Cases
(72) Case. – July 31, 1887, I was called to J. P.G., aged 66, tall, spare man, stoop – shouldered, emaciated, of a yellow, waxy complexion; his lips and tongue of the same color. A more complete pallor could not be. For more than twenty years he had been a constant sufferer from a disordered stomach, which physicians had characterized as dyspepsia and gastralgia. For the last year or more it had been attended with frequent vomiting of his food, especially if he took any solid food, for which reason his physician had put him on exclusive diet of peptonized milk, to which he had been confined for something over six months. He was expected to take three quarts daily, taking a given quantity once in three hours. Sometimes the stomach rejected it very soon, and at others he would go two or three days without vomiting.
Hunger was a constant symptom. The emesis usually occurred without nausea, but was always preceded by intense pains in the hypogastrium and violent eructations of tasteless gas from the stomach affording momentary relief. Escape of flatus from the bowels also afforded relief. He has a double hernia of some six years continuance, and a chronic prostatitis, which for some ten or twelve years has compelled him always to use a catheter to void urine. During these attacks of violent pain, ending in vomiting and at some times it was impossible to pass the catheter until he could get an escape of flatus from the bowels, when it would pass without difficulty.
His sleep was much disturbed, and when he slept he was sure to wake about three in the morning and lie awake till after daylight. There was much burning and soreness of the stomach for relief from which he took domestic soda as he judged best.
At the time of my visit he had just reached home from a summer resort, whither he went by the advice of a physician in hope of improvement, and was in the midst of one of his attacks of severe suffering, which had attended him all the way on his journey home, and was so severe that he and his friends thought he would die before he got home. I found him in bed, but in such agony that he was all over it in his efforts to get relief from changes of position at one moment sitting up and belching off quantities of tasteless flatus, the next lying on his face or bending over to press the legs against the abdomen. He was thirsty, but dared not drink because water distressed his stomach. The pains he described as burning, grinding, pressing and sometimes cutting and tearing. His bowels were constipated, seldom moved without enemata.
I gave Nux vomica 30 in frequent repetition, but without any apparent relief till he vomited about an hour after my coming.
He ejected fully three pints of a milky fluid, like milk mixed with water slightly muddy, having a slightly sour taste and odor, but without coagula. The vomiting gave instant relief, and I left him on the Nux a dose once in three hours.
July 31. Found him cheery and comfortable. The milk was discontinued and gruels substituted. The remedy continued.
August 1. Found him comfortable after a fair amount of sleep during the night. Continued the remedy. About 9 o’clock in the evening of that day was called again to see him, and found him again in great distress, which continued till after midnight. At times he would belch volumes of flatus with relief for a moment.
He was much inclined to bend over, pressing his abdomen or arms folded across his legs, sometimes with a pillow and sometimes without. I gave Colocynth 30 every few minutes. After an hour or more I made a thorough exploration of the abdomen, and found what seemed to me an evident thickening of the wall of the stomach near the pyloric orifice, so marked as to suggest cancer, which had not before occurred to me. At last after nearly four hours of dreadful suffering he vomited again about three pints, and was relieved.
The matter ejected had the color and appearance of unsettled coffee. He was left on Colic. 30, once in three hours, if awake.
August 2. Found him free from pain after a good sleep. The ejecta of the night before, as much as a quart bottle would hold, looked like coffee, and the apparent grounds occupied about one – third of the space.
The gravity of the case was such that I suggested that they might like further council. The suggestion was gladly accepted, and the patient and his wife made choice of Dr. Smith, a homoeopath of large experience, residing in Geneva, N. Y., and of their friend, and for six years attending physician, Dr. Coe, who is a so – called “regular.” Some e three days later they met me at his beside. Meantime the patient had been on Arsenicum 40m., Fincke, in solution, a teaspoonful once in three hours, with no vomiting till the morning of our meeting, when vomited about a half pint of coffee grounds after a short period of suffering similar to that described above but much less intense. After giving the council a statement of the case, I asked them to make an examination and diagnosis. Dr. Smith very soon satisfied himself that there was thickening of the stomach in the region of the pylorus. Dr. Coe made search for it, and though t he could feel it, but was not quite clear that he did so.
