AN INVOLUNTARY PROVING OF SECALE


AN INVOLUNTARY PROVING OF SECALE.
Kimball S A

 

June 4, 1890, I was called at 7:30 P. M., to come at once to Mrs. …


Kimball S A

 

June 4, 1890, I was called at 7:30 P. M., to come at once to Mrs. P., who was suffering from severe abdominal cramps. I found her curled up in bed, shrieking with pain, which seemed to start from the lower part of the abdomen, more on the left side, and run upward toward the chest, shooting and stabbing in character, and coming suddenly in spasmodic attacks. They cause her to toss about in agony. The abdomen was very sensitive to touch, the pain doubled her up, but she could not bear much pressure. There were also sharp pains from the fingers running up the arms.

The pains made her silly and foolish, as if intoxicated, but she had taken no stimulants. She had been taking essence of peppermint in water without relief. I gave her one dose of Bell. cmm (Swan). She had one severe attack of pain and several milder ones, but was free from them in fifteen or twenty minutes. I then found that she had taken several ergot pills, and her pains being relieved, she began to complain of numbness in her fingers and foes, numbness in left hand and arm to shoulder and head, numbness in right arm to elbow, numbness of feet, legs heavy.

She exclaims, “Where are my hands? I can not feel them.” She was not conscious of having hands, and did not feel severe pricks of a pin. The abdomen was, perhaps, slightly swollen, but she felt swollen from abdomen to the throat, and said it felt as if the swelling were choking her. Dryness of mouth, with tingling in tongue and throat. Very thirsty, craves ice. Sensation in head as if she were afar off; sensation on closing the eyes as if falling, as if the bed and everything were going down, down.

Self-willed, restless, insists on walking about the room, which brought on an attack of the severe pain before my arrival.

Eyes dull, heavy; face flushed; acts in a foolish and silly manner; talks and laughs as if intoxicated. The next day, June 5, I was enabled to obtain a history of the case. It seems that, fearing she was pregnant, she took six or eight two-grain ergot pills the night before I was called. The next morning she was nauseated and vomited. She had considerable nausea all day and an almost constant vertigo.

She could not see well; things appeared hazy.

She had the sensation of falling on closing the eyes, and the feeling in head as if she were after off, at times during the day.

About half-past 4 o’clock in the afternoon she started to go out, thinking it might make her feel better, when a severe pain seized her in the outer and middle part of the left thigh, as if she were clutched by a hand. It moved quickly up to just below the crest of the ilium and then across the abdomen to the uterine region, when she began to have severe cramps and bearing down pains, and she passed a small lump of gelatinous mucus, tinged with blood.

It was carefully examined, but seemed nothing more than a little mucus that the uterine contractions had expelled. Then the pains became more severe, for which the belladonna was given. She had all these symptoms before the peppermint was taken, which had no effect on any of them.

It seems that she laughed and talked nearly all night. This morning she has an almost constant vertigo; her hands feel big and swollen; feet feel numb, and on walking, the soles feel swollen and as if pins were sticking into them. Still has the sensation of falling on closing the eyes, as if the bed were going down with her.

Legs feel heavy and not just right. Region of stomach sore, abdomen slightly swollen; feels swollen and sore; eyes slightly sensitive to light. Disagreeable, nasty, brassy taste in mouth.

June 6. She says there is a black and blue spot on the outside of the left hip, a little below the crest of the ilium, where the clutching pain was most severe, and also on the left side of the abdomen, low down, where the pain there was most severe. All this time she was rocking in a rocking-chair, and I asked the reason. She said, “It makes the dizziness better.” The vertigo had been constant; walking, sitting, stooping, going up stairs, etc., and only relieved by rocking. Very sore in the uterine region.

Yesterday about 5 P. M., the same time that the severe cramps seized her the day before, she began to have cramps in the uterine region, bearing down pains, as if the menses were coming on. The pains were at first constant, then intermittent, and were relieved by doubling up, pressure and heat. Eyes still sensitive to light, with desire to close them, but still has the sensation of falling on closing them.

She frightful visions on closing the eyes; she saw a rat in the room, she thought, the night before.

Chilly all over at 11 A. M.; began in feet, went to head.

Soles of feet still feel as if asleep when walking.

Feels discontented, uneasy, wants to go out. Thirsty for a lemonade; feels dry from mouth to stomach.

