J.N. LOWE, M.D.
STAPHISAGRIA-I. Within the last year, we have had occasion in several instances to use this remedy. In one instance, in an inveterate case of nausea of pregnancy and threatened abortion, attended with obstinate constipation, subsequent and fruitless attempts to defecate, with more or less strangury in passing urine. There was complete anorexia, and almost constant vomiting. The patient was exceedingly sensitive to all impressions, and had become very much exhausted.
She had been treated for several weeks by old school methods, without any relief. Staphisagria cured.
II. -Staphisagria again imparted great relief in an instance of most incorrigible indigestion. One of those worn out cases in which, usually, nothing succeeds in bringing relief, and to which a board of very ugly concomitants were attached, including the worst sort of nervous irritability and melancholy. This patient, a woman, aet about sixty, had been a gormandizer, and had to keep filling up all the time in order to feel at all comfortable. A heavy meat eater; and the strongest kind of tea and coffee were her delight. Regulated her diet and gave Staphisagria. Cured.
III. -Staphisagria, in another case of years standing, which hand grown from a badly managed case of intermittent fever-and one in which allopaths had a acknowledged they could do no more- we have greatly improved by this remedy. This case (age sixty- five) had settled into a most invincible one of chronic gastralgia, with enlargement of spleen and liver, and passive renal congestion.
The patient was further subjected to very violent palpitation of the heart. The cause seeming to arise reflex from the kidneys and stomach. She is obliged to eat very little at a time, and has a very limited range as to choice. At the same time she dare not allow her stomach to become empty; and has had to get up nights to eat to prevent a renewal of an attack; suffers also from a very offensive sweat-scant.
Staphisagria has subdued nearly all of these persistent troubles. The heart goes on occasionally with violent agitation. She is now taking Kalmia lat. Her heart symptoms are best described in the pathogenesis of Kalmia given in Hering’s Materia Medica -and this remedy now seems to meet the demands of her case. We expect, as a finale, as good results as could possibly be expected.
IV. -corallium RUBRUM.-In a case of laryngismus stridulus, infant at about one year, corallium cured very promptly what had seemed to call for Lachesis. Worse during sleep, and after waking from sleep. The latter remedy very strangely failed. corallium cured.
V.-PASSIFLORA INCARNATA.-I do not know that we have a proving of this remedy, but from its experimental use personally we have found that it exercise a very soothing influence upon an irritable heart, brain and nervous system.
For insomnia, broken sleep, waking up suddenly (usually in first sleep), confused, and almost overdone by anxious dreams and violent action of the heart, with blood see things and ebullition, we have found this remedy more efficacious, and, consequently, more satisfactory than other remedies of established renown, as to similarity.
We feet sure, that within its own true sphere of therapeutical correspondence (whatever that may prove to be) Passiflora must soon becomes settled into a high position in our Materia Medica. It has been called, empirically, Somniferum seraphium; but this only hints of its peculiar individuality as a useful member in therapeutical society. It apparently possesses no narcotic properties whatever.
We predict for this remedy a unique and exceedingly useful sphere of action. Time spent in its proving will in no sense be wasted. Its literature is yet limited, but rich in its suggestiveness. If we accept what is said by physicians who have used it, it should be given in material doses of the genuine full strength tincture. In our own case we used pellets saturated with tincture, a dose at bedtime.
