Conclusion – Syphilis


It may be that the treponema may not exist, but the constitution may be deviated and the subject goes on developing with some troubles which may not be due to treponema….


Some indications on the sequence of remedies:

We are now going to say something very rapidly about the sequence of remedies of syphilis, specially in the child from its birth.

If you want to have clear understanding of the sequence, I will ask you to read a book on syphilis and to read again the malformations, all the lesions and all the troubles that syphilis can produce from the foetal stage up to the old age and try to keep in mind the names of Homoeopathic remedies as the limits of each stage of troubles of hereditary syphilis, primary syphilis, secondary and tertiary syphilis.

We will say that in this way we may very usefully unite the clinic and the Homoeopathic therapeutics.

Dr. Nebel has published in this journal an excellent scheme about the constitutions in relation to tuberculous stages. On this subject he gives us a triade of remedies. All the three of which meet at Sulphur and take three different directions:

–The normo-endocrinal direction.

–The direction of hypofunction of endocrines.

–The direction of hyperfunction of endocrines.

As regards hyperactivity of endocrines, the remedies are numerous, specially those which act on Phospho-calcic, in those who, from the hereditary psora move towards tuberculosis, beginning from Calcarea phosphorica, finishing with Marmoreck, passing through Kali carbonicum, Arsenicum iodatum, Natrum muriaticum, Iodium, Ferrum, etc…

In those cases there is an exaggeration of metabolism, function of some glands, specially of the thyroids, of ovaries and hypofunction of the suprarenal.

On the contrary the direction of endocrinal hyperactivity has less numerous remedies and a slow metabolism and a general hypofunction. Dr. A. Nebel indicates to us Calcarea fluorica, Baryta carbonica, Kali bichromicum, Aurum metallicum, Magnesia carbonica, Cuprum metallicum, Causticum, Ammonium carbonicum, Cuprum metallicum, Carbo vegetabilis and again Calcarea fluorica. It is the complete picture of hereditary syphilis from the childhood of the subjects who are less infected so as not to die in the foetal stage and subjects of first infancy who are going to live with a hereditary syphilis more or less attenuated.

This is very instructive. The child may be born with the symptoms of Calcarea fluorica. From his birth he has some malformations of the skeleton and troubles of ligaments. This picture will lead us to think about Calcarea fluorica, more than about Calcarea phosphorica or Calcarea carbonica.

We are face to face with a child who has :

1. Possible congenital malformations, which, even they are less marked, give at least an asymmetric look. The subject may have an eye placed higher than the other: loss of symmetry in the mouth, etc… Think of Calcarea fluorica when there is an ogival palate. We should look for the copper colour of the palate, an important sign of syphilis in whatever age it may be. On this subject Dr. Naret of Thonon has published an article, two years ago in the Bulletin de la Societe Rhodanienne. The child of Calcarea fluorica is then going to develop with a certain asymmetry, which may be present in the thorax or on the limbs. However, he will be sufficiently robust and his ligaments will be lax. He will have the tendency to entorses ( which is also later on found in Natrum muriaticum).

2. Lax ligaments in young age which may be contrasted with early sclerosis. He is very often a subject who, in young age could bend his fingers of his hands at a right angle with the back of his hands and if we follow this subject during his life we will find that at the age of 30 years this subject on the contrary has stiff hands even when he has not suffered from rheumatism. his hands have become ankylosed, which shows he has peri- articular sclerosis.

After Calcarea fluorica of the first infancy, Baryta carbonica is a good remedy of first and the second infancy in hereditary syphilis. The child is late in speaking and walking, he is backward in the class, he has incontinence of urine for a long time, and from all points of view he is late and for such a child we will do wonder with Baryta carbonica 30 and Syphilinum 200. In this case from the age of 2 to 4 we can get very good results if the child is late from all points of view as regards his general development.

Kali bichromicum is indicated in all the ages of life of the syphilitic. It is indicated in the child in all the trouble of tonsils like Baryta carbonica, which is an important remedy of the hypertrophy of the tonsils.

Kali bichromicum is a good remedy of a subject who has tendency to frequent anginas and tendency to diphtheria.

Aurum metallicum acts when there is hardly any lesions of the mucous membranes but there are lesions of bones and nerves. It is less interesting in children but it may become useful from the point of view of bone and nerve lesions. Think also about it in syphilis when in a sufficiently young subject we see hyperostosis.

