Read before the annual meeting of The International Hahnemannian Association, New York, June, 1925.
“There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Just two kinds of people, no more I say.
The two kinds of people on earth I mean.
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.”
I come to you today as one who leans–leaning upon you for help, for advice.
What Cured?.
In section one of the Organon we read that “A physicians only mission is to cure.” In section three we read “If the physician clearly perceives what is to be cured in every individual case–and if he clearly perceives what is curative in each individual medicine and if he knows how to adapt what is curative in medicine–to what is morbid in the patient–he is a true practitioner.” This defines a cure and tells us how to cure. Once more I ask–.
What Cured?.
In this fair land of ours there is a section, not remote, where there are two classes of people who constitute very largely the medical thought. There are the self termed scientific medicists, who acclaim very loudly, the use of modern medical science, sensitize, immunize, vaccinate, innoculate and operate, etc. This is all.
If the patients live, science did it. If the patients die, every means known to science has been used, it was to be.
If you are not of this class you are a Christian Scientist, a fraud, or humbug. If you use other means in your endeavor to make sick folks well in the “quickest, safest and surest way” you are acclaimed as one largely bereft of your reason, or a hypocrite. What Cured?.
If you will bear with me for a few moments while I report a few illustrative cases I will then ask you to answer my query and lift me out of my state of despair.
Case 1.–I was called very hurriedly at 2 A.M., February 6th, to see Master I., two years of age. As Willie was an adopted child no family history was available.
The fond foster parents had been congratulating themselves that the baby was getting fat, developing a nice double chin. They were suddenly wakened about midnight by the frantic efforts of the child to breathe.
The double chin seemed very hard and the only relief to the difficult breathing was to throw the head as far back as possible. Examination showed a greatly enlarged and indurated sublingual gland. The child was flabby in appearance, head and neck covered with perspiration, cervical glands were indurated. Being five miles from town and in the night, there was no time to take a blood count, or use the various scientific diagnosis means. I was called to relieve the child. My diagnosis was adenitis, my treatment was one prescription of Calcarea Carb. 6x. The results were immediate and most gratifying and no further medication needed.
Case 2.–Master R. H., six years of age, had been under old school treatment for over a year for “swollen glands,” scientific tests and observations had been made, as I was told, and an operation was deemed imperative. The surgeons were ready, the hour set. The nurse reported a temperature of 103. After a careful examination the surgeons left saying that the boy was too sick to operate, but he would have to be operated later.
In sheer desperation the family called me in as the ultra conservative. The glands of the face and neck were swollen, red and shiny. The auditory canal was nearly occluded, the flesh was moist but very hot, the face flushed. The diagnosis given me by the surgeons, was acute infection adenitis. Belladonna 3x restored the patient to health and as yet no operation has been performed.
Case 3.–Master C. G., twelve years of age, for over a year Charles has been under treatment for enlarged thyroid, tonsils, submaxillary and cervical glands. For weeks he has taken thyroid extracts, been iodized and been operated twice but not until he received Bacillinum 1m three doses were the glands reduced and his health restored.
Case 4.–Miss G. C., fifteen years of age, for the last three years has been a great sufferer from bronchial asthma and an enlarged thyroid. Her countenance bespoke extreme distress, eyes staring, pulse rapid, respiration very labored. She was under medical care for over a year with only slight, temporary relief of any of her symptoms. She was sensitized and reacted to cat hairs and oat-meal.
The family cat was disposed of and she abstained from eating oatmeal in any form. The relief was prompt and decisive. No medication was given and in six weeks time the glands were normal and she has never had any trouble with asthma since.
Case 5.–Mrs. F., thirty-five years of age, has been for years a great sufferer from indigestion and enlarged thyroid. She was a firm believer in massive doses of very strong medicine, but she received no relief. In her desperation she consulted me.
I gave her Nux Vomica 6x and in three weeks she reported at my office that she was feeling better in every way, no distress after eating, no pain, bowels normal; she has been able to attend and enjoy social functions which she had been unable to do for years. She supplemented her report with this remark: “You dont expect me to believe that those tasteless tablets had anything to do with my feeling better.” With that she left, never to return, neither has she ever paid her bill.
Case 6.–Mrs. M., fifty-four years of age, consulted me in December for Psoriasis. Her arms, back and limbs were nearly a solid mass of scales. She was unable to sleep on account of the severe itching, burning and bleeding.
The pathological report of urine was specific gravity 1005, reaction acid, albumen one gramme to the ounce. There was present some vesical tenesmus and much intestinal flatulence. Arsenicum Iodatum 3x was given and in six weeks the skin was clearer than for years, examination of urine was negative; very little flatulence present.
What Cured?.
Medical statisticians lay claim to the fact that eighty per cent. of suffering humanity would get well if nothing were done for them and ten per cent. will not get well regardless of what is done and ten per cent. are cured by medical science.
The surgeon will claim that his skill and an operation cured and he will show you X-rays, blood counts, haemoglobin tests, made before and after operating showing records of a large number of cures with low per cent. mortality and no return of trouble.
The organotherapist will claim that the serums and vaccines cured and he too will produce voluminous statistical matter to prove his claim.
The electrotherapist will claim that electricity cured in a large per cent. of tabulated cases.
The so-called allopathic physician will be loud in his acclaim that his serums, vaccines, specifics, alteratives, antipyretics, tonics and other scientific methods have by actual numerical count cured in every case where a cure was scientifically possible.
The dietitian will report the results as shown by his carefully prepared charts, showing a large per cent. of cures where the diet was properly balanced, carefully regulated, intelligently restricted as indicated by the reaction following sensitization, chemistry of blood and excrementa.
We as homoeopathic physicians claim that our remedies prepared according to a definite law and administered in accord with the teaching of Samuel Hahnemann and his faithful collaborators will cure.
Can we prove it? Have we haemoglobin tests, taken before, during and after the administration of a potentized preparation of Ferrum Metallicum or the indicated remedy thus showing actual results? Have we recorded the blood pressure before giving Lycopodium or the indicated remedy and again after, showing by actual figures the results?.
Have we figures to show that a case with a white blood count of twenty thousand and eighty-five per cent. leucocytes has been given the indicated homoeopathic remedy and later the same case shows a blood count of nine thousand?.
Have we statistics to show that cultures taken from throats giving positive reaction, thus showing to the pathologist the presence of Klebe Luffler, staphylococcus or streptococcus bacillus, have shown a negative reaction after the indicated remedy has effected a cure? We lay claim to such results from our remedies but in the eyes of modern scientists can we prove it? We must be tolerant of and profit by the opinion of these scientists.
A chain is no stronger than its weakest link and in our personal enthusiasm about the action of our remedies have we not possibly failed to show to the world by actual figures that our personal belief is founded on facts, that remedial agents given according to the homoeopathic law do assist the vital force to cure, to effect a permanent restoration to health?.
Homoeopathy is ours by inheritance and a wonderful heritage it is.
Our ideas of and our ideals for homoeopathy and its best development, present and future, must be based upon facts, applied as well as acquired knowledge is demanded in our day. Potential ideals must be based upon actual facts, for potentialities are as great if not greater than actualities.
If Samuel Hahnemann were living today I feel certain that he would stand up and say in the words of the Apostle of old–.
