Thesis presented to the International Homoeopathic Congress, held in the capital of Mexico from August 10 to 16, 1929, by Dr. Jose Emygdio Rodrigues Galhardo, professor of the Therapeutic Homoeopathic Clinic in the Medical and Surgical School of the Hahnemann Institute of Brazil.
(a) Natural History.
(b) Empiric and Industrial Uses.
(c) Pure Experiments.
(d) Pathogenesis.
(e) Clinical Facts.
To the Members of the International Homoeopathic Congress. DEAR COLLEAGUES:.
The merit of that which follows, if any, belongs to the pharmacist Oswald de Menezes and to Dr. Licinio Cardoso, eminent homoeopathists, not only for the love they dedicated to homoeopathy, but also because of the competency they revealed. Both, unfortunately, are dead, but they will always be remembered in the annals of Brazilian homoeopathy.
Compiling on some points, and copying literally the major part of that written by these two homoeopathists on Cyrtopodium punctatum, I added to this a small personal effort, in order to present, as I do, to the International Homoeopathic Congress, held in the City of Mexico, that which it has been possible for me to collect on the subject of this Orchidacea.
By a happy coincidence, the Cyrtopodium punctatum lives in Mexico and Brazil, my country, and in the beautiful and brave nation where the international meeting of homoeopathists is being celebrated.
This regional circumstance weighed somewhat in the choice of the subject, although my object is to arouse the attention of my studious colleagues to a vegetable which better, investigated, may offer great triumphs to the homoeopathists in the problem of cures.
It was introduced in the homoeopathic therapy by the well remembered pharmacist, Oswald de Menezes, first member to bring to the knowledge of the Hahnemann Institute of Brazil, in 1902, a regular study of this orchid; he was followed by Dr. Licinio Cardoso, first to try it homoeopathically. Dr. Licinio Cardoso published the result of his pure experiment and many clinical cases in which he obtained excellent success, including a digital epithelioma.
I combined all these sparse elements, putting them in the order which seemed best to me, for the presentation to the International Homoeopathic Congress, in the certainty of their usefulness.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 1929.
CYRTOPODIUM PUNCTATUM
SCIENTIFIC SYNONYMS:.
Cyrtopodium brasiliensis.
Helleborine ramossina caulicus et floribus maculosis,. Plunier.
Epidendrum punctatum, Lium.
Cyrtopodium Saint le geranium, Rehb
COMMON SYNONYMS:.
Sumare, in the capital of Brazil.
Rabo de tatu (tatu tail), Bisturi do Matto (Wild Bisturi). and Lanceta milagrosa (miraculous Lanceta) in Bahia and. other states of Brazil.
BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATIONS:.
Order-Orchidaceas.
Tribe-Vandeas.
Section-Catasetideas.
Genera-Cyrtopodium
Species-Punctatum, Ldl.
There are still the species:.
Brandonianum.
Andersonii, title which brings to mind the name of J. Anderson, English naturalist, who in 1829 traveled through Brazil and made collections and studies of the plants in the places he visited. ORIGIN.
This plant lives in several regions in America, such as the Antilles, Paraguay and very specially in Mexico and Brazil.
It was discovered by Plunier in the XVII century.
It is extensively disseminated in the Federal District, state of Rio de Janeiro and in the north of Brazil.
Of the trees on which it usually lives, it prefers the palm- trees and amongst these the species acrocomia sclerocarpia, where it acquires a large development. The species andersonii prefers the stones, proliferating abundantly. DESCRIPTION.
Its caulis is divided into sections, filled with a mucilaginous and albuminous juice. It is invaginated, varying in its extension from sixty centimeters to a meter, and breaking out, at its apex, into alternate leaves similar to the embryonic leaves of the coconut trees. Several fusiform stems, covered with membranous veins, some there to four centimeters wide; leaves numbering six to eight, strongly recurved, linear, lanceolated, very pointed, measuring from thirty-five to sixty centimeters long.
Its surface is of a reddish light green, the entire plant forming in conjunction with the bulbs or pseudo bulbs, a species of branch or panicle, having a large quantity of adventitious roots.
