On March 26th was called to see a child twelve years of age and found the following condition: Taken ill the night before with intense frontal headache. Chilly, then hot. Throat very sore, especially right side. Temp. 103. pulse 110. Thirst. The throat was very intensely red. Vomited once. Patient was worse after midnight. Bell. was prescribed and the next morning the patient was normal in temperature and seemed as well but a little weak. He stayed in bed as a precaution for three days, when he was given his freedom.
The next morning his brother seven years old, was ill in the same way. Bell. was administered and his temperature was down to 100 the second morning. The throat continued very red and excessively sore on empty swallowing. Two days from the beginning a small white deposit was noticed on the right tonsil, the third day it was covering the right and going to the left. A culture was taken and did not show the diphtheria bacilli. There was some cellular infiltration into the right side of neck at angle of jaw. There was none of the putrid odor that marks the diphtheria.
On the fifth day the cellulitis was less on right side, but more on the left. Lyc, was given and seemed to help, but during the night of the fifth day he was very restless after midnight-he vomited some, and there was a bloody discharge expectorated and from the nose and throat. Marked toxic conditions were supervening. Culture showed the presence of Vincents Angina.
Ars. alb. was administered and in two and one-half hours the toxic condition was less, the patient said he felt better and the pulse dropped from 142 to 128, and the temperature lowered 8/10 of a degree.
The family changed doctors here to the regular school and the doctor informed me he administered 10,000 units antitoxin, and in twelve hours the whole mouth was covered with diphtheric membrane. Intubation was resorted to and finally tracheotomy was performed, and the patient died on the seventh day of the disease.
Ars. alb. would have saved the child as was shown by the improvement. Lac. can. was the exact similar and would have eventually cured him.
This was a desperately ill patient, and it is in these states that homoeopathy is our sure anchor.
