EDITORIAL NOTES AND COMMENTS


Effect of Chronic Sulphur Poisoning of Energy Metabolism. “Simonson and Richter administered gradually increasing doses of a saturated alcoholic solution of sulphur to three experimental subjects. The total amount of sulphur given in each experiment was 60 mg. The toxic symptoms resembled those in hydrogen sulphide poisoning. Weakness, paleness, headache, dyspnoea and disturbances of coordination were most prominent.


Rochester, the Magnificent. To many people, Rochester, New York, is known as the home of the Kodak and so it is. To others, the city is known as one of beautiful homes, broad avenues, stately trees and flowers. Its nurseries are justly famous. Twenty-five years ago Rochester was, homoeopathically considered, the strongest city in the United States. Those were the days of Biegler, Carr, Grant, Hoard, Schmidt, Graham, Keegan and others. These men, judged by the standards of modern medicine, may have had their failings, but departure from the principles of homoeopathy, was not one of them. The believed in Hahnemannian homoeopathy and what is more important, practised it without question; they made real cures.

Today Rochester is a still greater medical center, thanks to the munificence of philanthropically disposed millionaires, but it is no longer a homoeopathic stronghold; it two homoeopathic hospitals have been liberalized and no longer bask in the sunshine of Hahnemannian glory. Their distinctive names are gone and with them the strength of a noble cause. All honor to the brave men who for so many years upheld it. They have gone to well-earned rest and no be forgotten.

Effect of Heat on Milk. “It would appear from the investigation made by Magee and Harvery that the retention of calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen by young animals is lower on a diet containing heated milk than on one containing fresh or sour milk, and further that the addition of soluble calcium to the heated milk ration increases the amount of calcium added. It is suggested that heat has a detrimental effect on the nutritive value of milk, and that one of the important contributing factors is the reduction in the amount of soluble calcium.” J.A.M.A.

Our German friends should take notice, likewise those who insist upon the pasteurization of milk. Clean milk from healthy cows and then kept clean ought to be the slogan of all health departments. Of course, one does not have to drink milk in Germany; personally, we get the creeps whenever we think of the German custom of serving boiled milk-it is a form of veritable Schrecklichkeit to inflict upon an American, who knows what good milk is. England is not much better off than Germany and her milk supply is only now beginning to emerge from the gloom of unsanitary and ancient methods.

However, as in Germany, nobody is compelled to drink milk and Gott sei Dank, there are more attractive beverages anyway, for example Burton ale or Munchener Hofbrau, Olympian nectar, which in the land of the free is known no more. New York has had her milk scandal within recent months and the episode furnished considerable political campaign ammunition, before election day, when the dear peepul had to be protected at all hazards. Now that election day is over, they are left to their own devices; some of them die by the alcoholic route from poisoned alcohol, which an omniscient authority insists they must use. And so it goes! Life is assuredly a Holbeins Dance of Death, as depicted by that artist of the Middle Ages, in one of Lubecks celebrated Doms.

A city boy, over on the East Side, when questioned by his teacher, replied that milk in the city comes from bottles, but that milk in the country comes from cows. Poor kid, he probably never seen the green fields of Delaware County. Homoeopathically considered, the various lacs should be studied and used more. Lac defloratum and Lac caninum when rightly prescribed, are most valuable remedies. Kent knew a few things about Lac simiae and LAc felinum. The knowledge which he had and left to us, ought to be amplified.

The lacs should be more thoroughly proved; Clarke in his wonderfully complete Dictionary of Materia Medica tells us much about these lacteal remedies, but there is much more to be known. Who knows what monkeys milk may reveal; of course Tennessee and Texas are ausgeschlossen as proving grounds for anything even remotely suggestive of the poor simian, but there are still other states of the Union which are not headed for the Dark Ages. There is so much work to be done in the further development of our materia medica, that it is a real pity to see the homoeopathic school, or what is left of it, so supine in the matter.

Drosera in Cough. This old Hahnemannian standby has recently been very frequently called for in the simple colds-tracheitis, laryngitis and bronchitis prevailing in and about New York and a few doses of the 30th centesimal potency have given very quick relief. The indications are-day, spasmodic, paroxysmal, choking, cough, with red face; cough < at night and indoors > in the open air. Voice deep or somewhat hoarse. In some cases pain in the abdomen during the cough, has been noted; this too, is a characteristic symptom of Drosera.

