Vaccination against smallpox may arouse a latent tuberculosis but is more apt to weld itself, as it were, to the latent tubercular miasm and not cause trouble for many years. Thus sometimes in the so-called disease of the aged Vaccininum or Tuberculinum will bring about a favorable reaction. Among homoeopathists the Tuberculin nosode and Vaccininum have always been placed in the same group. The classical tubercular type is the thin, stoop-shouldered person with low resistance and a tendency to colds.
The Tuberculins have been standard nosodes for too long a time to require extended mention here. In addition to the Tuberculins that are well known in this country, several new ones have been developed in France, namely, the Bossan, Denys, Marmoreck, Residuel, Spengler and Vaudremer Tuberculins. All of these are useful in suitable cases. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, Kochs Tuberculinum was the sheet anchor remedy in the pneumonic type of influenza.
COLISEPSIS MIASMS.
Another type of miasm is related to the intestinal tract. The effects of chronic colon infection are far-reaching. Chronic constipation always has as an accompanying or causative factor an infection with one of the chronic group of bacteria. Bach of London, over a period of years, isolated the different types of colon bacilli that appeared in the stools of chronic patients and made from these a set of vaccines. These were afterwards potentised and are known as the “Bachs Nosodes”.
Each nosode consists of a great many cultures of each particular type. Many brilliant cures have been made with these, including the cure of cancer and they also, like any other nosode, frequently so modify a case that indications for constitutional remedies come into the picture. Here is the list of these nosodes; we would feel lost without them: Bacil., coli bact., Bact., Flexner Dysentery, Skatol, Proteus, Polyvalent, Muco bact., Morgan, Gaertner, Sycotic, Faecalis alk., Dysentery, Ceratostigma and Coli mutab. The writings of Bach and Wheeler furnish the best indications for these nosodes.
STREPTOCOCCIC AND STAPHYLOCOCCIC MIASMS.
Focal infections have been the subject of widespread study through the past decades. These occur in many parts of the body but particularly in the gallbladder, appendix, throat, teeth, sinuses and joints. Whatever the primary focus, they are usually accompanied by systemic symptoms. Foci occur around the roots of teeth after dental decay has reached the pulp but the worst cases are where teeth have been devitalised.
Devitalised teeth should always be removed. Sometimes in a gallbladder infection, accompanied by gallstone formation, operation may be necessary. In acute appendicitis some of our best prescribers have treated their cases with success homoeopathically and Dr. Hay, of Hay-diet fame, who at one time was a surgeon, claims that all cases can be taken care of without operation. However, aside from these debatable types, all others can be successfully treated medically. Among the most valuable remedies are nosodes made from various strains of streptococci, staphylococci and their bacteriophages.
We have a large group of the staphylococcic and streptococcic types, as well as their bacteriophages and have had excellent results from their use. In a case of appendicitis in an elderly woman, the surgeon feared to operate because in old persons there is usually arteriosclerosis in the appendix which causes high mortality from operation. In this case, the first remedy was a streptococcus nosode, to which she responded well. Although the course at the start was hectic, the patient made a perfect recovery. One of our nosodes, Staphylococcus abdominalis, which was mentioned in a previous paper, has often been useful.
During the last 18 months streptococcic and staphylococcic infections have been more common than for several years and during the last six months there have been many fatal cases. Several years ago, we obtained from the Public Health Service in Washington some streptococci cultures, together with bacteriophages which had developed in the cultures. Potencies from the original cultures, as well as from their phages, have been our most useful nosodes in this group.
We have not observed any clinical indications whereby we can distinguish between a streptococcus nosode and a phage nosode. The only way at present to differentiate between them is to use some of the reflexes which have been mentioned.
The term “miasm” has been retained in this paper because it expresses Hahnemanns thought better than do the names of specific germs, as it implies the type of susceptibility as well as the specific cause of an illness. Reviewing these miasms, we find several differentiating characteristics for each.
Syphilis is an infection caused by a specific type of spirochete that causes first an ulceration, then lesion of the skin and finally widespread destruction and infiltration that affects the deepest structures from the bones to the central nervous system.
Sycosis is the result of an infection by a specific type of diplococcus that sets up a catarrhal condition and a general poisoning with a special affinity for the urethral and adjacent glands and the eyes and may end in joint inflammation.
Influenza is an infection by a specific type of virus which never causes ulceration but causes acute catarrhal conditions resulting in asthenia and, when localised in the nervous system, degeneration of nerve centers.
Tuberculosis is an infection by a type of bacillus with special affinity for the lungs but it also may affect any organ. It causes tubercles, lowers resistance to suppurative germs and thus in turn may cause a breaking down of the infected areas.
Colisepsis is an infection from bacilli with an affinity for the colon. There are several types and they cause both local trouble and constitutional effects.
Streptococci and staphylococci are cocci that have an affinity for any part of the body and can be associated with any other infection and may cause suppuration or remote sclerotic effects.
All of these miasms can be acute but they also tend to chronicity. The foregoing are the only large groups of chronic miasms that have emerged in our work but there are some others such as Malta fever which may have greater importance than we have recognised.
MIASMATIC END PRODUCTS.
Carcinoma appears to occur from various causes but, excepting in the cases due to heredity, probably the syphilis and colisepsis miasms are background factors. There may be a specific cancer miasm. Doern of Milwaukee claims to have discovered and isolated such germ and with it he has caused cancer-like growths in plants as well as animals. A few years ago Grimmer called attentions to the Cadmium salts as the nearest specific of any remedies in cancer and this has proved true in our work.
The other common type of malignancy, sarcoma, responds to the snake venoms. The first case that called attention to the venoms in sarcoma was that of a child in the practise of Dr. Erastus Case, which was cured by Lachesis. In both cancer and sarcoma other constitutional remedies will be needed but cadmium salts in cancer and venoms in sarcoma are as near specifics as we ever find.
Arteriosclerosis is another end product for which there is a group of specific remedies among the halogens. In every case of arteriosclerosis we test all of the salts of the halogen group and where there are cardiac complications, all of the nitrates as well.
NOSODES AND VACCINES AND THEIR METHODS OF USE.
In treating these miasms, either in the acute or chronic stage, there are special nosodes that are useful in each group. Modern medicine has produced a multiple of vaccines and antitoxins that are used as specific remedies, usually given hypodermically. The strict homoeopathist is apt to oppose their use because they have not been proved and because as they are customary used they at times cause damage. Harm is caused where the vaccine is not specific and it frequently occurs because it is given hypodermically.
When given by mouth they do less harm than when injected, even if not specifically indicated, because the alimentary mucous membrane is a natural protection against protein poisons. It neutralises them by digesting the harmful part and the body responds to the fraction that is specific. We should recognise the inherent soundness of the principle for the use of vaccines and seek a method for finding exact indications for their use. Where diagnostic factors are lacking, autogenous vaccines are usually safe but one must be sure that he is using the right strains.
Duncan, in his autogenous method of treatment, utilises a secretion related to the patients disease. For instance, in pneumonia he will pass the sputum through a Berkefeld filter and inject the filtrate and he claims remarkable results. And there is the Rodgers autohaemic method, whereby he utilises the patients blood, first potentising it a few points and then injecting it. These methods are successful, at least up to a certain point but, from our observations, there comes a time when a remedy, not related to the patients own fluids, is indicated.
