Past Personal History : Apparently was a well nourished baby at birth, but has staring spells, did not talk until past two years of age-no acute disease.
History Present Illness : Began about 32 year ago, mother thought child was deaf, would only stare when his mother talked to him. Occasionally would awaken parents with a groaning noise and stare, could not be made to understand or answer parents. About 2 years ago, he began drooling at the mouth, and sat apparently listless when he would take a convulsive seizure-at times without loosing consciousness.
These increased in frequency until they reached 20 to 30 a day, when they came on like a shot and he would dive to the floor. He was frequently taken to the Jewish Hospital in Philadelphia to have a suture put in chin, face or head. The mother said this was done probably 20 or more times. Then he would lay for a day or two, fairly stupid after a bad day of convulsive attacks. I was asked to see him about 3 years ago, when he was in a very bad condition. He had several previous medical advisors, and had been fully dosed with bromides, luminal, etc., with no apparent benefit. I could get no more history from the parents, than I have related here, nor any direct history of traumatism to account for the symptoms.
The neurological findings were very uncertain as occasionally there would be positive Koenig or Babinski. Never any cervical rigidity, reflexes sluggish at times. I did a spinal tap with clear fluid under much pressure but the laboratory report was negative, two cells, no globulin, normal sugar reduction. I began the case with Nux vomica because the child had been drugged and there was no complete symptom picture for me. After seven weeks on nux vomica the child became very restless jumping up and down, moving about and would hide for no apparent reason, at times, he would destroy things.
The type of convulsions had not changed and as it always is better to do nothing until you are satisfied that you are doing what is right, I made no prescription until made a careful repertory analysis which gave me Tarantula hisp., all other medication was stopped. Needless to take up time and space in writing a long clinical history, it is sufficient to say that a slow but progressive improvement was established with lessening of the severity of convulsions and symptoms.
He is now attending school regularly, mentally alert, is happy, plays with the other children at school, occasionally has very mild petit mal condition developing for a few minutes, but during the last year, has not had the signs of one of the original type of convulsions. Tarantula hisp has been continued for at least sixteen months in potencies from 30th to the 1000the repeated as needed.
The benefits of the homoeopathic remedy in this case, cannot be expressed in words as interested neighbors and relations believed this child was doomed to institutional care. Many cases could be cited but time will not permit, but I have tried to show the usefulness of Homoeopathic in my meager way, in some of the neuropsychiatric diseases of childhood. I feel sure that many neurotic children could be made more useful, self-dependent and of less care to their parents by the timely use of the properly prescribed remedy according to the law of similars.
