President and Friends,.
CASE NO. 1.
In one of my previous papers at the monthly clinical meeting, I had read a case of fistula in ano, treated homoeopathically. It was a case of a person who was ailing for nearly 3 or 4 years from a continuously oozing fistula in ano and who got cured by the exhibition of the constitutional drug of the patient namely Merc. s. I meet him very often and it is now nearly two years that the old complaint has not recurred again. When I read that paper, one of the members expressed surprise at the homoeopathic success in this particular disease. I do not know whether he meant to express that one swallow does not make a summer!.
To-day wish to add to the burden at my song that in the Homoeopathic practice the right constitutional drug of the patient cures him of his various pathological conditions.
This case of the fistula in ano is that of a man, aged about 45 years, well placed in society, well-built and apparently healthy, of a fair complexion, active habits, and without any addictions. He got a boil near the anus. He tried various home remedies for the same. It was really an ischio-rectal abscess. Instead of getting relief he got severe pain, for which he consulted a young surgeon, who operated and dressed the wound. The surgeon made the dressing in his hospital for 3 or 4 days and then asked the patient to go home.
The patient used to get his dressing done at home as per his surgeons advice. After 20 to 25 days, the wound healed up. But whenever there was any irregularity in his living or any excess of proteinous food such as pulses etc. for 3 or 4 days, his apparently healed up wound used to swell and burst and ooze for some days. Afterwards he went again to the same surgeon for consultation. The surgeon, this time, diagnosed the case as that of a fistula in ano and advised him an operation. Then the patient began to observe “Pathya” and to take sometimes Ayurvedic medicines and sometimes allopathic medicines in the vain hope of getting rid of his ailment.
Thus the wound used to heal and open, again and again. This was going on for nearly eight months. Then some one suggested to him that for such ailments homoeopathic treatment should be taken. This educated patient, without exercising proper judgment went to a homoeopathic shop, which has got a homoeopathic board of a long standing, with the hope of getting the right treatment, but to his surprise, after taking the treatment continuously for nearly 2 or 3 months, there was no change in his condition– either way.
So he formed a bad opinion about homoeopathy and lost faith in it and did nothing afterwards by way of treatment. In the meantime, one of his assistants, who was ailing with a renal colic caused by a small stone in his left kidney had taken allopathic treatment from his family doctor and also in consultation with one or two Bada doctors. He also remained in a private hospital. He was afterwards directed to me for homoeopathic treatment for his ailment by one of my patients. He come to me and was relieved of his miseries within 20 to 25 days. So his boss inquired of him about his doctor who cured him.
After making all inquiries from him, this gentlemen came to me and inquired whether fistula can be cured by homoeopathy, as he had already taken homoeopathic treatment without any result ! My answer to that question was; “Any disease which had not reached beyond curability can be cured, if the sufferer had any symptoms to report properly and correctly.” For instance, one patient come to me for Homoeopathic treatment for the pain along the little and ring fingers of left hand.
The patient told me that he has got pain in the joints of those fingers, i.e. rheumatic condition of the joints, but after going deep into the history of pain and after locating the seat of mischief it was found that the pain was neuralgic involving a branch of the ulnar nerve of left hand supplying those two fingers. The joints were absolutely normal !.
I told this gentleman my experience about one case of fistula- in-ano that I had treated successfully and that I would try my best for him. Then this gentleman went to this patient and took all the information from him about his trouble! After convincing himself, this fastidious fellow come to me for his treatment !
I heard all his story and took down all the symptoms which were as follows: (1) Pain (tensive) at the site of fistula caused by movement or by sitting; (2) oozing of serous fluid and blood from the sinus, more in the Ist part of night: (3) this trouble first started in rainy-season, at about 11 or 12 A.M.; (4) he used to feel the pain at 3 or 4 P.M., i.e. in the afternoon and better by rest; (5) location: right side of the anus; (6) constipation due to inactivity of intestines; (7) worst by eating fried things; pulses such as grams, Vatanas green peas, Udad, Nanji (Brinjals) and also milk; (8) Indigestion; (9) worst in winter; (10) worst in the evening and Ist part of night; (11) tongue clean; (12) soreness of left side of throat and cheek every now and then; (13) used to feel exhaustion in the morning in summer.
