But as M. See ignores the double and opposite actions of large and small doses, we can only regard him, in practical pharmacodynamics, as a half educated man; and this, notwithstanding his pre-eminently leading position in the practice of modern medicine in France. But it is something to find anyone’s practice addressed to the causes of the colic, rather than to silencing the pains, which are but effects, and which, being silenced, leave the morbid state of the sufferer as bad or even worse than it was before.
REMARKABLE CASE OF JAUNDICE OF NINE YEARS’ DURATION; GALLSTONES OF LARGE SIZE.
I really finished writing this small treatise on Liver Diseases last autumn, and sent the MS. to the printers, on the day the date of which will be found at the foot of my preface. In this same preface mention is made of a case of chronic jaundice of long duration, which I then feared was hopelessly incurable. This work has been delayed at the printers until now, owing to want of time on my part, and moreover, I have latterly delayed it somewhat on purpose, and in order that I may narrate the before- mentioned case referred to in the preface, in which I reflect upon the treatment of the case followed by a distinguished representative of old school medicine.
I always hold that adverse criticism of co-practitioner’s work should be in the abstract, because it is not in any sense a question of persons. I also hold that whose ever criticises the work of another adversely, the same is morally bound to point out a better, a more excellent way, if he knows one.
The plan followed by my predecessor in the treatment of this case was to lull the pain with morphia. Now, quite apart from the deteriorating influence of the drug ( a question I do not propose here to discuss), it must be manifest that the pain arose from the gallstones: and the lulling influence of the morphia not only did not cure, or even tend to cure, but actually tended to prevent nature from helping herself.
The physician knew perfectly well that he only relieved the pain; he was quite conscious that it was in no sense a cure. “The thing,” said he, “is incurable; the pain is therefore, the legitimate object of palliative treatment.” And I quite agree that a physician may not stand by and see pain without taking effective measures for its relief.
But the patient’s life comes first, not the pain; and therefore, here everything hinges upon the question of curability or non-curability. Assuming that the case was really and truly incurable by medical art, then, of course, the lulling of the pain by morphia was right and proper, and moreover imperatively demanded on the ground of humanity alone; and where physician cannot cure he is at least bound to relieve pain. I therefore attach no blame to this physician personally, his error lies in his scholastic conceptions of what are the actual possibilities of drugs in the direct art-cure of disease; and in the unquestioning belief that what he and his fellow believers in school physic know, covers the entire field of the known and of the knowable, in curative medicine.
Paracelsus is ridiculed and contemned; Rademacher is almost unknown in the wider sphere of medicine. Homoeopathy is not within earshot at all, i.e., in the spheres that are deemed orthodox. It seems very odd, but all that is best in medicine, in so far as it relates to the art of healing is… outside!
Paracelsus is outside; Rademacher is outside, Hahnemann is outside; the physician who gave morphia for the case under study is inside.
I will now go on to the case in question by narrating that patient, a married lady, mother of a family, was brought to me by her husband with some difficulty, owing to her great weakness and loss of flesh.
I noted as follows:-Mrs X., 38 years of age, eleven years married, mother of seven children, came under my observation on September 29, 1890. During the past three months intensely jaundiced, and is given up as past all hope of recovery.
During the past nine years her doctor has been giving her morphia to ease the pain in the right side, left side, and in the stomach, abdomen and hypogastrium respectively. At the present time she takes about a dozen quarter-grain pills of morphia a day; she is emaciated to a painful degree. The spleen is very much hypertrophied, and extends across to the mesial line and inferiorly down to the crest of the ilium; in fact, it practically fill the left half of the abdomen. It is very tender, and the contours of the big spleen can not only be felt but readily seen, as it rises above the surface. The liver is only very moderately enlarged, about an inch and a half beyond the ribs, towards the epigastrium.
While I am examining her, patient appears very weak and faint, and hardly able to bear the undressing. Her eyes are lustrous, her tongue raw red. Urine is scanty; loaded with bile; bowels costive. The region of the gall bladder and ducts very tender, but the greatest pain is in the pit of the stomach. Catamenia always scanty, and at present stopped. The motions are without bile, and moved with the very greatest difficulty. No appetite. In almost constant distress from the agonising pains at the pit of the stomach.
Patient had been twice vaccinated, and years ago had severe ulceration of the womb, for which she lay in bed for three months, and during that period was six times cauterised. The cauterizations, aided by many introvaginal injections and much lying-up, were followed by the disappearance of said ulcerations.
I did not really know where to begin at in this formidable case, but in view of the severity of the epigastric pain, jaundice, constipation, &c., I ordered Hydrastis Can. p. four drops in a tablespoonful of tepid water every four hours. This was the last day of September, 1890.
October 6th.-The urine has begun to improve; it is more watery, and not quite so full of bile; the motions more natural but the liver is very distinctly bigger than it was six days age. I therefore feel justified in going on with the Hydrastis.
13th.-Patient’s jaundiced skin is not quite so intensely black yellow; the pain has altered. There is very distinct, though not great, improvement; for the first time for very very long her period is full and free, which has much relieved her. The spleen is a trifle smaller, the tongue dry and glazed.
I find on reference that a few doses of Thuja 30 were given intercurrently on the 6th instant. Continue with both Hydrastis p and the Thuja 30.
20th.-There is no longer any pain in the region of the gall bladder; patient complains of cold shivers; liver has gone down in size while the spleen is more swelled and very painful, and patient complains very much of chilliness. RX. Tc. Urticoe urentis p., seven drops in water three times a day.
27th.-No “spasms”.; pains in the spleen worse; the spleen is, however, softer to the feel; liver larger. To alternate Carduus mar. p. with the Urtica, every three hours.
Nov. 3rd.-Spleen and liver both bigger, which I take to mean that they are being acted upon by the remedies, particularly as patient is not so chilly and is in less pain. Patient has never ceased to take about a dozen morphia pills every day; some days many more. To continue with the Carduus and Urtica.
12th.-The jaundice is much worse; the pains in the region of the gall-bladder are atrocious. I try to persuade the patient to leave off the morphia, so as to give the remedies a chance, but she appeals to me not leave her unhelped in her agony; I could not resist, and so consented to the morphia pills being continued.
We had made a little progress in the case, but not much, and I therefore made a further and very careful survey of the aetiological history of the case, and came to the conclusion that the whole thing was of uterine ORIGIN.
As I have had a good deal of clinical experience of Bursa pastoris, tending to shew that it is a remedy specifically affecting the womb in like manner as Chelidonium does the liver, I at once determined to test for the right appropriatum uteri, as I conceive Paracelsus or Rademacher might have done.
I reasoned from the clinical data taken in historic sequence that the primary affection years ago was uterine, and the hepatic affection consecutive thereto, and starting therefrom. I saw clearly that the old ulcerated condition was at the bottom of it, or rather that was as far back as I could get for the present. For although the cause of the ulcers was presumably the fons et origo mali, vet the real disease at present to be grappled with was the jaundice, the gallstones, and the colic.
In this case getting rid of the primary constitutional cause would not necessarily have mended matters, therefore I started with Bursa pastoris p., five drops in warm water every five hours.
That was on the 12th, and by the 17th there was very extra ordinary change come over the face of the case; indeed it was at first blush almost incredible. There was much less jaundice, the liver had gone down in size almost to normality, and the spleen was fully an inch smaller. Moreover, there was no pain in the liver at all.
Burnett was one of the first to speak about vaccination triggering illness. This was discussed in his book, Vaccinosis, published in 1884. He introduced the remedy Bacillinum. He authored twenty books, including the much loved "Fifty Reason for Being a Homeopath." He was the editor of The Homoeopathic World.