EDITORIAL NOTES AND COMMENTS



Death may follow quickly from respiratory arrest or from exhaustion, the convulsions following one another in rapid succession. Recovery may occur after a convulsive dose of cocain, but it is the exception. The pharmacologic action of cocain is at first that of a stimulant. The cerebrum is first affected, and later the lower segments of the nervous system. The period of stimulation is short in the severe cases, being quickly followed by a period of depression. Cushny states that both stimulation and depression may be present at one time in different segments of the brain and stem. The period of stimulation may be so short that it is scarcely noticed, depression being present from the onset of symptoms.

“The treatment of cocain poisoning has been entirely symptomatic. General anesthetics have been used to control the convulsions. Morphin has been used to for the same purpose, further depressing the exhausted respiratory center. Strychnin has been used for its stimulant effect, but it increases the convulsions. Hoffendahl has used chloral hydrate, barbital sodium, and sodium diethylbarbiturate in the treatment of experiment cocain poisoning”.

The stage of excitement is often quite violent and in one case, Stramonium 200th relieved this very quickly. The excitement was of the typical maniacal character and appeared soon after an injection into the gum for the extraction of a firmly embedded root of a solution of cocain.

IN THE LONG AGO.-We recently received from one of cur subscribers in Kansas an interesting letter in which the writer states:.

“In January 1876, and February of the same year Dr. Malcolm McFarlan, of Philadelphia, held the surgical clinic in the Hahnemann Medical College, near Eleventh and Filbert Streets. Many of the citizens were busy preparing for the big show called “The Centennial Exposition”.

“I had been reading under a preceptor and studying in the Lehigh University and went to Philadelphia to look over the medical schools. While there I was invited by Mr. E—, a member of the Senior Class of Hahnemann Medical College, to investigate homoeopathy. What did the investigation show?.

“I need not tell you how loyally Farrington stood by the principles enunciated by Hahnemann and ably demonstrated by Hering; but one thing impressed me indelibly: many patients came into McFarlans clinic expecting to have some operation performed, who carried away a little vial of a remedy in the 200th or some higher potency and a week or two later showed himself cured. Does THE HOMOEOPATHIC RECORDER still hold aloft the banner of Similia like the youth depicted by Longfellow bearing a banner with the strange device Excelsior?”.

In answer to the good doctors question, the pages of THE HOMOEOPATHIC RECORDER must speak for themselves; in any case it is our constant aim to keep the banner of Similia Similibus Curantur floating proudly in the breeze. But times do change and we no doubt change with them! Life today is far more rapid and complex than at the time of the Centennial Exposition, when the telephone did not obsess us and the Edison electric lamp had not yet appeared. Men had time to think and to reason calmly, who will or can give a remedy, instead of resorting to the knife- why, we opine that, as Rastus says, “there is aint no sick animal”; at least we do not meet him in the large cities, where competition is keen and office rents just have to be paid.

The mine of riches which homoeopathy presents, has been but superficially scratched and alas, the scratchers in the school are too few and far between to make much of an impression. There is still so much to be investigated and learned, so much to be verified and tabulated, so many important questions to be solved, that the mine of homoeopathy will require strenuous digging for years to come. The wealth of treasure is there, but, as our faithful subscribe observes, it needs a strong, devoted band of the followers of Hahnemann, Hering, Lippe and of the rest, to carry on under the banner with the strange device, “Excelsior”.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES.-In his presidential address, delivered before the American Association at the seventy-fourth annual session in San Francisco, June, 1923, Ray Lyman Wilbur, M.D., of the Stanford University, California, among other wise things, said:

“The success of modern man in medicine must rest on the same three factors of safety given by Allbutt as the guides of the wise Greek physicians of more than two thousand years ago-freedom from magic, mastery of hygiene and, in spite of abstract notions, never to forget to treat the individual”.

The italics are ours, used to point out again, the salient, distinguishing feature of homoeopathy, individualization. Without it homoeopathy cannot succeed, for it treats not the disease, but the patient in whom the disease is manifest; no two cases of disease are exactly alike, hence there cannot be any specifies for diseases. There are remedies for patients, and the latter alone, as Dr. Wilbur has admonished us, are to be treated.