OLD HISTORY.
(14) malarial fever with shivering at 11 A. M.; alternate day; (15) enteric fever; (16) measles; (17) chicken pox; (18) vaccination 3 or 4 times; (19) an attack of Diarrhoea; (20) Influenza; (21) Skin trouble: scabies occurring in summer; (22) Used to get boils in summer; (23) Headache.
From these varied symptoms I chose only four general symptoms namely (1) worst in rainy season i.e. (wet weather as explained to us by our President); (2) worst in winter; (3) worst in summer; (4) worst in Ist part of night.
Acon. 3-0
Am. carb.3-4-0
Arg. 3-0
Ars. 3-0
Aur. 4-2-0
Bry. 3-1-3-3=10/4
Camph. 3-0
Hep. 3-1-2-0
K. carb. 3-1-1-0
Mos. 3-0
Nux m. 3-4-0
Nux v. 4-1-1-1=7/4
Rhus tox. 4-4-3-0
Sep. 3-1-3-0
Verat. 3-3-0
Caust. 3-0
Dulc. 3-4-1-0
Hell. 3-0
Petrol. 3-1-2-0
Puls. 3-2-4-3=12/4
Saba. 3-0
Stro. 3-3-3-0.
By repertorising these four symptoms, I got the following drugs, namely : Puls. 12/4, Bry. 10/4 and Nux. v. 7/4.
As Puls gets highest number of marks, i. e. stands first, and moreover past history of scabies excludes Nux vomica from the field, thus I preferred Puls because of his previous < at 11 A.M., and gave 2 doses of Puls. 30 and Recipe No. 2 pills sufficient for six days. After 6 days, he came and reported himself to be better. Now my experience with Puls. is that it acts better in 30 potency than in higher one, and the action 30 potency lasts only for 5 or 6 days; so I rarely give 200 potency of Puls but always repeat 30 potency every 6th day before the relapse [That is not the correct method.
The medicine is to be repeated after the amelioration of the condition, when there is a relapse of the symptoms on which the prescription was based.– L.D.D.] of the patients complaints. Following this rule, I prescribed again 2 powders of Puls. 30 and recipe No. 2 pills sufficient for 6 days. After the expiration of this period, the patient came and made the following complaints, namely: (1) stools were pasty (2) trouble of gasses more in the afternoon and Ist. part of night, and (3) tongue coated posteriorly. Now the drug that follows Puls well[No. It antidotes the overaction of Puls.– L.D.D.] complementary to Puls and covering the 3 three symptoms is Nux vom. So I had to give Nux v. 2 doses and Sac. lac. sufficient for 6 days.
After finishing this, he came and reported himself to be excellent. All his complaints had disappeared and his fistula was closed for the time being with the exception that it opened 3 or 4 times after this, only nominally with the oozing of one or two drops of serum, at the interval of 8 or 10 days, instead of oozing continuously and daily. He began to feel as energetic as before the beginning of these complaints. He expressed, that, if he, instead of wasting time of 3 months in taking the Homoeopathic treatment from a homoeopathic shop and had come earlier to me, he would have been relieved long ago and his illness would not have so much advanced!.
Afterwards I have repeated this drug in the 30th. potency nearly 7 times,– only one powder and other recipe of Sac. lac. at the interval of a week or so, on hearing the recurrence of any of the other symptoms from the patient.
When I found that the action of 30 potency did not last long, I switched on to the 200 potency of Nux vom. I repeated this potency for nearly 7 times during the period of five months, whenever necessary, instead of giving continuously as before, the interval of repetition of the drug was nearly 20 to 25 days. Three months after the beginning of treatment, the fistula was completely closed, i.e. it never opened again. It is now nearly six months since the fistula is closed completely.
The existence of the hard fibrous tube of the fistula is not even felt in the soft tissues near the anus by palpitation. In order to convince himself about the cure, the patient tried all things, which used to irritate his fistula, namely, he tried twice, at different times, walking a long distance of 5 to 6 miles, which invariably used to make the fistula burst; but without any relapse.
