Convallaria. It is a palliative, weaker than Adonis. It acts rather on the right heart. It is strongly diuretic, sedative and anti-spasmodic. An important subjective symptom is that the patient has the sensation that the heart stops suddenly and suddenly starts again. The classic dose is 20, 30, 40 drops or in Homoeopathic doses of 1x or 3x.
Let us now study a group of remedies that may be called remedies of collapse. They are Camphor, Adrenalin, Ammonia acetate and Veratrine. They are heterogenous but all of them are remedies of acute cardiac weakness, therefore, related to Ouabain.
Camphor is the most important of this group. It is a stimulant of the heart and of the nervous system and a pulmonary vaso-dilator. Its action is rapid but short lasting. In physiological doses it acts on the weakness of myocardia specially in infectious diseases. It is admitted that Camphor antidotes many Homoeopathic remedies. Besides its action in physiological doses we must also know its action in Homoeopathic doses: 3,6,30 and even in 200. It is a remedy of Collapse with sensation of coldness, in a word an acute Carbo vegetabilis. The patient is suddenly taken by an intense coldness of the whole body-external or internal. The whole body is cold to touch. It is possible that the oil of camphor is more important when there is the sensation of coldness.
Adrenalin is less used in Homoeopathic doses in heart conditions. It causes intoxication very rapidly. It is a sympathetic stimulant which causes a peripheric constriction with increase of arterial tension but is action is short lasting. It is interesting to use it in small doses in slight cardio-vascular weakness in course of an infectious disease.
Let us finally note that Adrenalin used intravenously and intracardiaclly and is sometimes a heroic remedy of grave cardiac collapse.
Acetate of ammonia. A classic remedy in Allopathy in course of broncho-pulmonary affections. But it is not of very great importance. In Homoeopathic doses, it has on the contrary, an unquestionable action in persons who have lipothymias and who are at the same time some renal patients proceeding towards uremia.
Veratrine. Experimentally studied by Jarricot has given in Homoeopathic doses some interesting results to Dr. Bernoville in cases of arrhythmia (Veratrine 200 or M, alternated with Phosphorus).
Veratrum album and Veratrum viride will be equally interesting in the cases of collapse.
Now we arrive at a group composed of three medicines: Glonoin or Trinitrine, Cafein and Spartein.
Glonoin. It is not a tonicardiac, but it is a remedy to be indicated here. It has two important actions: A physiological action in ponderable doses in the case of anger (it is a terrible vaso-dilator, having immediate effect but the effect is ephemeral).
An action according to the law of similars in Homoeopathic doses. Glonoin is the most important remedy of congestive headaches in persons suffering from hypertension, specially in women of Lachesis type and of sulphur type during menopause.
Occipital headache with throbbing sensation in the whole body, having a sensation that the blood is draining into the head. Aggravation of headache while lying down.
Amyl nitrosum in 3x is besides an excellent drainer and circulatory regulator in women who have arrived at their menopausal age of the type of Lachesis, Sulphur and Glonoin, Cimicifuga and Sanguinaria form with the preceding remedies a group of principal remedies of menopause.
Cafein. It is not used by some practitioners. But in reality here it would be considered as an interesting remedy. In physiological doses it has a tonicardiac action; it is also a vaso-dilator of the coronaries according to some authors, and has also a diuretic action. In fact, it would be useful in the degeneration of the myocardia. In Homoeopathic doses it is a remedy of insomnia hyperideation and euphoria.
Spartein. Its action is inconstant. It is used conjointly with other tonicardiacs. Its physiological action is seen in the slight increase of the intensity of the cardiac contractions, a regulation of the rhythm without the increase of tension or diuresis.
Clinical indications. Slight insufficiency of the myocardia in old and obese persons.
Two Homoeopathic remedies studied in the last lecture.
Cereus bonaplandii. In 3x it is a drainage remedy of hypertension.
Pencedanum 3x or 30. It is used by Dr. Nebel in some cases where there are at the sametime cardiac troubles, aerophagia, duodenal troubles and functional troubles of the kidneys.
We have already studied the action of Quinine and Quinidin. In physiological does one is well aware of their actions since the age of electrocardiogram: Auricular fibrillation and complete arrhythmia. There are cases where Quinine and Quinidin act when the other tonicardiacs are counter indicated by E.C.G. When using in Homoeopathic doses one should remember their most important indications: It is in hyperthyroidism and Basedow’s disease. In these cases this remedy is used in 3x, 6x, or 30 and 200. Sometimes mixing the dilutions and preferably applied in the morning before taking and food. It has a marvellous action in tachycardia and tachyarrhythmia.
