SUGGESTIONS IN HOMOEOPATHIC THERAPEUTICS


Swelling, induration and redness all were less to a marked degree. These are the instances of seasons, imparting symptoms to the already existing disease whatever their nature may be. The latter then call for interpolation of the seasonal remedies provided symptoms agree. Among the common seasonal remedies the follow are noteworthy.


In the last September issue I mentioned about the influence of seasons on diseases and I remarked the seasons not only produce acute ailments characteristically their own but they are often found to produce a train of common symptoms in patient suffering from diseases of varied nature, even the chronic ones. All these cases may then require the interpolations of a common remedy the remedy of the season.

I am glad to find that Dr. H. Baker laid stress on the same point in a paper read before I.H.A. Bureau of Materia Medica. He says, “one year, about thirty-five years back when chills and fever were so very prevalent. Natrum Mur, was the “Genus Epidemicus,” and took care of all cases. I used it in the 60M for most cases and even prescribed for some cases without seeing them, with good results. Unfortunately we are not usually so lucky.”.

In support of what I say I have already given an instance of the beneficial results of Rhus Tox which I attained in a case of Meningitis and this has already been published in the September issue of this paper. Now I am giving a few other instances in which Rhus Tox. was helpful, about the same time when I treated the Meningitis Case.

CASE I. Patient- Aged 4 yrs. presented the following symptoms:.

Frequent stools of dysenteric nature for the last 4 days. Stools wholly blood and some quantity of mucous, no faeces.

It was middle of July and the atmosphere was damp. Rhus Tox 1M was given at 12 Noon (15.7.48). He had 6 or 7 Stools from morning till noon on that day i.e. before taking medicine. Report was obtained on the same day at 10 P.M., that that the patient had no more motion since taking medicine. Patient received placebo only till 18.7.48. Stool was free from blood but there was still much mucous in it and he had 3 or 4 motions per day. Another dose of Rhus Tox 1M was given in 18.7.48. Patient then gradually got cured.

CASE II. Patient aged 40, Suffering from Subacute Osteomyelitis of the lower jaw, right side. He came under my treatment on 10.4.48 and was progressing well. On 5.7.48. he came with an extensive aggravation of the local inflammation and there has been an extension of the inflammation on the side of the neck with much swelling, redness and tenderness- Cervical Cellulitis, was threatened.

The following were the symptoms:-

1. Chilliness

2. Thirstlessness

3. Tongue coated brown, margin and tip red.

4. Slight fever

5. Aching pain all over the body.

6. Locally pain is ameliorated by hot compress.

In Cellulitis, two drugs come foremost in the mind Apis Mel and Rhus Tox, though thirstlessness was in favour of Apis, yet totality of symptoms together with the season (rainy as it was) spoke for Rhus Tox. Rhus Tox 2c was given 5 doses in 24 hrs.

6.7.48. Swelling, induration and redness all were less to a marked degree.

These are the instances of seasons, imparting symptoms to the already existing disease whatever their nature may be. The latter then call for interpolation of the seasonal remedies provided symptoms agree. Among the common seasonal remedies the follow are noteworthy.

1. Bell

2. Bryonia

3. Camphor

4. Gels

5. Glonoine

6. Lachesis are the remedies that are needed in the Summer Season, Bryo., Gels., and Lachesis are the remedies of the Spring, also Similarly, 1. Nux Vom, 2. Aconite, 3. Causticum, 4. Hepar Sulph, 5. Petroleum, 6. Rhus tox, are some of the remedies useful in Winter Complaints.

Remittent fever including Typhoid fever that occur in the Summer Season are found to be covered, in their early stages either by Bell, Bryo or Gels, Similarly, Skin Troubles that aggravate in the Winter Season are generally covered by Petroleum, Respiratory troubles appearing in the dry Winter Season generally demand for (1) Aconite, (2) Ammon Carb, (3) Causticum, (4) Nux Vom, etc. Patients with Emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis are often found to have aggravation of their troubles in the Winter Season and these patients often demand for Ammon Carb. If it is damp cold, Dulc. or Rhus tox might be the possible remedies. So we find remedies vary according to seasons.

There was once an Epidemic of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis in Calcutta and it was in the Summer Season. To my utter surprise, I found Gels and Lachesis were needed in most of the cases.

For a detailed account of the seasonal remedies, reader is advised to consult a good Repertory. I only put down here most important ones.

Another most important point in the matter of selection of remedies is that after collection of symptoms it becomes a matter of great importance to attach proper importance to the different symptoms. Sometimes it becomes necessary to neglect the symptoms that are directly dependent concomitance of some pathological condition. This will be clearly understood from the following case.

Patient aged 48, seen by me on 17.12.48. attacked by severe acute vomiting. About 8 months back I had been called in to see the same patient. He had an inflammatory mass in the right hypochondrium very much painful to touch. Since then he continued dyspeptic symptoms. Chronic eructation, generally rancid looseness of bowels etc.

Now about 7 days back he developed an obstinate constipation associated with acute gastric troubles (a) Extreme discomfort in the stomach after eating even a very small quantity of food- followed by regurgitation of acid fluid in the mouth and he had to cause voluntary vomiting with temporary relief. (b) Rolling visible flatulence with much griping pain (c) Constipation had only one stool on the previous day (16.12.48) after 3 days and had to use his finger to draw out faeces from the rectum.

Now pain in the stomach immediately after eating is covered by many drugs, chiefly (1) Arg. Nit. (2) Ars. Alb (3) Calc. Phos. (4) China. (5) Lachesis. (6) Lyco. (7) Nux Vom. (8) Phos. (9) Sulph.

This pain, immediately after eating followed by regurgitation of acid fluid in the mouth and vomiting associated with visible rolling flatulence and the history of an inflammatory mass of right hypochondrium and chronic indigestion and acidity all suggested to me a partial Pyloric Obstruction possibly spasmodic in origin. As soon as food enters into the stomach- stomach digestion begins but the food cannot pass freely through the constricted pylorus reverse peristalsis sets in causing pain and regurgitation of bilious and acid fluid in the mouth; this was to my mind the whole pathology of the present ailments.

So pain and regurgitation of food materials in the mouth are the results of obstructed pylorus and therefore the rather symptom namely “Obstruction at Pylorus,” should be given primary importance as a factor in the totality than the symptoms namely, “Pain in the stomach after eating or regurgitation of food material in the mouth,” which are always the necessary concomitance of the pathological condition namely Pyloric obstruction, i.e. each and every case of Pyloric obstruction are associated with those symptoms.

So if we consider the symptom of Pyloric obstruction as a factor in totality we need not consider the symptoms that are the necessary concomitances of and directly depend on the former condition as they may sometimes cause confusion and lead to erroneous selection. Because the drug i.e., given in the Repertory under the main symptom may not necessarily be found under each and every one of its dependent sub-symptoms and may thus be overlooked.

Pyloric obstruction is covered by Phos very prominently also by Nux Vom and Lachesis. Then I gathered some of the general symptoms of the patient (i) Thirst for cold drink (ii) Av. for hot food (iii) frequent respiratory catarrh associated with occasional asthmatic trouble and lastly, the most important feature that he suffered from repeated attacks of necrosis of bone for a very long long time, all these symptoms pointed very strikingly towards Phos. and I gave 4 doses of Phos 30, one to be taken every 4 hrs.

18.12.48. Reports: (1) Only one vomit last night slightly acid, on bitter taste which indicates bile has become nil in the vomit.

(2) Griping pain much less.

(3) Slept well last night.

(4) Urine more free and lighter in colour.

I.B. Sanyal, M.Sc., MB.

N C Das
N C Das
Calcutta