June 7. She was out when I called, and I did not see her again until June 19, when informed me that she had been having the vertigo most of the time, chiefly in the occiput, but it was much better when rocking.

There was numbness in the finger tips at times during the day, more in the fingers of the left hand, and occasionally numbness and tingling in the toes. She still had the sensation of falling on closing the eyes at night and on waking in the morning. She had been having a diarrhoea, but as she had been treating it herself with “home made” remedies. She had been feeling restless; uneasy all the time, and yet, without energy enough to apply herself to anything; this was before the diarrhoea.

The symptoms arranged according to Hahnemann’s schema, are as follows:.

MIND. –

Silly and foolish with the pains, as if intoxicated.

Talks and laughs in a foolish manner; could not tell where her hands were. Sensation in head of being after off. Sensation of falling on closing the eyes, as if the bed and everything were going down. Sensation of falling when awaking in the morning.

Sees frightful visions on closing the eyes. Saw a rat with eyes open. Sensation as if swollen from lower abdomen to throat.

Discontented, uneasy, self-willed, restless, wants to go out Has not energy enough to do anything.

SENSORIUM. –

Constant vertigo in whole head when walking, stooping, going up stairs, etc.

Vertigo in occiput.

Vertigo relieved by rocking in a chair.

HEAD. –

Numbness in right side of head.

EYES. –

Things appear hazy.

Eyes dull, heavy, as if intoxicated.

FACE. –

Flushed.

Heavy, stupid, or silly, foolish expression.

TONGUE. –

Tingling in tongue.

MOUTH. –

Dryness of mouth, with tingling in tongue and throat, with thirst. Dryness from mouth to stomach. Taste disagreeable, nasty, brassy.

THROAT. –

Tingling in throat with thirst. Dryness in throat.

Feels swollen from abdomen to throat, with a choking feeling in throat.

DESIRES. –

Craves cold drinks, ice, lemonade.

NAUSEA AND VOMITING. –

Nausea and vomiting in the morning. Nausea all day.

STOMACH. –

Soreness in region of stomach externally.

Swollen sensation in stomach.

ABDOMEN. –

Clutching pain from left hip to left side of abdomen.

Black and blue spot on left side of abdomen low down where the clutching pain was most severe.

Abdomen slightly swollen.

Sensation of swelling from lower abdomen to throat.

Abdomen very sensitive.

Stabbing, shooting pains from abdomen toward chest, most on the left side.

Pains intermittent, come suddenly in spasmodic attacks.

Pains cause her to toss about in agony.

Pains cause her to toss about in agony.

Pains cause her to double up without much relief.

FEMALE SEXUAL ORGANS. –

Severe cramps in uterine region, at first constant, then intermittent. Bearing down pains as if menses would appear; with the pains a discharge of gelatinous mucus tinged with blood. Cramps came about 5 P. M., relieved by doubling up, pressure and heat.

UPPER EXTREMITIES. –

Numbness of fingers. Numbness of finger tips, especially of the left hand. Numbness and tingling of hands. Numbness and insensibility of hands, can not tell where they are. Hands feel big and swollen. Numbness of left hand and arm to shoulder, and left side of head. Numbness of right hand and arm to elbow. Did not feel pins stuck into hands. Sharp shooting pains from fingers up the arms.

LOWER EXTREMITIES. –

Numbness of feet and toes. Tingling in toes. Soles of feet feel swollen on walking, and as if pins were sticking into them.

Legs heavy.

Clutching pains in middle and outer part of left thigh, extending to just below the crest of the ilium and then across to uterine region.

Black and blue spot on outer part of left thigh below the crest of the ilium.

Chilly all over at 11 A. N., began in feet and went to head.

Aggravation of abdominal and uterine pains; at 4:30 to 5 P. M.

The left side was chiefly affected or the symptoms were more pronounced on that side.

Most of the symptoms given are confirmations of other poisonings by Secale, but there are a few that I can not find in other records. these are notably, the relief of the vertigo by rocking; this is unique. I can not find it under any other remedy. Dr. Wesselhoeft tells me that the asthma of Kali carb, is relieved by rocking, but I know of no other in which rocking affords relief, certainly not of vertigo. Then the frightful visions on closing the eyes, which is also found under Calcarea, Causticum and Lachesis.