Let us now speak something about the actions of gland extracts in cardiology and let us conclude by saying a few words about the important ground remedies in cardio-vascular pathology.
The gland extracts are: extract of Myocardia and of Kidney are of the Kidney are of the first importance and Liver extract and Thyroid extract and Thyroid extract are of the second importance.
Extract of myocardia. It may be used in physiological or Homoeopathic doses. In physiological doses its action is controversial. Dr. Bernoville uses it in hot injectable doses with good results. He has seen in a patient suffering from anuria due to cardio-renal trouble, the urine increases from 200 to 800 to 1000 grams within 24 hours. The great inconveniency is that the patient becomes agitated and goes towards Arsenic and Ignatia.
In Homoeopathic doses Dr. Bernoville and Barishac have got good results by a mixture of dilutions 3x (trit) or 6x (trit) and 200.
Same experience with Renal extract.
These two extracts in Homoeopathic doses are very good adjuvants. But one curious fact is that their actions are sometimes quite the opposite in the sense that the extract of Myocardia acts better on the diuresis and Renal extract on the heart. Dr. Bernoville generally prescribes 3x/200 a pinch while waking up in the morning and Kidney 3x/200 while going to sleep.
Liver extract. Sometimes it acts on the whole circulatory apparatus and on the diuresis. The injectable extract may be used in 3x/200.
Thyroid. Perhaps it may be used in cardiac erethism and in certain tachycardias every time when there is hyperthyroidism. Here again the mixture of dilutions 6x or M acts better.
Two essential notions are to be followed when using glandular extracts homoeopathically.
The importance and value of the stock and the preparation.
The possibility and even the interest of repeating high dilutions every day (which should not be done as regards ground remedies). Here it is a question of a remedy midway between actions according to the law of similars and physiological action.
The important ground remedies to be used in cardiopathy may be schematised in the following manner.
Digitalis is, we have seen related to Phosphorus (Asystole of the right heart).
Strophanthus and Crataegus are rather related to Sulphur (Weakness of the left ‘heart); Kali carb and Apis are remedies of oedema, Baryta carbonicum, Aurum and Plumbum are remedies of sclerosis and pre-asystolic patients.
In asystole of the right heart, it is not so much the question of a person having Oedema, as of a patient having dyspnoea and a big liver with congestion of the bases. In such a case we must know how to distinguish between Phosphorous and Arsenic. Phosphorous is more frequently indicated. One is often led to prescribe Phosphorous 200 one dose, Antim tart 6, Arsenicum 6 alternated every one or two hours with digitalis (maceration); on cardiac liver one should consider the action of digitalis in 30 and 200.
In grave failing of the heart besides Ouabain one should think of Carbo vegetabilis 30, 200, M. This remedy is to be used in high dilutions. We must also think of Cuprum, Veratrum album, Ammonium carbonicum, Camphor, Oil of camphor (cyanosis) as well as of Opium, (evolution towards uremia.)
In circulatory troubles of menopause Lachesis should be placed on the top with Glonoin 6 or 30 (or the two at the same time). Amyl nitrate and Cereus bonaplandii. When Glonoin does not act one may think of Usnea barbata or Sanguinaria (gushes of heat). From Lachesis (ovarian insufficiency), the patient will pass towards Phosphorous, Cholesterinum and Lutein (hypercholesterinemia). Lachesis, Graphites and Sulphur in high dilutions followed by Graphites 30, Kali carbonicum 30 and Senecio 30 may regularise painful menstruation, with Ovarian or Folliculin extracts in ponderable doses. On the contrary in metrorrhagia one must use Folliculin in Homoeopathic doses 30, 200 with Sabina, China, Fraxinus, etc…
Bernoville was a major lecturer in homeopathy, and he was active in Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis, and a founder of the le Syndicat national des médecins homœopathes français in 1932, and a member of the French Society of Homeopathy, and the Society of Homeopathy in the Rhone.
Fortier-Bernoville wrote several books, including Une etude sur Phosphorus (1930), L'Homoeopathie en Medecine Infantile (1931), his best known Comment guerir par l'Homoeopathie (1929, 1937), and an interesting work on iridology, Introduction a l'etude de l'Iridologie (1932).
With Louis-Alcime Rousseau, he wrote several booklets, including Diseases of Respiratory and Digestive Systems of Children, Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Rheumatism, treatment of hay fever (1929), The importance of chemistry and toxicology in the indications of Phosphorus (1931), and Homeopathic Medicine for Children (1931). He also wrote several short pamphlets, including What We Must Not Do in Homoeopathy, which discusses the logistics of drainage and how to avoid aggravations.
He was an opponent of Kentian homeopathy and a proponent of drainage and artificial phylectenular autotherapy as well.