Cases
(54) Case. – It was in 1851, on one of those unsurpassably hot mornings that prevail here in August, that I was summoned to see a case of cholera at a great distance. A Redemptorist Father had been with him during the night, and finding his apparently homoeopathic treatment not as successful as he desired wished further advice. The patient was an emaciated, sharp – faced German, a tailor,, about 50 years old. He had indulged on the previous day for his supper in blood pudding and cucumber salad.
He was taken about 11 P. M. with Asiatic cholera; he still continued to vomit and to be purged, with violent cramp at short intervals. All of these cramps and rice – water discharges ceased during that day, the principal remedy had been Arsenicum; but from that evening till the next evening he continued to vomit, and apparently was sinking from exhaustion.
Thirst was very great; he had to drink large quantities of cold water, and felt better afterwards, till the water became warm in his stomach in from fifteen to twenty minutes, and then he had to vomit it up again, to be relieved of this exhausting painful vomiting and thirst by drinking another large quantity of water. A number of remedies administered produced not the slightest relief.
The symptom found by the clinical experiment in this case – cold water drunk is vomited up as soon as it becomes warm in the stomach is vomited up as soon as it becomes warm in the stomach – was not to be found in our Materia Medica. But there was found, after a long search, under Phosphorus, in the fifth volume of Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases, Symptom 755: ” In the most terrible agonies he vainly tried to vomit: only the drinking of cold water relieved.” Nothing could be found in a search for a similar remedy but this symptom, and now we gave this suffering man one dose of Phosphorus 19m. about 8 P. M., with the order to repeat it every two hours until he was relieved. On the next morning we found that he had been given no more than this solitary dose, and that he was rapidly improving. He recovered without needing any more medicine.
Comments. – The case here briefly stated might be claimed to belong to the ” causes celebres. ” Ever since this case was cured and published everybody has admitted into our Materia Medica this so frequently confirmed Phosphorus symptom – ” vomiting of what has been drunk as soon as it becomes warm in the stomach.” Everybody knows it, and the knowing ones have and will continue to cure this not infrequently recurring symptom with Phosphorus. The case illustrates the manner in which our Materia Medica has been developed; how symptoms observed by provers only similar to the symptoms observed on the sick as the result of disease may be cured by a given drug, and that the confirmation of such cures entitle this symptom – the result of the clinical experiment – to as much importance as if it had been observed on a dozen of provers.
Upon reflection, the men who persistently insist in the sifting of our Materia Medica may think the better of it. (Ad. Lippe.)
CC Dysentery. CC
(55) Case. – Several years ago I treated a child suffering for two weeks from an obstinate attack of dysentery. Several remedies had failed utterly. Counsel was called, but our combined efforts were equally unsuccessful. At one of my visits the mother chanced to be changing the child’s diaper. I noticed that the anus was wide open. I could have inserted my little finger to the depth of two inches without touching the bloody mucus lined walls. (The tenesmus was almost continuous.) Neither Jahr’s Manual (Snelling), Bell on Diarrhoea, nor Hering’s Condensed contain this important symptom. Finally I discovered this under Phosphorus in Lippe’s Textbook. There days after the use of the remedy naught remained of the troublesome disease except the resulting weakness. (Nash.)
This case was published in the “Hahnemannian Monthly,” May, 1880. In the June number of the same journal Dr. F. B. McManus, of Baltimore, Md., wrote: “On reading Dr. Nash’s cure my mind was vividly called to what I had learned forty years ago, in regard to that precise symptom and condition given in Phosphorus, recorded in the first American translation of the first German edition of Jahr’s manual, translated “by the North America Academy of the Healing Art, Allentown, 1838.” In the repertory of that volume, under the head of “Anus and Alvine Ejections,” is found, “Openness constant of the anus.” In the manual Phosphorus has, “Escape of slime and blood from the anus, which continually is open..” In Hempel’s translation of Jahr, large edition, of 1848, ten years after the Allentown edition of Jahr, is found, as a symptom for Phosphorus, ‘Mucous discharge from the anus, which is constantly open.”
