The Organon tells us, that the physicians high and only mission is to restore the sick to health in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way, on easy comprehensible principles.
Homoeopathy assets that there are principles which govern the practice of medicine. Allopathy takes the stand that the practice of medicine is based upon experience; on giving medicine to the sick and noting the results. As a consequence, we hear of wonderful cures being discovered today, only to be discarded later when put to the acid test. Not having any fixed law of cure, allopathy deals mainly with pathological and bacteriological studies, searching for that particular germ or germs, which are associated with the various acute diseases, and studying the pathological tissue changes which are the result of disease, recognizing the material man only and sacrificing the immaterial. Pathological and laborament of the acute disease, but of very little help in chronic trouble, which is a very important factor in making a cure.
The chronic form of disease, Hahnemann tells us, is a dynamic disturbance and never self-limiting, the immaterial part of man that must be considered and that this can be recognized only from a symptomatological standpoint. Very frequently do we see cases that complain of being ill, yet ambulant; though seldom enjoying good health; they may undergo a thorough examination by the average physician and are told theres nothing wrong, simply hysteria because no pathology is found. These cases are suffering from a dynamic disturbance however, and offer pages of symptomatology and unless treated upon Hahnemannian principles of often, when near the prime of life, develop an intractable and frequently an incurable malignant disease. Homoeopathy has much to offer in such cases.
The average physician, when confronted with a chronic disease, at best, only palliates; patients are subjected to the various medical, physical and chemical therapeutics with indifferent success,having no definite law of cure to follow and realizing the frequent disastrous results, these physicians resort to surgery. Sixty per cent. of these cases are unnecessary and innumerable lives sacrificed simply from a lack of knowledge of the fundamental principles of the causation of disease and of the medicines that will cure.
The rash is suppressed, the cough subdued, and the tumor removed, but noting done for the soil which produced the condition; the patient is trimmed physically and financially, eventually awakening to the fact, becomes disgusted with modern medical tactics, resorts to the charlatan, or to the various medical cults, or to Christian Science. Any Hahnemannian homoeopath will do more for these cases than any other system known, and if he does not cure, which he often does, he will be of great help to these incurable case and enable them to enjoy of fairly comfortable existence.
Hahnemann studied the chronic diseases eleven years before he gave to the world his miasmatic theory of disease; this theory though given over a century ago, still hold good and can be demonstrated by anyone who follows his law of cure. Diseases are divided into two forms, acute and chronic; we are told that over 80 per cent. of the acute get well without any treatment; this may be true, but a competent physician will reduce the term of illness 50 per cent., and if he treats according to the law of similars, there will be but little systemic disturbance with his patients, whereas, prescription based upon pathology call for destructive medicine more or less, and this form of treatment often seriously interferes with nutrition.
The chronic diseases, however, never cure themselves, nor do we believe that they are ever cured unless in accordance with the law of similars. We all have families which are always more or less ailing; they are subject to digestive disturbances, colds, catarrh, tonsillitis, biliousness, rheumatism, nervousness, etc., and when attacked with the exanthematous diseases, become very ill, and their recoveries are associated with the various sequelae. For example; Johnny Jones gets the measles, he is taken with a slight fever for a day or so; has a mild cough, eyes inflamed.
The second or third day a confluent rash appears, the fever is soon gone, cough disappears, and in a week the patient is convalescent with nil effects, while Willie Smiths case is entirely different; his troubles commence with an intractable cough, for a week or ten days, with slight fever, malaise, loss of appetite and earache; after a week or more a discrete rash appears here and there, cough intense, fever high, eyes inflamed, throat sore, and often an acute otitis media, or bronchitis or pneumonia develop; in fact, a very sick child. What reason can there be for the difference in these two cases? Colds, some may say; yes, but these cases come without colds; the difference lies in the constitutional make-up and Hahnemanns philosophy explains just what this is and how to treat it.
Johnny Jones needs a few doses of Aconite, Bryonia and Pulsatilla, according to their indications, which suffices; while Willie Smith;s case will not be cured with these remedies alone; to cure that catarrh, running ear, or bronchitis, he must have an antipsoric remedy or remedies, prescribed in accordance with the symptomatology. He may recover, however, without these antipsorics, but the catarrh, ear discharge, or bronchial cough and weak eyes will emphasize the difference between a recovery and a cure. We find similar conditions in influenza, an infection that has become kaleidoscopic in character; many cases seem moribund in the beginning and unless soon relieved, end fatally. The dyscrasias are paramount in such cases and when the infection fires up this troubles which may have been latent for years, we have a double enemy to fight.
There is no time to wait for pathology here, symptomatology gives us all that is necessary, for intelligent treatment. There is no definite pathology in influenza however, and those who work upon this basis to perfect a cure, will be witness to many departures from this “flu” infected sphere. The dyscrasias do not necessarily present as definite pathology, there is usually a disturbance in the vital force, the system is easily disconcerted, they are always ailing, have a weak resistance, subject to infection, make a slow recovery when ill, and are often left with serious sequelae. Our acute remedies only ameliorate, the antipsorics must be used to perfect a cure.
Modern medicine boasts of preventing smallpox, typhoid, malaria and yellow fever, while cancer, the arch enemy of the human race, is increasing at a rapid rate. No germ has been discovered that has been proved to be the cause of cancer, although some claim that distinction. We firmly believe one or more of the systemic dyscrasias to be the fundamental cause of cancer and the nearest we will ever come to a cure in its broadest sense, is to use the potentized drug administered according to the law of similars, based upon the antisycotic, antisyphilitic and antipsoric history, and administered in the pre-pathologic period.
The same theory pertains to endocrinology; this internal imbalance that is attracting so much attention today among the internists, is only another expression of these dyscrasias, we have verified this assertion many times by prescribing the chronic remedies.
In emphasis of this, let me quote the following cases: Mrs. H., aet. 30, well nourished, father has heart trouble, mother in fair health; two brothers in good health, a sister who is weakly, she has been pregnant, nor ill, with the exception of the childrens diseases; had been in Colorado five months when she noticed that her heart was palpitating, her menses became scant, finally stopping, very nervous and weak, insomnia developed to such an extent that she could not sleep until 5 A.M., and then only an hour; her limbs were oedematous, appetite good, bowels somewhat constipated, more or less malaise and so weak that she could not sit up.
A physician was summoned, there was no relief after two weeks treatment; when another was called, who also failed in this efforts. When I was called I found a pulse of 150, temperature 99, the throat appeared normal, no bad teeth, pallid appearance, chest clear, no heart lesion, liver normal in size, no tenderness over the abdomen, the urine was scanty, highly acid, and free from albumen and sugar, the uterus was normal is size, complete amenorrhoea, appetite good.
A tentative diagnosis was made of hyperthyroidism; the pathology indefinite, symptomatology plenty; she had had some of the glandular products from the the other physicians, but without benefit. Arsenicum was given at first, but very little benefit, a heart stimulant was used without relief. After studying benefit, a heart stimulant was used without relief. After studying the case more closely, and from a constitution basis, Calcarea carb. 30 and I m., was given, a noticeable improvement soon took place in a weeks time, the heart-beat came to 104, sleeping three to five hours, less nervous, and much stronger; the menses appeared when due, but of short duration, in another month they were quite normal, the only trouble now being that she was not yet sleeping well.
