband was drunk only for 5 times a month instead of 30 days. His character is still more ameliorated, he is well disposed for his family and his business.
On the 9th June, I learn that he was drunk only once since 28th January.
The 20th October. II was told that he was drunk recently 5 times. He was given without his knowledge the dose of LAchesis 200.
The 20th December. I learn that during the last month he was drunk almost everyday that is six to seven times a week. Now he drinks under cover. This last symptom guided me to give without his knowledge a single dose of Sulphur 5000 which cured him completely of his drunkenness to such a point that in his meals he used to drink only pure water like the other members of his family.
Case VIII
A husband, 41 years old, suffering from itch, worker, of a very mild character even when he is drunk. He was suffering from drunkenness since when he was 13 years old.
The 23rd February, 1886: He takes Nux vomica without any result.
The 16th March: Muscular pains in the calves and in the waist. He takes Sulphur 300.
The 13th April: Cure of the muscular pains, but drunkenness remained. He takes Nux vomica 200.
The 2nd June: Since 44th May he is not drunk. Character very weak. He takes petroleum 200.
The 16th July: Character is the same, takes Conium 600.
The 31st August: His reason having been developed by the preceding remedy, he avoids the occasions to drinks. Want of will power. He takes Calcarea carbonica 300..
The 21st September: He drinks more and more. However he is stronger, but always without character. For an intercurrent diarrhoea he is given Arsenicum album, the first dilution, to be taken three to four times a day, for several days
The 2nd November: Cure of the diarrhoea. Since 5 weeks he has not taken wine, but he likes wine.
The 28th November: Amelioration continues, He takes once Arsenicum album 300..
The 28th December: Since four weeks he has not drunk wine.
The 18th January, 1887: The cure is maintained.
The 24th May: He likes wine, but he is no more intoxicated.
The 21st June: He takes Arsenicum 2000 for maintaining his cure.
The 19th July: He has not drunk since the 1st January.
The 18th October: He drinks no more but he always likes wine. To create a distaste for wine I gave him Hepar 200.
It is Arsenicum 200 and which cured him of his hereditary drunkenness of which the cure is generally so difficult. Since one years he has not drunk.
Case IX
A husband of 68 years, the grandson of a drunkard, son of a wicked mother, takes wine since 344 years specially with absinth, weak character, easily angered. Aristotle says that wine makes one eloquent, as such it is drunk by many orators. During each attack of drunkenness, this husband used to speak, always insulting for 6 hours. The medicines have gradually diminished his talkativeness and have gradually reduced the duration from 4 to 1 hour even to half an hour and have also diminished gradually his insolency during eloquence. His wife was particularly interested because of the gradual diminution of his talkativeness because she was forced to remain near her husband during the whole duration of his intoxication in order to check him to insult the persons of his entourage. This woman came to my dispensary every 3 to 4 weeks, during 20 months, with an exceptionally calm mood, which helped me to cure gradually that chronic drunkenness, which was lasting for 34 years, and sometimes which relapsed but less intensely and gradually at long intervals. Now my reader will see how II proceeded to treat this patient:
The 30th March 1886: He takes without his knowledge once Lachesis 200.
The 11th May: NO result, he takes Nux vomica 200.
The 2nd June: No result, he takes petroleum 200.
The 23rd June: He is not so much unreasonable during drunkenness while he speaks, howls, he insults less and has more will power. Now he speaks only for 2 to 3 hours during intoxication. He takes Petroleum 300.
The 13th July: He drinks as much, but he cries and insults less during drunkenness, petroleum 10,000.
Great amelioration up to 1st August, the day when he was very much intoxicated. The 3rd August, he takes Petroleum 10,000.
The 24th August: He has not drunk since 1st August; more reasonable.
The 5th October: He is better, speaks less, and less insulting towards his daughter.
The 3rd November: Gradual amelioration.
The 23rd November: He takes phosphorus 200 against an imminent paralysis.
The 14th December: Gradual amelioration.
The 11th January 1887. He was drunk several times but speaks little.
The 8th February: He drinks little and becomes softened up to tears. He takes Causticum 200.
The 1st March: More calm, butt defiant and wicked. Perhaps he is suffering from a slight medicinal aggravation.
The 29th March: Always wicked, talkative, insolent, tendency to use knife for himself and for his relatives and neighbors. He takes Hepar 200.
The 19th April: Amelioration all round. He speaks only for an hour during drunkenness.
The 17th May: Gradual amelioration.
The 15th June: Amelioration continues, however he was drunk 5 days. The wine makes him more excited and it seems that he is weaker.
The 5th June: Amelioration is maintained.
The 2nd August: Similar.
The 23rd August: Amelioration increased, he is more reasonable. He speaks only for half an hour during drunkenness.
The 20th September: The amelioration is maintained.
The 18th October: Slight relapse. He takes Hepar 200.
The 166th December: Better.
The 19th January, 1888: The same. He takes Hepar 3000.
Since then, he had some relapse which were cured by Petroleum 10,000.
Case X
A husband of 60 years, the son of a drunkard, himself was a drunkard more and more since several years, habitually of mild temperament, but howls and becomes turbulent during drunkenness.
The 9th January, 1886: He takes without his knowledge once Lachesis 200.
The 2nd March: No result. He takes Nux vomica 200.
The 23rd March: Slight amelioration, preceded by a slight aggravation. He takes Nux vomica 600.
The 13th April: No notable amelioration, however he is less wicked and howls less during drunkenness. He takes Sulphur 5,000.
The 4th May: He was more mild, more calm, was not drunk since three weeks, tolerates less wine, more prolonged sleep.
The 25th May: He less enerved since six weeks.
The 2nd June: Since the 25th May, he drank twice. He takes sulphur 2,000.
The 29th June: He drinks as before. He takes petroleum 200.
The 7th September: Same as before. He takes Crot. 200.
The 28th September: No result. He takes Causticum 200.
The 9th November: No result. He takes Calcarea carbonica 300.
The wife of that drunkard becomes hopeless of the success and gives up the treatment very wrongly, because if she had persevered like that of the wives of some of the preceding cases, I would have very probably cured gradually the hereditary drunkenness of her husband.
Case XI
A husband of 35 years old, son of a father who was a drunkard for 35 years, has himself become a drunkard from the age of 166. He is proud, liar and steals money of his wife for drinks. When he is drunks he used to beat his wife.
The 13th April 1886: He takes Nux vomica 200.
The 4th May. No result: He takes Nux vomica 10,000.
The 25th May: He is less wicked, but he drinks more.
The 16th July: He does not wish to work. He takes Sulphur 5000.
The 27th July: He takes LAchesis 30 twice in 20 days.
The 24th August: He is wicked, egoist, does not want to work, rough. He takes Calcarea carbonica 300.
The 22nd August: He is wicked egoist, does not want to work, rough. He takes Calcarea carbonica 300.
The 21st September: No change.
The 22nd March, 1887. His character is better. He drinks always, but however he does not steal the money of his wife for drinks. This proves that he is less addicted to wine that some, times ago.
The mother of that drunkard gave up the treatment, and she was wrong, because I could have though the samething that I though in the preceding case.
Sometimes the cures are very rapid and very encouraging, as is shown in the following three cases:
Case XII
A husband used to drink daily upto 30 glasses of absinth, after a single dose of causticum 200 taken without his knowledge, he experienced such a repulsion for absinth and even for wine, that not only he did no more drink but also he cold not remain near any persons who is drunk.
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.