GOLD AND SILVER AS REMEDIES IN DISEASE


In the sixth group there was Antimony, Arsenic, Bismuth and Cadmium. In the seventh group there was nothing yet; in the eighth there was Sulphur, and with that there was a number of others like Iodine, Potassium, Manganum, Mercury, Platinum, Radium, Stannum and Zinc; in the tenth there was Osmium and Uranium; and in the eleventh there was Thallium.


DISCUSSION

The CHAIRMAN said that he held a long-standing objection to the President, as President, making the first remarks upon a paper, because frequently it seemed to limit what might be said by other speakers. So he would not say anything at the moment except to protest, as the father of three boys, against the insinuation that he was lacking in character. On the contrary, he had always believed that this only proved that he was a member of the dominant sex!.

Dr. W.R. McCARE said that it was most interesting that Aurum and Argentum nit. were so very unlike each other. It would have been noticed that the cases quoted by Dr. Fergie Woods in the Aurum class were absolutely different from those in the Argentum nit. class. That was of interest to those present, it should be of interest to a great many more, particularly those who wished to make a serious study of homoeopathy, because it showed how homoeopathy differentiated in such a detailed manner between different remedies.

In emanometer groupings, Aurum came into the second group and Argentum nit. into the fifth group. It was interesting to remember that in the other groups there were other representatives of the elements. In the first group was Cobalt and Ferrum; Aurum and Calcium metallicum in the second group; there was very important element in the third group; Barium in the fourth group; in the fifth group there were a number of very interesting elements Argentum, Cuprum, Phosphorus, Silica and Plumbum.

In the sixth group there was Antimony, Arsenic, Bismuth and Cadmium. In the seventh group there was nothing yet; in the eighth there was Sulphur, and with that there was a number of others like Iodine, Potassium, Manganum, Mercury, Platinum, Radium, Stannum and Zinc; in the tenth there was Osmium and Uranium; and in the eleventh there was Thallium.

It was interesting to notice the relationship between Thallium and Uranium. If the effects of the atom bomb were studied it would be noticed how after the explosion of the Uranium many victims very quickly lost their hair, which was a strong indication for Thallium: whether Uranium changed to Thallium as a result of the explosion one did not know, but that might be so, if it were not the effect of the radiation alone.

There was no similarity between Aurum and Argentum from the homoeopathic point of view. He had said that it was of great interest and that it should be of interest to others, especially the orthodox school. Dr. Fergie Woods had advised the orthodox school to give one injection of Aurum and watch the effect. The orthodox school could not take that advice, but he would say that they should go on giving Aurum until it produced a proving.

That would be much more important to begin with, and they could see how characteristic was the poisoning of Aurum, and perhaps be encouraged to make use of it in future cases on homoeopathic lines. He had had a case of arthritis like Dr. Fergie Woods case who was definitely poisoned by over-dosing of Aurum. It did not occur quite so often now, because the allopath was more careful in giving Aurum for the treatment of arthritis. His patient took a long time to get rid of the neuritis created by the gold injections.

A recent case was that of a senior naval officer who was Jutland, and after that ordeal he noticed a great failing in his vision. That failing went on and became very troublesome. When he was not well it was a great menace to his safety in the roads and he could not read, but when he was well it did not worry him so very much. It went on until latterly, when he felt he was going quite blind, and it was creating a very deep depression, an irritable depression, a depression of great anxiety, so that he would rise from his seat and walk about the room in an anguish of misery.

The patient was given three months ago Aurum metallicum 9c, two doses, four hourly, and since that time the vision had gradually returned until now he could see quite well to read the headlines of the papers, and of course the general improvement in his constitutional condition was equally remarkable.

There was another point to which as homoeopathic physicians not sufficient stress was paid, and that was the study of characteristic personal charm. The healthy person who was in ill- health had a certain drug picture. In the same way we knew that logically we could visualize a vital and healthy drug picture. When the constitutional Aurum patient was healthy, he was a most interesting and fascinating type of individual, he was apart from other people altogether.

He was full of radiance and brightness, in fact he had the brilliance of the precious metal itself. These were points which were worth noting, and when one restored an Aurum patient to health one felt one had done something worth while not only for the patient, but for the world in general.

The CHAIRMAN asked Dr. McCrae if he could give the diagnosis of his patients blindness.

Dr. McCRAE replied that he could not give any diagnosis except that on ophthalmoscopic examination there was the appearance of an optic atrophy in the left eye, with one very dark vein running from the centre of the optic nerve. He thought from memory that it was directly vertical. The left eye had a slight opacity. The right eye was apparently normal. There was no ophthalmologists report.

Dr. LE HUNTE COOPER said that it was always a great pleasure to listen to a paper containing “cases” carefully described, and Dr. Fergie Woods had included several such in his paper this evening. It had been difficult to follow these fully, but a study of them, when they appear in the JOURNAL would remedy this.

He thought that most of them in the past had regarded the “Aurum Patient” as essentially of a constitutionally depressed type; “depression” being the most marked characteristic of this metal. He recalled an occasion in the past, when seeking in Kents Repertory for remedies specially related to “keenness of brain”, his surprise on finding Aurum in large type under the heading “Industrious.”.

He doubted if many of them had regarded Aurum in that light before, but it might be that Dr. McCrae had thrown light on this, when speaking before him, by calling attention to the different mentality of the individual in normal and deranged health. A cheerful and keenly industrious person might become depressed under conditions of ill-health, and Aurum might be quite as well indicated for him as for one normally of a constitutionally depressed type.

He regretted that Dr. Wynne Thomas had not been present with them this evening as he (Dr. Thomas) had informed him that he had recently greatly benefited, if not fully recovered, from protracted and extremely severe rheumatoid arthritis, by the help of Aurum in crude form, though other well-indicated remedies had failed to give relief.

He had enjoyed Dr. Wynne Thomass friendship for many years, and had always regarded his temperament as sanguine, and delightfully cheerful; though it is difficult to imagine anyone suffering from extremely severe rheumatoid arthritis without being considerably depressed, especially when it when it has been of long duration, as it was in his case.

From this, it becomes evident that an Aurum patient need not necessarily be a constitutionally depressed person, and that a “keen and industrious temperament” may actually be a strong indication for the exhibition of this metal, especially when associated with great depression consequent on ill-health.

Sir JOHN WEIR said that the difference between the two metals, for those who knew homoeopathy, was quite marked. The Argentum nit. patient was always in a hurry, apprehensive of what was going to happen. It had a great reputation for dispelling the terrors of anticipation, speech making, etc., and many public men to-day feel they owe their initial success to this remedy.

Argentum metallicum affects more the intellectual faculties. The patient has difficulty in thinking clearly, jumps to conclusions, and is often so tired that he forgets the thread of his conversation; he is mentally fatigued.

Aurum metallicum is suited to the depressed person, where the natural affections are abolished and there is a loathing of life, with suicidal tendencies. Here, in contrast to Arg. met. the affections are first affected, the intellectual secondarily. Despair and self condemnation are supreme, nothing can succeed, and they feel they have sinned away their day of grace and want to die.

At a Clinical Society a doctor, giving his experience with gold injections for rheumatoid arthritis, remarked that in most cases there was a blue line in the gums, and Sir John stated that in homoeopathic provings it was found there was great vascularity in the periosteum generally. Aurum particularly affected the cartilages, and provings gave these marked congestions. He pointed out that the patients who did best on Aurum were the depressed ones, and several of the doctors present said that had been their experience, even with their crude dosage.

Harold Fergie Woods