The sensation of not knowing where her bands were, could not feel them, did not know that she had any hands; this may be important in paralytic conditions, such as sometimes follow diphtheria, where patients are not aware of the position of their hands or feet and can not tell where they are unless they see them.

The sensation of falling or sinking, on closing the eyes, as if the bed and everything were going down with her, and also the same sensation on awaking in the morning.

The remedies having the sensation as if falling through the bed are, Bell., Chin. sulph., Dulc., Lach., Rhus and Sacch.alb.

Bryonia has the sensation as if she were sinking deep down in the bed.

Arsenicum has the sensation as if the bed had gone from under her and she had alighted on the floor.

We have no proving of Secale; all our information is obtained from monographs of epidemics, supposed to have been caused by the ergot of rye, and from poisonings; no doubt a proving of the potencies would give us valuable symptoms.

Dr. H. C. Allen: We have a proving of Secale Cornutum in the 30th and 200th, published in the MEDICAL ADVANCE.

Dr. Kimball: I am very glad to know that there is a proving, and shall endeavor to obtain it.

Dr. Wesselhoeft: This is a very interesting case and confirms the symptom of relief from rocking. This symptom, as far as I know, is unique. I do not know of any remedy which has anything similar to it unless it may be Kali carb.

I once cured an old asthma with kali carb., which was greatly ameliorated by rocking. She was impelled whenever the asthma came on to seek a chair and rock violently. The symptom of vertigo relieved by rocking, I believe to be the most valuable one brought out by this proving. The feeling of numbness in the hands I have seen in post-diphtheritic paralysis, and Secale may become indicated.

Dr. Butler: We might trace from the symptoms of this proving, why “our friends, the enemy,” have met with some success in treating spinal sclerosis and other spinal diseases with Secale.

Dr. Baylies: Did she say the pains were relieved by heat?.

Dr. Kimball: As soon as she was warm the pains passed away, but they might have passed away without heat.

Dr. H. C. Allen: One of my provers with the 200th developed a peculiar symptom. There arose a number of small boils, especially on the right side, up to the nape of the neck. One of them was on the cheek about the angle of the jaw; it was as large as the end of the finger. It was painful, slow in maturing, and finally evacuated a green pus. These characteristics were true of all the boils. This prover did not entirely recover from the effects of the drug for nearly three years. The boils had a dark, purplish base and left a number of ecchymosed spots for weeks.

Dr. Farley: Did any of your provers notice relief from rocking?.

Dr. Kimball: Every time I saw my patient she was rocking to and fro to relieve the dizziness, she said.

Dr. Kent: It would be a good idea to find out if she can walk slowly or stand steadily with the eyes shut.

Dr. Kimball: I will find that out.

Dr. Bell: I once had a case with all the symptoms of locomotor ataxia. She had a baby about six months old, and I found that at the confinement she had been given several doses of Ergot. She finally died in other hands with decided symptoms of locomotor ataxia, due, as I believe, wholly to the Ergot.

Dr. Wesselhoeft: A case of paraplegia, almost entire paralysis of the legs, presented the following symptoms: She had anaesthesia from the knees to the feet. Her legs felt as if they were made of wood; aversion to covering. She was a large, fat, blubbery woman, and during a labor lasting thirty-six hours, had taken Ergot in massive doses. She was not a very hopeful constitution to work upon, and I had given her several remedies, without help. Finally, I selected Kali Nitricum, and it effected on entire cure. For that reason I have put Kali Nitricum down in my repertory as an antidote to Secale.

Dr. Kimball: In my case one dose of Belladonna dmm (Swan) antidoted the severe, sharp, stabbing pains. Also, in a case of profuse menstruation in a young girl, which had been aggravated by Ergot, I used Belladonna 30 successfully as an antidote. My patient of the proving was a plump woman with red hair. She was of a rather full habit with small bones. It was only three weeks since her last menstruation, but she took six pills of the extract of Scale to make sure of its coming on again. In this case the first symptoms seemed to indicated Belladonna.

Homeopathy Books & Journals
This article and all other content at HomeopathyBooks.in is copyright protected by HomeopathyBooks.in. Any unauthorized copying to other websites or journals is not permitted. See the full Copyright Notice and Disclaimer at HomeopathyBooks.in