Effect of Chronic Sulphur Poisoning of Energy Metabolism. “Simonson and Richter administered gradually increasing doses of a saturated alcoholic solution of sulphur to three experimental subjects. The total amount of sulphur given in each experiment was 60 mg. The toxic symptoms resembled those in hydrogen sulphide poisoning. Weakness, paleness, headache, dyspnoea and disturbances of coordination were most prominent. There was an increase in the pulmonary ventilation, depending, they think, on inhibition of oxidation. The respiratory metabolism increase with increase in the dose. It was below normal when the same dose was given for several successive days or when administration of the sulphur was discontinued.” J.A.M.A.

We all attention to this experiment with Sulphur, as it has interest for homoeopaths; the symptoms produced, however, are of little value to the homoeopathic prescriber; disturbances of coordination for example, are found in the provings of other drugs; in fact, all the effects of Sulphur, as noted by Simonson and Richter are of little use to the prescriber; the tendency in the homoeopathic school toady is to conduct provings, when these are made at all, along definite pathologic lines, to emphasize the changes in tissue structure or function, which can be demonstrated by means of instruments of precision, such as the microscope, sphygmomanometer, electrocardiograph, etc.

This tendency is worthy of support, it is a movement in the right direction, but it must not be permitted to overshadow subjective symptomatology; it ought to be developed with the object of scientifically explaining this symptomatology, of furnishing corroborative evidence which will compel recognition; under no circumstances must it supplant the finer shadings of our materia medica, upon which we have for so many years relied and upon which we must continue to rely, for our curative effects.

A materia medica, based upon pathologic changes alone, would be worthless for practical purposes; we must have an ideal combination of objective and subjective symptoms, to do our best work. Such a materia medica, will not only be of the greatest aid to us, but will also place us, as a school, upon a high plane of achievement. We will then be able to publish cures and what is more, explain them; as matters now stand, our claims are all too frequently relegated to the category of unsupported assertions.

Complication of Insulin Treatment. “Gudemanns diabetic and tuberculous patient, kept under insulin treatment, suddenly showed hematuria. It improved, but reappeared after every new injection of insulin.” J.A.M.A.

Wait little pancreas, dont you cry,.

Youll have your haemorrhage by and by.

Treatment of Bronchial Asthma with Sodium Iodide. “Boch reports that he has obtained definite relief from the use of sodium iodide in 84.6 per cent. of his cases. The sodium iodide was given in amounts of from 30 to 150 grains (2 to 10 gm.) in twenty-four hours, 30 to 50 grains (2 to 3.25 gm.) being given from once to three times a day when shortness of breath was anticipated. No evident ill effects were observed from the administration of amounts of sodium iodide as large as 60 grains (4 gm.) given eight times in twenty-four hours. The maximum amount required to give symptomatic relief in the cases studied was 250 gains (16 gm.) over a period of twenty-four hours.” J.A.M.A.

Well, this is assuredly “some” dosage; the observation however, is of much interest and may be of use of us homoeos. Natrum iodatum has never been proved, but seemingly has a clinical record in coryza, hay-fever, chronic pharyngitis, laryngitis, asthma and cardiac troubles. Its exact place in homoeopathic therapy, should as far as possible, be defined. Here is a chance for the proving squads of Hahnemann Medical College or of the New York Homoeopathic Medical College. We commend this drug to their consideration.

Uterine Haemorrhage Without Physical Signs. “Two hundred consecutive cases of functional uterine haemorrhage, with no obvious physical signs, are reviewed by Whitehouse. He concludes that menstruation is the monthly abortion of the decidua of an unfertilized ovum. The menstrual discharge is the lochia of an infertile abortion. The premenstrual discharge is the lochia of an infertile abortion. The premenstrual endometrium is the menstrual decidua; its development and life are dependent on the corpus luteum. Menstrual abortion is initiated by death of the unfertilized ovum and retrogression of the corpus luteum.

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.