Cases
CC Insomnia. CC
(69) Case. – Miss B., school teacher, brunette, age 26, had taught for several years, and was very nervous and worried much about her work. She asked me to give her something for insomnia.
Had taken sulphonal, but feared she would get into the habit of it. She was sleepy more or less in the daytime, and in the evening before going to bed, but as soon as she was in bed the sleepiness vanished, and she would lie awake for hours. She was not restless, did not witch or jerk; the only marked symptom that she had was that her hearing was very acute; said she could hear every noise within a mile of her – dogs barking, roosters crowing, etc. I gave her three powders of Opium 40, with instructions to take one when she went to bed at 10 P. M., and the others when she heard the clock strike. She only took one, as she was asleep in a short time after the first dose. She had one or two similar attacks of insomnia afterwards, but Opium 30th always relieved. (Ella M. Tuttle.)
CC Typhoid. CC
(70) Case. – January, winter of 1904, I was called in consultation with Dr. D., of New York, to a case of typhoid fever. Found the patient who had been sick two or three weeks (I forget which) lying on his back with eyes half closed, in heavy sleep and heavy breathing, and very red face. It was very hard to get him to recognize any one, and then he relapsed immediately into the soporous state again. There had been intervals when he had roused into actual delirium, but the soporous condition had predominated. He was an operator in Wall Street, and his delirium was mostly along the line of his business. For this in the earlier state he had received Bryonia, but as the present state obtained, the doctor had given him Hyoscyamus, which had been faithfully adhered to for several days. The doctor is a fine prescriber, but on looking the case over again carefully I said Opium. We gave it in the 30th, and the next days we walked into the sick room the patient exclaimed, Hello! doctor, how are you? Every symptom had correspondingly improved. I saw him for six days afterward, and the improvement continued. The doctor said that he had to have a few doses of Rhus. tox. afterwards and made a good recovery. (Nash.)
It is sometimes difficult to choose between Opium and Hyoscyamus, but I have found, as a rule, that with the former the sopor was the predominant condition, while with Hyoscyamus the high grade delirium was in the ascendancy. But both remedies have these alternating. This dual action of drugs must never be lost sight of. Here are two cases which illustrate it, abuse in morbus; stertor or sleepiness, the primary of Opium action, and the sleeplessness the secondary or reactionary effect. Again, I may be permitted to refer my reader to “Leaders in Homoeopathic Therapeutics,” page 298, 3d edition, for further explanations along this line.
CC Convulsions CC
(71) Case. – Child woke up apparently frightened, crying and screaming to the full extent of its lungs, refusing to be consoled; finally spasms in the midst of extreme tossing and restlessness; it jerked from head to foot, and threw its head as far back as possible, with upturned eyes, open mouth and quivering chin; legs and arms spread. the spasms ended in sleep, a heavy guttural breathing, and an occasional deep, prolonged sigh; tremulous limbs, hard abdomen and feeble, quick pulse were the most prominent features present. After half an hour of this tiresome sleep it roused, screaming with tossing and trembling of head and limbs and short jerks of the flexor muscles, and lapsed at once into a hard, irregularly developed spasm with all the characteristics of the first. Opium 30 cured. (Baer.).
Characteristics
Resume.
1. Abnormal painlessness.
2. Want of susceptibility; lack of vital force; blunted morals; worst liars in the world.
3. Reverse peristalsis and faecal vomiting.
4. Fright; convulsions; fear of the fright remaining.
5. Sleepy but cannot sleep, hears every sound not ordinarily noticed.
6. Very hot, profusely perspiring skin.
7. Profound stupor, with dark red face and stertorous breathing.
