Cases
CC Suppressed Intermittent Fever. CC
(44) Case. – In the year 18 – I was called onto visit a Mrs.
D., aged 40, who had come some forty miles to place herself under my care for the treatment of an obstinate and grave inflammation to both eyes, supposed to have arisen from cold, and which had hitherto resisted all attempts at cure. The inflammation was severe, and the eyes so extremely sensitive that any examination beyond a mere glance was out of the question, and I hesitated somewhat to assume the responsibility of the case. Without delay she was placed under the use of such remedies as seemed indicated by the ascertained totality of symptoms, the names of which, writing from memory, cannot now be recalled.
This treatment continued about three weeks, the only beneficial result obtained being a slight mitigation of the symptoms. Not satisfied with so poor a return, and diligently searching for some cause for this partial success, I conceived searching for some cause for this partial success, I conceived that the history of the case might not have fully reached me. So I sat down for a patient enquiry, from which was gathered that Mrs. D., with her husband, emigrated from the city of London some years before this and had purchased a piece of land on our Northern Railroad contiguous to a marsh, the proximity of which induced recurring attacks of intermittent fever, for which Quinine had been freely and often taken, with the usual effect of at length “breaking the chills,” as it is teamed, and as our patient supposed, of curing the disease. Unfortunately, when the ague ceased its chill, etc., the eyes, which had hitherto been sound, became greatly inflamed, and so persistent and severe that at times total loss of vision seemed imminent.
My inference from this statement was that the intermittent fever had not been cured by the Quinine, but suppressed, and so thrown back into the system to concentrate its baneful effects in another form, which I conceived to be this affection of the eyes. Should these deductions be correct, it was further premised that no improvement in the eyes was possible unless the restraining and suppressive action of the Quinine on the primary disease could be antidoted; and if this were predicable, the intermittent might return. Actuated by these thoughts, and the presence of nausea as a prominent but hitherto unrecognized symptom, I gave Ipecac 30, four times daily, during several days, when to my surprise and delight, one morning about 9 o’clock a very decided chill set in more severe than any which the patient had yet experienced, followed by intense fever and subsequent perspiration.
The next day was an intermission, succeeded on the third day by a renewal of all the symptoms, time etc., of the first I had then a clear tertian, beginning at 9 A.M., from which, and other symptoms now forgotten, there remained no reasonable ground for rejecting Nat. mur. as the remedy. It was accordingly administered in the 30th potency four times daily for a while, and after three paroxysms, occupying nine days, the disease ceased to return, being as the sequel showed, completely cured; and, to my great deign, the Natrum had acted so beneficially that nothing else was required, and I shortly had the pleasure of sending my patient home, cured of both the malarial fever and the terrible effect on the eyes of its having been suppressed. (John Hall.) This case shows, first, the danger of the favorable treatment of malarial fever wit the inevitable Quinine of the cold school; second, that the history of the case is very important; third, that the indicated remedy may restore the disease suppressed and so pave the way for the administration of the curative remedy, which, if it had been administered at the beginning, would have easily cured the case at once.
Carroll Dunham once cured a very obstinate case of chronic disease by restoring an eczema of the scalp, which had been suppressed by an ointment years before with Mezereum 200, the history of the original disease corresponding with that remedy.
I have myself often done similar work, and we all know of the necessity of keeping in mind the anti – psoric, sycotic and syphilitic complications which call for their appropriate remedies (N.)
CC Intermittent Fever, CC
(45). Case. – I was called to Mrs. Schultz, a young married woman, who had a short time before (three months, I think) had a miscarriage. She had, under the care of an old school physician, who stood high in the profession, not recovered her health, but had grown anaemic, weak and emaciated, and a bad cough, with considerable expectoration, had set in. Now the doctor gave it as his opinion that she had consumption and an unfavorable prognosis.
This of course was discouraging, and as he had treated her so long with this result they concluded to change doctors.
I took change of the case with some misgivings, as the former physician was a man of acknowledged ability, but, as I watched the case, after a few days I observed that what the doctor had called hectic fever every afternoon was preceded by a distinct chill every day at 10 A.M. with clock – like regularity. I also noticed that the high fever was accompanied with very red face and throbbing headache, and was followed by sweat, which relieved all the suffering, and the rapid pulse became nearly normal in the morning. I also observed that the patient lived right on the banks of a swampy marsh. So I concluded to ignore the name the doctor had given the disease and give the remedy covering the symptoms. I gave natrum mur., although it had never cured a case of consumption, and cured the patient, completely and rapidly. (Nash.)
Some would say that if the sputum, of which there was an abundance, had been subjected to microscopic investigation and had shown bacilli the splendid cure would not have been accomplished. Perhaps so; but I have made a cure of a case which was discharged from Saranac (the great resort for consumptives) as incurable and did show bacilli in abundance. She was told that the would live only a few months at the longest. If the case is not too far along the “bugs” will leave under the homoeopathic remedy. (N.)
CC Suppressed Intermittent Fever. CC
(46) Case. – Woman aged 53. She complains of a dull heavy feeling all over her; almost continual headache, which is worse in cloudy and damp weather; extremely sensitive to cold air, especially the head and feet; sleeps well, but dreams bad dreams.
There are also unmistakable evidences of liver trouble, which she says have existed for twenty – five years. The period of aggravation of all her symptoms, especially headache, is between 10 A.M. and 12 noon; the appetite is generally fair; has a craving for salt. The history of this case shows that when she was a girl she had frequent and protracted attacks of fever and ague, during which she took large quantities of Quinine in some form or other. She says she has never been well since then; she continually experiences a dull and heavy feeling throughout her whole body.
Her only recollection of these attacks, of the fever and ague, is that she was at that time fond of salt; craved salt. It is very evident that this patient, when she had the fever and ague, was a subject for Natrum mur., and the probability is that had she had the remedy administered at that time her life would not have been so miserable an existence during the interim.
The remedy is clearly indicated at the present time, especially by the craving for salt, and the persistent headache agg. between 10 A.M. and 12 noon and the bad drams. January 29th three powders of Nat. mur. 1 m were prescribed.
Feb. 5th. Headache less, dull heavy feeling of body less, and no bad dreams. Sac. lac. prescribed.
Feb. 12th. Same report; still improving.
Feb. 19th. Continual improvement.
March 4th. The patient seemed almost well and said she had improved more during the past week than in any previous week since taking the medicine, notwithstanding she had taken no medicine except that prescribed at her first visit. (C. M. Boger.)
CC Intermittent Fever. CC
(47) Case. – R., boy aged four years, had for fourteen months continued attacks of tertian intermittent. Quinine had been given until the little fellow sensibly refused to take more.
In August, 1880, I learned that he had had a paroxysm every other day for seven months. The malarial and quinine cachexia was well marked, and with the chill, which began between 10 and 11 A.M., there was intense thirst for large draughts of water, and during the fever which followed he complained of his head “hurting and jumping.” One dose of Natrum. mur. (30) was given at the end of a paroxysm. He remained free from another attack until in the following October, when the same symptoms presenting, another dose of Nat. mur. was given, and he has no chills since (May, 1881) and has continued to live in the same place, and his health is constantly improving. This case came under observation while I was visiting the section in which he resides with his parents, and on learning that many cases of a similar character were in the neighborhood I left a vial of Nat. mur., with directions to give one dose to any case met with; and I learned a few months afternoon that several cases had been cured with that remedy. (Geo. H. Clarke.)