The next remedy is Magnesia carbonica as Dr. Nebel indicates it in the chart. I do not know if it has an action on syphilis. It is a remedy for hypersensitive subjects. As such it may have action in hypersensitive syphilitics.

Let us recall here that this remedy has glandular troubles. Epiphysis and hypophysis, troubles of the thyroid and finally of genital glands in the heredos.

When the child in the second infancy or a bit later, has tics, spasms, who stammers, it will be necessary to think of a very far away syphilitic ground.

Cuprum is a marvellous remedy as Dr. Nebel indicates it. It is closely related with Calcarea carbonica. Do not think that Calcarea carbonica is to be given only to Carbocalcics of strong built, the earth type. Calcarea carbonica is an important remedy of the heredo child, with mydriasis, troubles of the thyroid, tendency to rickets and at the same time in tuberculinism; association of tuberculosis and syphilis in the antecedents. It is opposed to Calcarea phosphorica which is to be given in oxygenoids of Psoro- tuberculinic having tendency to tuberculosis.

Aurum, Cuprum, Belladonna, Chamomilla, Dulcamara are the four satellites and complementaries of Calcarea carbonica which will be often indicated in hereditary syphilis as Calcarea fluorica.

Belladonna suits to Calcarea carbonica subjects who has acute troubles and spasms.

A subject of Calcarea carbonica who develops hypersympathycotonia spasms, tics, chorea, stammering, whooping cough, will move towards Cuprum.

Chamomilla will be irritable, feverish and will suffer from digestive troubles.

Finally the Calcarea carbonica subject who is aggravated in humid atmosphere will soon become hydrogenoids and will become a Dulcamara.

Afterwards Dr. Nebel indicates Causticum. It is also a very important remedy. With this remedy we can cure strabism of children. The child who squints very often is a hereditary syphilitic. Causticum will be his remedy but he will also use spectacles.

Causticum is also a remedy of incontinence of urine with more or less distant syphilitic heredity.

The Causticum child has fear of darkness, is easily afraid and becomes anxious.

When these remedies are studied from the Homoeopathic angle we will found that Syphilis may not only influence two or three generations as the officials think but also 6 to 7 generations because very often we find some of these troubles which are hardly shaded off and which will cause us to think about syphilis which cannot be found in the second generation inclusive. But in human species it is very difficult to follow a subject for a long-time. However, it is certain and Causticum and Cuprum are excellent remedies to give in children who apparently have no syphilis and in whom, we may ask, if the syphilis is not as distant as three to four generations. It may be that the treponema may not exist, but the constitution may be deviated and the subject goes on developing with some troubles which may not be due to treponema.

Finally you will find Ammonium carbonicum and Carbo vegetabilis which are not so important.

Carbo vegetabilis is to be given when there is ptosis, and digestive troubles at the terminal period of life.

One comes back to Calcarea fluorica towards 40th or 50th year when there is sclerosis, and in old persons who have become miser, and who are afraid of being ruined.

In the time of social crisis you will see that the Arsenicum album and Calcarea fluorica subjects will become full of anxiety.

If we leave the solid ground of science and try to philosophise – but this is dangerous- we may ask to ourselves if syphilis and tuberculosis do not form a sort of leavens which is destined to ferment the human paste and cause the evolution of the humanity. Because, generally the persons in whom there is no hereditary taint are some peasants, remained attached to the ground, who have not moved out of their huts, who have not contracted, either gonorrhoea, or syphilis, or tuberculosis. If at a given time, one of these peasants joins the military, becomes syphilitic, he becomes an anxious person; his children will undergo the results of that hereditary taint physically to be sure and intellectually also. Their anxiety and their ambition will goad them to rise more and more in the society and to earn more and more money, at the cost of their health and we must also ask to ourselves if the diseases are not in some professions, the ransom of the progress of material order.

Mauritius Fortier-Bernoville
Mauritius (Maurice) Fortier Bernoville 1896 – 1939 MD was a French orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy to become the Chief editor of L’Homeopathie Moderne (founded in 1932; ceased publication in 1940), one of the founders of the Laboratoire Homeopathiques Modernes, and the founder of the Institut National Homeopathique Francais.

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.