Inflorescence in form of corymbs and irregular perfoliation. The braceas are membranous, undulating, of a yellowish green, densely stained, lined transversally with dark red, especially in the lower half; the ones on the base of the branch measuring from eight to twelve centimeters, and the ones on the base of the flower from three to five centimeters. The flowers are from four to five centimeters wide, oval, oblong, sharp and undulating sepals, of a greenish yellow, stained, and with brown transversal lines; petals are oblong, obtuse, undulating, of a light yellow, presenting small red spots in the central part and base, and sometimes spotless.
The labellum is a little shorter than the lateral sepals, a little fleshy, deeply trilobous, lobules obovate, cuneiform, incurved, of a bright red colour.
The anterior lobules are widely recurved, of a yellow lemon colour, having the edges red and finely curled.
The crest of the discuss forms an oblong plate, tuberculous, whitish, and dotted with red.
The stalk is trigonal, lightly incurved and a yellowish green.
It is an orchid despised by the collectors, but deserving of the great attention of the doctors, since it contains therapeutic principles, worthy of study, in order to give us the medical wealth which it has empirically shown. EMPIRICAL MEDICINAL USES AND CLINICAL FACTS
Its caulis crushed, and the paste thus formed applied in a poultice, gives immediate relief from whitlow pains, and consequent suppuration, from which it derives its name of bisturi do matto (wild bistoury) and lanceta milagrosa (miraculous lancet).
The mucilaginous juice, boiled or as a syrup, administered internally, is expectorant, promoting expectoration either in recent coughs or in those of old standing, in bronchitis, in haemoptysis, whooping-cough, suffocation; and in general against all the diseases caused by the irritation of the respiratory tracts. It is also useful to relieve tuberculars. It is administered by spoonfuls every two hours.
The well remembered Dr. Licinio Cardoso, in 1908, brought some interesting clinical cases to the knowledge of the Hahnemann Institute of Brazil, in which he had made use of the Cyrtopodium punctatum in external empirical applications, one of which assumed prime importance: a case of epithelioma in the middle joint of the first phalanx of the little finger of the right hand of a lady, his client, to which neoplasm, after several homoeopathic medicaments had failed, he resolved to apply a preparation of Cyrtopodium punctatum and Natrum muriaticum with lanolin, which application cured the patient. He also applied the mother tincture of Cyrtopodium punctatum, soaked in cotton, to anthrax abscesses, and the results obtained were marvelous, not only relieving the pains, but also promoting suppuration.
In this case, he kept the cotton on the abscess always wet. He also applied it in a clyster, in the proportion of 50 grams of mother tincture to 50 grams of water, in a case of a rectal abscess, which applications presented excellent results.
The author of this work has had in his clinic many observations on the empiric and external application of CYRTOPODIUM punctatum mother tincture in simple abscesses, phlegmons and whitlows, and rare is the case where the results obtained are not excellent, not only relieving the pain but also promoting suppuration.
Cyrtopodium punctatum is widely applied, although empirically, in external uses, by the Brazilian homoeopathists, and they all emphasize the good results obtained from such applications.
INDUSTRIAL USES.
The gummy-gelatinous juice of the Cyrtopodium punctatum is widely used in industry. In the joiners trade it is used to substitute glue and starch. It is also used to glue paper, porcelain, and glass and is preferred to any other gum for the binding of books.
The juice mixed with animal or vegetable coal, produces a magnificent paste for polishing shoes. PURE EXPERIMENTS.
Experimenter: Dr. Licinio Cardoso.
The experiment began on March 10, 1906, the date on which the first dose was taken, and ended on the 25th of the same month, the date on which the last dose was taken. Experiments were made with the 3rd, 5th and first centesimal potencies.
EXPERIMENT WITH THE 3RD POTENCY.
March 10, 1906. I took four drops of the medicine during the day. At first there was much sleepiness. While hearing or examining a patient I felt that I must interrupt the work in order to sleep.
Sensation of fatigue. Slight dormant feeling in the sole of the feet. Later, a certain cerebral excitement and disposition for work.
March 11th. I took 20 drops of the substance in 10 doses of 2 drops. Slight heat in the feet. Slight rumbling in the bowels. Slight intestinal colic. Weight on the head, especially when lowering it. Sensation of a great quantity of blood in the cerebral cells. Increase of urine during the night.
