I am not a doctor but I can not help expressing my admiration for Homoeopathy which I have tried as a layman for about twenty four years in my domestic circle and in that of friends and the poor and needy who, at times, for want of means have approached me for relief from their sufferings.
The trial of this system of healing has produced such gratifying results during this period that I have a strong liking for recording some of my observations in the hope that I may be able to encourage some people to make an attempt to enter on the appreciation of the virtues of an art which indifference or prejudice keeps out of their reach.
It was in 1917 that I suffered from a severe type of barbers itch. I had in those days great faith in allopathy and used many kinds of ointments prescribed by doctors of that school but felt no relief. Amidst this stage of misery I came across a Homoeopath who gave me a diluted preparation of Nitric Acid for external application. He asked me to touch the pimples with it every thirty minutes or so till they dried up or I felt sufficiently relieved. I used the drug according to his directions from noon till evening.
During this period every application of the drug was followed by a frightful burning sensation but at last I found about sunset that all the pimples had dried up and also the itching and burning had ceased. There- after I used the drug only morning and evening for about a fortnight during which there was a continuous improvement both in feeling and appearance till there came about a complete recovery.
My recovery in 1917 from the aforesaid disease created within me some confidence in homoeopathy. I asked the doctor if it was possible for a layman to acquire such an elementary knowledge of therapeutics as would enable him to manage a case till he could get competent advice.
The doctors reply was very encouraging. He gave me a copy of “Lauries Epitome of Domestic Medicine” to study and some instructions for the use of drugs on general lines. I had soon after to live in places where I could get on good Homoeopath to consult. I, however, went on studying such books on the Hahnemannian art of healing as I could get within my reach during short intervals of spare time at my disposal.
I very well remembered the aggravation of Nitric Acid in my own trouble already mentioned. The doctor had told me that this drug was a specific in the treatment of barbers itch. It occurred to me to use the drug internally in a suitable dilution. Study and experience taught me later on that in making a prescription one should not be guided by the name of a disease but by the total or characteristic symptoms in a particular case in hand.
I made a trial of Nitric Acid 200 in the treatment of the malady just spoken of when there was an aggravation of the trouble by contact of water and also when the slightest friction of the pimples with any thing however gentle brought about bleeding. The trial proved very successful. Guided by these symptoms I have cured several cases of Barbers itch by the internal administration of Nitric Acid 200. One of these was that of an allopathic doctor in Government Service.
I prescribe generally four globules every six hours with the result that after taking two or three doses the patient feels great relief in itching and burning while improvement in objective symptoms sets in slowly but steadily and the case progresses to complete recovery. Some times globules do not work very well; then I use one drop of tincture morning and evening. About three years ago I again caught barbers itch of an obstinate type and resorted to Nitric Acid 200 in the form of tincture. It was quite cured in about a fortnight.
I used no external medicine. About the same time a clerk in the post office got involved in the same trouble and tried allopathic treatment for a fairly long time without any success. He then approached me for advice. I cured him with the tincture of Nitric Acid 200 in less than a fortnight.
About the year 1926 a poor shepherd who had no means to procure the services of a doctor approached me for getting rid of an ailment which had suddenly made an inroad on him. He was troubled with pleuritic stitches in the chest. He felt some relief in his pain by gentle pressure and lying on the affected side, but his trouble was aggravated by any movement he made. I gave him Bryonia 200-four globules every six hours. He felt improved for some time after which the stitching pains returned with greater severity There was no relief now by lying on the affected side. On the other hand the trouble was only increased by doing so.