Nux vomica has precisely the reversed condition of Phosphorus, the former having discharge of bloody mucus, with a sense of constriction, – Phosphorus a similar discharge, with relaxation and openness. It will amply repay any physician to look into k Phosphorus in all cases of intractable dysentery, particularly when the seat of the disease is confined to the rectum, and near to or involving the anus.
In cases, too, of a reversed condition, inveterate constipation, with disappointed calls, the trouble being seated in the rectum, the attention of every astute physician would be called to Phosphorus. ”
These two latter cases of Dr. Lippe’s, and my own, are brought in here in order to show how valuable clinical symptoms came not our Materia Medica. As Dr. Hering used to say, “they are born by breach presentation..
Nor does this, in my opinion, reflect in any degree upon the principle of Similia, for if under the action of any remedy in potency a symptoms or condition is removed it is fair to infer that the further or more exhaustive proving of the drug would produce the same symptom, etc.
To be sure symptoms disappear with which the remedy has nothing to do, but when it repeatedly or invariably does so, no other reasonable conclusion can be reached than that it was homoeopathic to such a state. So such symptoms cannot be lightly rejected, but in all cases, when pathogenetic symptoms also correspond is the result doubly confirmed. CC Headache. CC
(56) Case. – Mrs. M., aet. 30, dark hair, dark complexion, medium size, whenever she washes clothes, or walks fast, has the following symptoms: rush of blood to the head, red face and eyes, heat in the head, sensitiveness of the scalp to touch, sudden shooting pain sin the head, especially in the vertex. She has a permanent hard protuberance on the left side of the head, where phrenologists locate ideality; also one on the metacarpal bone of her left hand, and one on the right foot. These parts, after washing, become very much swollen, red and hot, with shooting pains.
There is a small ulcer on the left foot, near the little toe.
All the above symptoms are so severe, especially the pains in the head are also experienced when walking fast, as well as after washing, but much more after washing. After a few doses of Phosphorus c. m. she found she could wash or walk fast without experiencing any return of the above symptoms. The ulcer on the foot healed. (Compare Ammonium carb., Ant. M., Belladonna, Bryonia, Calcarea carb., Calcarea phos., Carb. v., Clem., Dulcamara, Lycop., Mercurius, Nux. m. Pulsatilla, Rhus, Sarsaparilla, Sepia, Sulphur – Eds.)
Note by the Editor. – On receiving this extremely interesting case, from Dr. Gal, we happened to have on hand one exactly similar, viz., head symptoms, of a most chronic type, in a washer – woman, rendering her occupation at times quite impossible; always worse when washing clothes or walking fast, but much more after washing. Her symptoms were identical with those of Dr. Gale’s patient, which are italicized. Considerable relief was obtained from the administration of Pulsatilla c.
m., followed, a week after, by Sulphur m. m., mercurius 10m (for toothache in a carious tooth, and faceache, caused by washing clothes), and Lycopod. d. m. for sadness, gloomy sadness, and ill humor before menses; severe dysmenorrhoea, with back as if broken; coldness of left foot. But it was reserved for Dr. Gale to effect a speedy and permanent cure by the similimum.
Rush of blood to face and head with heat; the scalp is sensitive to touch, with sudden shooting pains in the head, especially in the vertex, induced and always aggravated when washing clothes or walking fast.
Phosphorus will cure.
On the 17th of last September a washer – woman to the family was fairly hours de combat ” with these symptoms and the following: Sinking at the epigastrium; nausea and loss of appetite; sleepless, and when she does sleep she wakes always with a congestive headache and giddiness. She is afraid to wash. Phosphorus c. m. was given then and there, one powder dry on the tongue. We did not see her again till the 21st of Sept., when she informed us that “the last medicine had done her more good than all the rest put together.” Thanks to Providence and his servant, Dr. Gale. We left her on the 21st of October, perfectly well and healthy, pursuing her vocation in conform. (Skinner.)