I then exhibited the ejecta of that morning and of three days before, when both were of the opinion that the case was one of cancer of the stomach. Prognosis very unfavorable.
No change was made in the remedy, and the Arsenicum was continued once in four hours till the 8th of August, when it was so evident the patient was improving that Sac. lac. was substituted.
I saw him every day, but while his ability to take nourishment improved daily so that he could chew a little beef once or twice a day with relish and comfort, the constipation did not yield, and he got on the 25th of August Nux vomica 50m., one dose, followed by Sac. lac. A second dose was given September 5th, and then Sac lac. continued. The constipation was relieved, and the case was dismissed September 22nd. without further medication.
Improvement began with the administration of Arsenicum, and there was no vomiting after the morning of the council, but he was so feeble as to require daily visits till the 31st of August, though before this he had taken several short drives in an easy carriage. For ten or twelve days before he was discharged from my care he was in his office and at work several hours each day.
On the 26th of April last he called to tell me he was to leave with his wife the next day for Colorado. He added that he weighed 185 pounds, more than ever before in his life, and said he had the appetite and relish of a boy. His pallor was entirely gone, and his cheeks were fairly ruddy. (Hawley.) CC Cancer.
CC
(73) Case. – I had a similar case. It was of long standing.
The tumor of the stomach or rather just below the pit of the stomach was the size of my two fists; it was very large. After the coffee grounds vomit appeared twice then came a large wash bowl full of vomitus looking like molasses; these were signs of dissolution. The case received one dose of Arsenicum at that time, and has never received a dose since, and she has been well for two years. No repetition of the remedy. (Biegler.)
CC Eczema. CC
(74) Case. – Clorence Johnson, a young woman, had been afflicted a long time with chronic gastritis. She was unable to take ordinary food without great burning and distress in her stomach. This condition of stomach was relieved when she had eczema of both ears, which was intensely painful and burning. She would sometimes succeed in healing the ears, but in proportion as she succeeded in that the stomach symptoms returned. Then she would get very poor in flesh. I had given her Sulphur and Graphites without perceptible benefit and also Arsenicum 30 and 200. Finally I concluded to try the Arsenicum higher. Gave her Arsenicum 37m., made on my own potentizer, and the effect was wonderful. The whole trouble promptly yielded, and she had no trouble since now several years.
I forgot to say that she also had scalp trouble of a similar nature with that of the ears, which also subsided. (Nash.)
CC Measles. CC
(75) Case. – Jennie Marti, young lady, had measles; everything went well for a few days. The eruption came out all right, when all at once, in the night, the eruption, without apparent cause, disappeared from the skin, and intense dyspnoea with great restlessness and tossing about in agony and extreme prostration set in. These were all Arsenicum symptoms, and this remedy in frequently repeated doses relieved all those distressing and dangerous symptoms in a very short time, and she made a rapid recovery. (Nash.) CC Gastralgia. CC
(76) Case – Mrs. Hayford, age 35, had severe attacks of gastralgia. They came on a little after midnight and lasted until 3 A.M. I asked her what was the character of the pains.
She answered, burning as f my stomach was full of live coals.
What have you done for yourself? Everything I can think of, but the only relief I can get is to walk the floor with a hot water bag held across my stomach. I am blistered now with it, and I am growing weak from pains and loss of rest, fairly prostrated. The veriest type would not hesitate to prescribe Arsenicum for such a case, which I did, with a promise to call next day. I was very busy at the time, and forgot all about the case for a week, when passing the house one day, it came to mind. Then I went in and found the patient at her house work looking bright and happy. Well, said I, how are you? Are you dead, well or got another doctor? I forgot you. She answered, I am not dead or sent for another doctor, and I haven’t had any more of those attacks of pain; but, doctor, would that medicine send out salt rheum? Ah, you had salt rheum before you had the gastralgia. Yes. You cured or rather suppressed it with an ointment. Yes. That was the cause of your trouble in the stomach. But, doctor I don’t want either. We will try to make you better of both. Which we did by letting the Arsenicum act.