TIMOTHY.-We were busy this afternoon helping to gather the hay; it is a time of drought, no rain for days, but a hot burning sun with just enough air stirring to cure hay quickly; cut one day and haul in the next is the rule just now; with loads of 1800 to 2000 pounds at a time and some thirty acres to harvest, we are making rapid progress; but there is the corn to be cultivated and this work must not be neglected either, if a good yield is to be expected.

Have you ever mowed hay away up under the roof of the barn, with the temperature high in the nineties; if you have, you know what heat is and you also know what it really means to sneeze. Well, one certainly does sneeze in haying time; especially in the hay-mow. And as we were sneezing our editorial-farmer head off this afternoon, we could not help but think of hay-fever. Phleum pratense will certainly excite it, if the susceptibility to it be present; fortunately for us, we are apparently immune, at least we have never had aestivo-autumnal catarrh, to use the correct high-brow medical term. In the July issue we reported on the good effects of Phleum pratense in potency; 6th, 12th, also 30th was used, in several cases.

In one, the symptoms, including the asthmatic respiration, were immediately controlled and soon disappeared and we are happy to report that thus far there has been no backsliding. In another severe case, there has been a decided amelioration, though not complete relief. This patient presents one of the worst cases we have ever seen and treatment of every known variety, including chiropractic, has been resorted to; even Christian or un-Christian Science, if you prefer, has been invoked, but in vain. Homoeopathy has done more for this patient than anything else. Poor girl, she has been through the old school mill of cutaneous food tests, until finally poor outraged nature could stand no more. Almost the only food she was not tested for is Frankfurter sausages, otherwise known as “hot dogs.” No doubt the canine hair test answered for them.

Another case has likewise responded nicely to Phleum pratense 30th. Those victims who come down with trouble in August are more likely to require our common, too common by far for farmers, American ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiae folia. With this remedy in the 30th and higher, we have frequently obtained excellent results; though golden rod, Solidago virga aurea, should not be forgotten. But- and there is always a but-do not prescribe any of these unproved medicines, if you have decided, well-marked indications for our well-proved remedies. Be sure that your case does not demand Allium cepa or Euphrasia, Arsenicum iodatum. Silicea or Psorinum, before you resort to the “specific antigen.” The totality of the symptoms must always prevail, if it can be found; let the law of similars be your guide at al times and you will then not go far astray.

DEMINERALIZATION IN TUBERCULOSIS.-“An appreciable loss of calcium due to progressive tuberculosis could not be proved in any case by Barkus. Spontaneously healed tuberculous lesions produced by infection with a strain of low virulence, which should, in the light of the theory of demineralization, yield a low calcium content, showed, on the country, quite normal values.”-J.A.M.A.

An interesting observation, but one needing further confirmation; however, from the standpoint of homoeopathic therapy the consideration of calcium and its salts is of value, for we all know the importance of Calcarea carbonica, Calcarea hypophosphorica and of Calcarea phosphorica in the treatment of tuberculous patents. The “Calcareas” are indeed a large family, worthy of cultivation and careful, close study. Calcarea phos. have received extensive provings and are, therefore, well known to most of us.

Not so with Calcarea hypophos., Calcarea iodata and calcarea picrica. The latter is, of course, the picrate of calcium and is a truly wonderful remedy in the treatment of boils in the auditory canal and meatus. As for Calcarea iodata, think of it in a sort of hyphenated Calcarea and Iodin patient in whom, in addition to characteristics of both these great antipsorics there are found enlarged tonsils and hard hypertrophied glands. Clarke states, that the enlarged tonsils of Calcarea iod. are “honeycombed with little crypts”.

Rabe R F
Dr Rudolph Frederick RABE (1872-1952)
American Homeopathy Doctor.
Rabe graduated from the New York Homeopathic Medical College and trained under Timothy Field Allen and William Tod Helmuth.

Rabe was President of the International Hahnemannian Association, editor in chief of the Homeopathic Recorder, and he wrote Medical Therapeutics for daily reference. Rabe was Dean and Professor of Homeopathic Therapeutics at the New York Homeopathic Medical College.